I had a pole-mounted light in my front yard, near the utility pole that services my property. It was there before I moved into the house years ago, and my neighbor said it’s been there as long as he can remember. The 4x4 post on which the light was mounted also had a breaker panel, with a single breaker on it for the light, and there was a sizable PVC conduit leading from the bottom of the box to the ground, along with a thick ground wire. The post was about 10’ tall, with what I found out was about 2’ buried in the ground.
Last fall, the post finally rotted through, and the pole went over, breaking the connection between the bottom of the panel and the PVC conduit. I could see a thick black wire - about as big around as my thumb - leading into the box. I carefully removed the dirt from around the rotted post, and I could see where the same wire led from the box toward the utility pole. I know the breaker in the panel controls the light socket, but I was wondering where the power came from, so I had my girlfriend start flipping breakers in both the panels in the house, about 150 yards away in the opposite direction, while I held the probes from a multimeter to the socket. None of the breakers in either house panel controlled the power to the pole-mounted light breaker box, so I called PSO to ask about the pole light, thinking they must have run the power from the utility pole through the light pole and then to the house. They checked my account and said there’s no such pole light listed.
I’d like to just get rid of the light and the breaker box since the light made it difficult for me to see anything in the yard beyond the reach of the light; should I pay an electrician to come out to see what the deal is, or keep after PSO to send someone?
Last fall, the post finally rotted through, and the pole went over, breaking the connection between the bottom of the panel and the PVC conduit. I could see a thick black wire - about as big around as my thumb - leading into the box. I carefully removed the dirt from around the rotted post, and I could see where the same wire led from the box toward the utility pole. I know the breaker in the panel controls the light socket, but I was wondering where the power came from, so I had my girlfriend start flipping breakers in both the panels in the house, about 150 yards away in the opposite direction, while I held the probes from a multimeter to the socket. None of the breakers in either house panel controlled the power to the pole-mounted light breaker box, so I called PSO to ask about the pole light, thinking they must have run the power from the utility pole through the light pole and then to the house. They checked my account and said there’s no such pole light listed.
I’d like to just get rid of the light and the breaker box since the light made it difficult for me to see anything in the yard beyond the reach of the light; should I pay an electrician to come out to see what the deal is, or keep after PSO to send someone?
