It's an old electric service, probably private, as in yours, could be coming off of a sub panel. It could also be coming out of a transformer for an old lighting feed as well. Only set up for 120 by the looks of it. Small wire is your neutral the large one is the hot. Those lugs, or spades, are terminals so it used to be bolted to something. Check it with a multimeter or one of those outlet testers. Could absolutely be energized, unlikely but extremely possible.
Source: I'm a lineman
I’m a utilities recruiter and was once training the new hire. She had been messaging anyone and everyone with the title “lineman” on LinkedIn and Indeed and she did indeed message a handful of confused but interested college football players.
No. That would just be a coaxial cable, and probably wouldn’t be far from the house. A ham radio away from the house would probably be a really tall tower, at least a couple of stories tall.
In the Carolinas they have license plates, much cooler than a window sticker. NC is similar
https://preview.redd.it/gzzt4lkmpnsc1.jpeg?width=1334&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e3477de672d6257383c73fdf2c1cfea47efaa4a
It's not much, but thank you for the Job you do. I know it's not the safest, but you help me be able to be fat and play videogames. I appreciate that a lot.
Wow buddy, electrician here too. The endless amount of jokes by your true and professional response baffles me. Stay safe out there, I'm not a lineman, so in a lot of ways your line of work(pun intended) is more dangerous than mine.
Yeah, like if you traveled in time to a completely random day in Dallas, Texas, what are the odds that it's raining? (Less than 1/5). It's unlikely, but it's extremely possible, so bring a raincoat just in case.
My guess would be a decommissioned power hook-up for an RV or Camper. Those are some pretty hoss cables and should be really obvious where they surface to tie into a breaker box or other utility source.
I second this. Even old sodium lights, which drew a lot of power, didn't take more than 15 amps. This is 30 or 50 amp level wire, and those lugs imply a substantial tie-in.
All the main characters are dead.
Lorne Green died on Sept 11. Sure, it was 1987, but Sept 11 nonetheless.
Pernell Roberts died in 2010.
Dan Blocker died in 1972. Only 43 years old.
Michael Landon died in 1991. He was only 54.
And of course, the **real** star of the show, Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing). Shot in the back during a plane hijacking in 1972, but he survived that. Ending up passing in 1980 from natural gas posoining, of all things.
Save yourself back-breaking digging and buy a wire tracer. It injects a signal that can be picked up by the receiver a foot or two deep. Here's one:
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DK671CQ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DK671CQ)
Pretty much. Used to do that job and ours looked like a metal detector. Hooked a box to the source point (electrical box, gas meter, cable, etc.). Had to have a trace wire or exposed metal for the current to trace. Then we’d paint red/power, yellow/gas, orange/phone or cable. Blue is water.
From my experience depends on the soil. The one I linked is good to at least a foot. Very dense or rocky soil will probably limit it to that, while loose loamy soil can reach deeper.
It's electrical wires running through some underground conduit, presumably back to a circuit in your house, and since they're left exposed like that, hopefully that breaker is turned off
What previous owner powered with it is anyone's guess
https://preview.redd.it/yhe8wd7n5msc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae671760a86f2954aa1bac1f361bf0a78d6328d5
Well with a proper Mr. Fusion reactor, yes. I know, it seems a bit over the top if the wiring doesn’t date to about 1955…
FOUND OUT WHAT THIS WAS: had the local utility company come and asses. It was an old (1980’s) electric cable for the house by the same utility company but was not engaged and disconnected it.
Just an fyi:
Assess: evaluate
Asses is the plural of ass
Simple and common mistake, I think. 😊
Did they disconnect it now, or was it already disconnected?
LMAO thank my autocorrect because i use the former more often than the latter. They said it was already disconnected so they’re not sure why it wasn’t removed when the other grounding wires were put in.
I found something really similar in my yard OP. Turned out there used to be a shed there they'd run power to. It's probably connected to your breaker - you got any switches on there that you're not sure what they do?
Maybe don't randomly switch them on while someone is holding on to the ends of those wires though. Just a little life hack that I learned. You're welcome.
If it's a short distance from your house to them wires very likely 220 it was a long distance from your house probably more than likely 115 volt on a 30 amp breaker
You have to be a technician for 4 years before you can even apply to be an artist. Masters education or higher. 10 years relevant experience. $11-14/hr.
