# Identify mysterious buried cable in my yard **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 3, 2025, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510 "2025-01-03T06:18:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/21 "2025-01-03T18:10:15Z")
They had them in Epping Forest to control the grazing cows as fences aren’t allowed. But they’ve now been replaced with a GPS based system that allows greater flexibility with no need to keep moving the cables. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/22 "2025-01-03T19:24:14Z")
> [@Maus\_Magill](#): > > 10 gauge is pretty thick for a residential line I second that emotion. Phone lines are generally 24 AWG, which is heavy enough it will often carry the thousands of amperes of a lightning strike without opening (partly because it’s so brief). They could be 22 awg, but I don’t think it gets any heavier than that. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/23 "2025-01-04T17:45:18Z")
Here are pictures of the wire: > **[20250104-112930 hosted at ImgBB](https://ibb.co/Rv6MZWz)** > > Image 20250104-112930 hosted in ImgBB > **[20250104-112939 hosted at ImgBB](https://ibb.co/rmj6dYR)** > > Image 20250104-112939 hosted in ImgBB > **[20250104-113352 hosted at ImgBB](https://ibb.co/PDrj7gJ)** > > Image 20250104-113352 hosted in ImgBB One end heads toward the house and the other end goes off in this direction toward the street. > **[20250104-113232 hosted at ImgBB](https://ibb.co/bs7Z68y)** > > Image 20250104-113232 hosted in ImgBB There is no box or connection anywhere over there. There is no evidence of it going into the electrical box, cable box, or phone box on the outside of the house. These junctions only receive wires from the utility pole above–nothing up from the ground. Invisible fence. The junction box for the invisible fence is on the complete opposite corner of the house (NE vs SW). Here is a picture of the box. > **[20250104-113043 hosted at ImgBB](https://ibb.co/b3PWLcF)** > > Image 20250104-113043 hosted in ImgBB The wires inside the box don’t match. There is no brown. > **[20250104-113055 hosted at ImgBB](https://ibb.co/KhqcGXP)** > > Image 20250104-113055 hosted in ImgBB There is no irrigation system here and nothing being powered away from the building on this side of the home. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/24 "2025-01-04T17:50:17Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > One end heads toward the house and the other end goes off in this direction toward the street. I am wondering if there was a post light at one time. Sort of like [this](https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-Light-Black-Dusk-to-Dawn-Weather-Resistant-Stainless-Steel-and-Plastic-Solar-LED-Outdoor-Post-Light-CA2351-P/327723871). Those used to be common in some neighborhoods. Check [old aerial photos](https://www.historicaerials.com/viewer). ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/25 "2025-01-04T17:56:46Z")
None on that side. There are two such lamps in the front of the house near the street. But those are on the east side of the house. I wonder if there was some reason to run the wire from the SW and go all the way around. Those lamps don’t turn on right now. I still haven’t figured out the reason. It might be the bulbs or maybe I haven’t found the right switch yet. It’s on my long to-do list to diagnose those (I just bought this house). When I finally get to that in a month or so, I will keep this in mind. By then, my household goods will have arrived and I will have my multimeter. It has a clamp meter, so I’ll be able to see if there is anything running through these. ETA: Now that I think about it, I looked at one of the posts days ago and through a small access hole, could see the wire running up through it. It was a large yellow romex cable like what is found inside the walls of homes. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/26 "2025-01-04T18:05:18Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > I will have my multimeter. It has a clamp meter, so I’ll be able to see if there is anything running through these. You can check for current in one of the wires using the clamp-around meter. But if there’s no load (which is likely) there won’t be any current. It’s best to check for voltage. I’ve never used one, but perhaps a cheap [non-contact voltage tester](https://www.amazon.com/WGGE-Non-Contact-Electrical-Flashlight-Breakpoint/dp/B09B4K2MYQ/) would work. Using the non-contact voltage tester… if it’s on a 120 VAC circuit, then one of the wires would have a voltage on it (relative to earth), and if it’s 240 VAC, then each wire would have a voltage on it. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/27 "2025-01-04T18:11:25Z")
Awesome. I will get one of those. Beats my backup plan of just splicing it and seeing if it will power a lightbulb or shorting it to see what breaker trips. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/28 "2025-01-04T18:14:46Z")
Do any of you resident invisible fence experts think this still might be part of that system? The size of the wires is similar. Maybe they ran out of white? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/29 "2025-01-04T18:19:01Z")
I’ve also read (forget where) someone suggesting that shallow power wires may be a remnant left behind from when the house was built. During construction, power would be ran to the house in this way to allow the crews to use their power tools. Is that right? If so, could this be something like that? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/30 "2025-01-04T18:19:39Z")
