How can I fix an exterior electricity cable that I've managed to put a spade through?

Question

Whilst working in the garden I put a spade through the electricity cable that runs from the house to the garage (the cable was buried in the bed alongside the garage wall). The cable is 2.5mm I think and I was wondering if anybody knew how I could go about repairing it? Would a junction box be ok, or would it need re-wiring due to it being in the soil? Also, if re-wiring is required does anyone have any idea how much this might cost?

Answer 1

You could use a junction box, but you need to go to a good Plumber's Merchants so that you ensure they give you a junction box suitable for burying under the soil. When you run cable outside, it is normally armoured cable which has a tough outer casing. It doesn't sound as though yours was armoured cable.

Anyway, see what they say about the junction box, I'm sure you can buy them.

Answer 2

You should be able to splice it. be sure the power is off.connect the black wires together and the white ones together, there should be a ground wire to be sure to tape ,and you may need to put that part through a condutit pipe.

Answer 3

if it was buried cable it will have to be replace never splice wire in the ground it will corrode better off replacing not sure how much it will cost depends on how long of a run. when replacing use the buried cable again but this time run it though some pvc pipe .it will be better protected

Answer 4

Rewiring will cost a bloody fortune as any electrician worth his or her salt will insist that it goes down to the proper depth. And presumably it wasn't armoured cable either if you managed to cut through it...

You might try one of these for now, although I really would recommend a 'proper' job. http://www.screwfix.com/prods/12534/Elec...  

Answer 5

The cable I assume is coated with a rubber or plastic covering.

Electrical wiring is measured by gage.

The lower the gage, the thicker the cable.Usually the gage is 10 or 12 gage.It should show on the cable.

Go to a hardware store, bring a piece of cable with you if possible.

They have a connector. also before splicing together, buy a piece of PVC pipe larger and longer than the cable and slide in back, then connect the cable together.

Once that is finished, slide the PVC pipe over it and tape it with duct tape.

Don't waste money on a junction box unless you have more than one wire.

Answer 6

A repair cable is never as long lasting as an undamaged one but it still will last for a long time. Any big box home improvement store has these splices. They are not the waterproof wire nuts but true splices. The kit includes little tubes that crimp around the bare wires with a heat shrink tube that will seal the joint from moisture. They are the same splices that are used in a deep water well to hookup the electrical cables to the well wires. They can be totally submersed and are very durable. They are relatively inexpensive but do require the use of a proper crimping tool for the hard metal splices. This crimping tool is about the same cost as a good set of pliers. Hope this helps.