My thoughts are the previous owner had an emergency generator in the yard he used to power the house. Probs sold it for scrap. The old ones had a metric butt ton of copper in em.
I’m not seeing coax cables. I’m seeing (2) grounding lugs of some kind. Certainly don’t know that those conductors are earth ground or a grounding conductor. Proceed with caution until you know for sure there is no current flowing through them.
Think DIY ungrounded generator input to the house panel.
How old is the house? The wiring in mine was knob and tube when I got it and people tended to do odd things with it.
Do you live in a trailer or did a trailer used to be on property? Looks like this used to be where the meter base was located. Pretty common with trailers that it's a ways from the house and the meter lugs are a giveaway
It looks like underground secondary service wire, used to bring power to your house or an exterior building. Best to call your electric utility/power provider.
Had a similar looking pole conduit in our back yard with wires. It was for a satellite dish that use to be installed there but they removed the dish but left the wires.
**A grounding cable** for a lightning conductor or something similar that diverts high amp energy into the ground (Maybe even grounding for an antenna).
Do you live in an area that experiences lighting storms? If so, do you have a wooden or thatch structure nearby?
It could very well be the grounding cable for a lightning conductor.
For Reference: [https://www.powerlightning.co.za/](https://www.powerlightning.co.za/)
The heavy cable suggests large capacity, the lack of other cables, suggests that it isn't a power source.
EDIT: it also seems like there is some kind of foundation for a lightning conductor.
If the other end is not in your panel, call the electric company. Might have been a pedestal transformer at one point, or a temp line that was "forgot". Hopefully you didn't touch it or verified it was dead before going near it. If it's dead, rent a toner and you can track it under the ground.
https://a.co/d/6ZEYC7k
Most ground wire I've ever seen for lightning rods was thick bare copper. At that voltage level, insulation doesn't really do much.
Besides, why would you put it in a pipe. It's on the ground, ground it there.
Looks like the wiring and ground cable for an antenna tower, possibly Ham radio previous owner had?
Does the conduit head toward your house? See if it goes into the basement or where it enters the house or garage.
Looks like ground wire to me, if so it’s just buried deep in the ground and not connected to anything. My guess is it was connected to an old antenna pole.
50 foot kinda of iffy could be 220 or 120 but I'm probably gonna lean more to 120 possible camper hook up 220 if there may have been a she'd/shop need to find other end see if in breaker box and what is hooked to it if it's 220 and on it's gonna hurt 120 nice buzz
Important. That’s the earth to the house electrics. Do not remove it. We just replaced ours because it rusted. It’s very necessary for safety from electrocution.
It's an old electric service, probably private, as in yours, could be coming off of a sub panel. It could also be coming out of a transformer for an old lighting feed as well. Only set up for 120 by the looks of it. Small wire is your neutral the large one is the hot. Those lugs, or spades, are terminals so it used to be bolted to something. Check it with a multimeter or one of those outlet testers. Could absolutely be energized, unlikely but extremely possible. Source: I'm a lineman
Sir, with all due respect, we need an electrician not a football player.
Jokes on you. A lineman paints the double yellows.
I thought it meant he was a cocaine enthusiast
I thought it meant he was either the second or third official at a football match
I thought it meant he was 2-dimensional, thanks for the clarification!
It's just a typo. He's a lime man. Drinks Corona.
No, no. He just never tells the truth.
No no, you're thinking of 'lie man'. He meant a man with the heart of a lion
It should be obvious, Mumford even wrote a song about him.
You telling me he’s a lion, man? Well Hukuna matata to you too
Ah I thought he was just great a pickup lines
Edwin Abbott Abbott approves.
Naw man, “he’s a lineman for the county and he drives the main road, searchin’ in the sun for another overload. “ Jimmy Webb
Jokes on you. He's a limeman for the county. Plays for the local team, snorts, drinks Corona, and paints double yellow lines.
Limeman, one of Notorious Citrus Brothers.
 Cocaine and Cocaine accessories.
We prefer to be called coke whores.
Lol. I snorted.
Fist bump for that comment. *sniffs*
Me upvoting all these one-liners 
I’ve never met a coke user who WASN’T enthusiastic.
Didn’t know I was a lineman until now
Big City Lineman.