Something old and low voltage surely. Most likely for lighting. Could be an old remote meter reading connection. An intercom at the end of the driveway? Is it in the front of your house? How far is the street from your house? Was there ever a non-Bell phone company in your municipality? Did any previous owners with teenage sons live there? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/31 "2025-01-04T18:30:30Z")
Old remote meter connection could be a possibility. If so, it’s been well removed from the current power meter. There is no evidence there of anything like having been there in the past. This drive way is on the NE corner of the home. This is the SW. Not only is it the back yard, it’s the remote corner of the building that has untouched, overgrown woods for about 15 meters uphill before reaching a street. That’s kind of the strangest part about it. I’m sure the house used to have teenagers. From what I can tell, a single family owned this house since it was built in the 60s. The mother was the final occupant and she left it to her son when she died. He never lived in it after that, he just sold it to another family who only lived in it for like two years and now I have it. That family had only small children. Considering there are no updated phone jacks (all still the decades-old, round 4-prong jacks), I don’t think they had a home phone. Probably just used their cell phones. I know they didn’t have cable and only had internet in one room (albeit ran to a wifi router for service to the rest of the house). This house does have the old home intercom systems that were hugely popular back in the day. It doesn’t work, and I’m just pulling and patching over them as I get to them. There are two on the outside of the house, one at the front door and one at th rear entry. No path or anything that would need an intercom in the direction these wires are headed, though. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/32 "2025-01-04T18:33:29Z")
Here’s the location of the home. The wires are in the SW corner. It’s the least likely corner I’d expect to find anything. \
---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/33 "2025-01-04T18:40:31Z")
So the wires are going through the wooded part, toward the intersection of Cumberland Road and Cumberland Court? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/34 "2025-01-04T18:45:12Z")
Who the hell puts their home address on the Dope? Lol. Beautiful home and neighborhood. The attic of my house is a museum to various tech. There’s land line phone wire, tv antenna, coax, Ethernet and copper wiring. Obviously the copper wires are still used but there’s only a single small fiber cable coming into the house. Well over a dozen inlets have been patched over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/35 "2025-01-04T18:51:44Z")
I’m still stumped. It is not direct burial (UF) wiring, so it certainly doesn’t meet code for 120 VAC or 240 VAC. There’s also not a ground wire. Nonetheless, it could have been a (non-compliant) DIY installation for 120 VAC to power something. And it could be anyone’s guess on what it was… a remote outlet, light, birdbath heater, pump, incubator heater, heated pet house, etc. It could be “signal-level” wiring for a sensor (including invisible fence, security system) or communication (e.g. intercom, outdoor telephone ringer). However, smaller gauge wires are usually used for that purpose. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/36 "2025-01-04T18:56:38Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Nonetheless, it could have been a DIY installation for 120 VAC to power something. And could be any guess on what it was… a remote outlet, light, birdbath heater, pump, etc. This is my guess. The guy who owned my house before me was the master of shit like this. I was finding weird things for years. The best was using rubber electrical conduit for the dishwasher drain. It actually worked fine until I had the dishwasher replaced. The old dude who did the install was astounded. He said he has never seen that in all of his years. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/37 "2025-01-04T19:03:57Z")
Assuming the wires continue straight, they will run perfectly in line with the western edge of the house, due south toward Cumberland Rd. I found it while installing a pipe for my roof gutter downspout to empty into. So, I was right at the corner of the house. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/38 "2025-01-04T19:05:28Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Who the hell puts their home address on the Dope? Lol. That cat was fully out of the bag when I signed up with my real name. LOL. I’ll only be here a couple years anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/39 "2025-01-04T19:16:20Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > The guy who owned my house before me was the master of shit like this. This house is full of that kind of fun. Particle board behind the shower walls, no GFCIs, spray foam wall patches, paneling instead of drywall, oil based paints, furring strips for baseboards and chair rails, aluminum flashing for a backsplash, and all manner of craziness throughout. Getting it all redone. Been living in the finished (poorly) walk-out basement while the crews finish the main house. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510/40 "2025-01-04T19:25:38Z")
Somewhere on the property is a buried room used for Satanic Rituals or the depositary of the real Declaration of Independence. Trace the wire. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-mysterious-buried-cable-in-my-yard/1012510.md?page=3)