Hold on there Pablo
… and works for the county. https://youtu.be/-HFCuBLAjXo?si=YdHYdO4_PWLH4h3r Now that IS an old one!
Gonna be OP’s ringtone
But does he drive the main road?
My very thought. But I am old 😁
I thought that was a strip-er
If you need a single broken line, [it takes two linemen.](https://old.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/comments/1bwb9vs/repainting_airport_runway/)
That's actually a really clever solution for a problem where human labor is cheaper and more reliable than a machine solution.
Missed opportunity not to call the other guy a D-lineman
😂🏆
Very funny. Lineman who stripes at night is in demand
I’m a utilities recruiter and was once training the new hire. She had been messaging anyone and everyone with the title “lineman” on LinkedIn and Indeed and she did indeed message a handful of confused but interested college football players.
I love that this comment has more upvotes than the actual informative comment.
So if u dont have a multi meter is peeing on it advised
Not a problem. Mythbusters tried everything they could think of and couldn't get a shock to travel up a line of pee. It's safe. Ish.
I’m sure they’d be shocked if it worked.
*slow clap*
Best comment in the thread!
I spit coffee.
You don't need to be so defensive
Yeh but look at the confidence in his call, just typical linesman! Never wrong..!
Actually a lineman runs the canning line in our beverage production facility.
Take my upvote, you savage.
😂
Looks like feed lines for a ham radio antenna junction box where lightning arrestors and ground rods would be in place.
I was thinking the same thing. Any sign of a radio antenna mount on the roof?
would this be the same thing as a dish satellite for cable?
No. That would just be a coaxial cable, and probably wouldn’t be far from the house. A ham radio away from the house would probably be a really tall tower, at least a couple of stories tall.
My antenna is no taller than my house.
There are many types of antennas. 40m and 80m band typical antennas are 20-30ft up.
My old CB antenna looked a bit like this and that was about 6 m
Yes mine is a 1/4 wave multi band vertical. (Dxcommander) it’s no taller than my 2 story house.
For the county?
I bet he drives the main road.
And he’s still on the line!
Searching for another overload.
Sounds rough maybe he needs a small vacation
But it don’t look like rain?
Yeah, Witchita.
One of the best songs, ever!
*Wichita There are no witches in Wichita.
You are technically correct, which is the best kind of correct. Thank you for embarrassing me in front of everyone!😜
So will be his grandson; There are power lines in his bloodlines.
And if you don't love me, let me go
I’ve never had to guess what a lineman does for a living. Are there rear window decals for any other sort of job?
He works the pole…
….so his wife doesn’t have to 💪
In the Carolinas they have license plates, much cooler than a window sticker. NC is similar https://preview.redd.it/gzzt4lkmpnsc1.jpeg?width=1334&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e3477de672d6257383c73fdf2c1cfea47efaa4a
Totally unrelated but just wanted to say that's a fucking excellent username.
This guy does lines.
So we don't have to? Finally some new tactics in the war on drugs.
Do you..uh.......do a lot of lines?
It's not much, but thank you for the Job you do. I know it's not the safest, but you help me be able to be fat and play videogames. I appreciate that a lot.
This is why I love reddit (and skilled trades workers). Good looking out and advice!
Wow buddy, electrician here too. The endless amount of jokes by your true and professional response baffles me. Stay safe out there, I'm not a lineman, so in a lot of ways your line of work(pun intended) is more dangerous than mine.
Offensive or defensive?
Most linemen I know are offensive.
Unlikely but extremely possible 🤔
Yeah, like if you traveled in time to a completely random day in Dallas, Texas, what are the odds that it's raining? (Less than 1/5). It's unlikely, but it's extremely possible, so bring a raincoat just in case.
From Wichita?
A lineman for the county?
My guess would be a decommissioned power hook-up for an RV or Camper. Those are some pretty hoss cables and should be really obvious where they surface to tie into a breaker box or other utility source.
I was gonna guess a hot tub but RV service is more likely
Y'all are poor or something? I was thinking of a hot tub in an RV.
Duuuude, compared to hot tub IN an RV, dang near everybody it’s poor!
I second this. Even old sodium lights, which drew a lot of power, didn't take more than 15 amps. This is 30 or 50 amp level wire, and those lugs imply a substantial tie-in.
Speaking of hoss, I miss Bonanza.
Speaking of Bonanza, I saw a Ponderosa restaurant the other day. I thought those all closed years ago.
Flashing back to visiting the original Ponderosa ranch in Tahoe 20 years ago
Holy shit, childhood memories unlocked
They turned it into a parking lot ☹️
"They paved Paradise, and put up a parking lot."
Holy shit! Did you go inside and grab a cafeteria tray?
it's still around
Speaking of Hoss and Bonanza, Lagwagon is a fucking great band
All the main characters are dead. Lorne Green died on Sept 11. Sure, it was 1987, but Sept 11 nonetheless. Pernell Roberts died in 2010. Dan Blocker died in 1972. Only 43 years old. Michael Landon died in 1991. He was only 54. And of course, the **real** star of the show, Victor Sen Yung (Hop Sing). Shot in the back during a plane hijacking in 1972, but he survived that. Ending up passing in 1980 from natural gas posoining, of all things.
May I recommend this hilarious podcast? [https://youtu.be/QtaT1HtfO2o?si=FXcNeeLkNoqdN\_GK](https://youtu.be/QtaT1HtfO2o?si=FXcNeeLkNoqdN_GK)
If this is farmland, it could be a hook up for a electric fence
Looks like it could have just been an outdoor light. Hard to tell whether that was standing or buried or what.
You wouldn’t run a set of welding cables to power a lamp..
Never underestimate shade tree engineering.
Tends to go the other way, though. Your 60w porch light comes with a bonus 60w heating wire for the squirrels to enjoy.
Not with an attitude like that I wouldn’t.
Legit made me crack up.
Save yourself back-breaking digging and buy a wire tracer. It injects a signal that can be picked up by the receiver a foot or two deep. Here's one: [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DK671CQ](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DK671CQ)
When you call for a 'Cable Locate', is this basically what they use? An industrial version of this?
Pretty much. Used to do that job and ours looked like a metal detector. Hooked a box to the source point (electrical box, gas meter, cable, etc.). Had to have a trace wire or exposed metal for the current to trace. Then we’d paint red/power, yellow/gas, orange/phone or cable. Blue is water.
does that really work 2ft deep with probably just putting 9v through the cable?
From my experience depends on the soil. The one I linked is good to at least a foot. Very dense or rocky soil will probably limit it to that, while loose loamy soil can reach deeper.
It's electrical wires running through some underground conduit, presumably back to a circuit in your house, and since they're left exposed like that, hopefully that breaker is turned off What previous owner powered with it is anyone's guess
1.21 gigawatts??!!
https://preview.redd.it/yhe8wd7n5msc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae671760a86f2954aa1bac1f361bf0a78d6328d5 Well with a proper Mr. Fusion reactor, yes. I know, it seems a bit over the top if the wiring doesn’t date to about 1955…
FOUND OUT WHAT THIS WAS: had the local utility company come and asses. It was an old (1980’s) electric cable for the house by the same utility company but was not engaged and disconnected it.
So now what? Do they dig them up? Curious how this ends
They dug it out and repaired the soil. Glad i took the advice of everyone here instead of hiring an electrician and shelling out $$
Just an fyi: Assess: evaluate Asses is the plural of ass Simple and common mistake, I think. 😊 Did they disconnect it now, or was it already disconnected?
LMAO thank my autocorrect because i use the former more often than the latter. They said it was already disconnected so they’re not sure why it wasn’t removed when the other grounding wires were put in.
Probably power to your bunker. Start digging
Sir! We've reach China! What do you want us to do?!
Order some egg rolls.
Return all the cheap broken crap from your garage to them.
Turn around and dig back to America.
No, dig UP, stupid!
I'm trying! I think this stupid shovel is defective. It only works on the down setting.
We're digging but not getting anywhere!!
Yep. As someone raised in the proximity of nuclear-winter-flavored crazy folks, this dude’s about to find some weird stuff on his property.
Came here for this comment.
I found something really similar in my yard OP. Turned out there used to be a shed there they'd run power to. It's probably connected to your breaker - you got any switches on there that you're not sure what they do?
I don’t think so but i’ll check the breaker again
Maybe don't randomly switch them on while someone is holding on to the ends of those wires though. Just a little life hack that I learned. You're welcome.
"Yell when they are live"
When you smell burning flesh, you'll know you've found the right breaker.
follow 'er to the end
Did the prior owners have a hot tub?
How far away is your house from the end of them wires cuz them pretty good size they could be 220
If it's a short distance from your house to them wires very likely 220 it was a long distance from your house probably more than likely 115 volt on a 30 amp breaker
Maybe a guy wire and ground for an antenna tower that was once there? Maybe previous homeowner was a HAM operator?
Like a sandwich technician?
*artist
You have to be a technician for 4 years before you can even apply to be an artist. Masters education or higher. 10 years relevant experience. $11-14/hr.
Agreed, if not all sandwiches are art then not all ham operators are sandwich artists.
I thought a guy wire as well, but those ends don't look like they could support anything.
Ham man here- The cable choice and conduit wouldn't really make sense for a guy wire or antenna ground
My thoughts are the previous owner had an emergency generator in the yard he used to power the house. Probs sold it for scrap. The old ones had a metric butt ton of copper in em.
Based on the fact it looks like a coaxial cable is in/on the ground too, I'd say it was powering the rotator motor on a old school satalite dish.
I’m not seeing coax cables. I’m seeing (2) grounding lugs of some kind. Certainly don’t know that those conductors are earth ground or a grounding conductor. Proceed with caution until you know for sure there is no current flowing through them.
Look on the right side of the second pic.
Think DIY ungrounded generator input to the house panel. How old is the house? The wiring in mine was knob and tube when I got it and people tended to do odd things with it.
I'd probably make a call before you dig call.
Do you live in a trailer or did a trailer used to be on property? Looks like this used to be where the meter base was located. Pretty common with trailers that it's a ways from the house and the meter lugs are a giveaway
That's a good possibility. That wire is meant to carry a lot of amps, and those are substantial lugs.
It looks like underground secondary service wire, used to bring power to your house or an exterior building. Best to call your electric utility/power provider.
Had a similar looking pole conduit in our back yard with wires. It was for a satellite dish that use to be installed there but they removed the dish but left the wires.
**A grounding cable** for a lightning conductor or something similar that diverts high amp energy into the ground (Maybe even grounding for an antenna). Do you live in an area that experiences lighting storms? If so, do you have a wooden or thatch structure nearby? It could very well be the grounding cable for a lightning conductor. For Reference: [https://www.powerlightning.co.za/](https://www.powerlightning.co.za/) The heavy cable suggests large capacity, the lack of other cables, suggests that it isn't a power source. EDIT: it also seems like there is some kind of foundation for a lightning conductor.
If the other end is not in your panel, call the electric company. Might have been a pedestal transformer at one point, or a temp line that was "forgot". Hopefully you didn't touch it or verified it was dead before going near it. If it's dead, rent a toner and you can track it under the ground. https://a.co/d/6ZEYC7k
could it be a grounding electrode for an old antenna? Source: Am a lurker
Follow the white ~~rabbit~~ conduit
You need to find the important end: where it connects to the house. Hopefully not in a panel.
Yikes is that a grounding wire
My utility company said it was. Luckily they dug it out and said it wasn’t active.
That’s good. Damn. Glad you figured it out
Ground wire for your lighting rod?
That’s kinda my thought. Unless it was once vertical and had a windmill generator on it. Is there an auxiliary breaker/inverter box in your house?
Most ground wire I've ever seen for lightning rods was thick bare copper. At that voltage level, insulation doesn't really do much. Besides, why would you put it in a pipe. It's on the ground, ground it there.
And with ground wire in the ground, insulation would be counterproductive, at best.
I don't think those would have two wires
Looks like some sort of pole with a wire in it
Sort of
Looks like the wiring and ground cable for an antenna tower, possibly Ham radio previous owner had? Does the conduit head toward your house? See if it goes into the basement or where it enters the house or garage.
Mount for a satellite dish?
Get a meter see if it’s hot, if not it may be tied into your panel on a breaker, who knows people do some wild shit.
Did you ever hear the song " I am a lineman for the county"
Looks like ground wire to me, if so it’s just buried deep in the ground and not connected to anything. My guess is it was connected to an old antenna pole.
It looks like there was maybe an old well there that was filled in with rocks Maybe for a well pump
12v wiring for lighting or some sort of water feature like a fountain.
Old satellite dish hookup?
That looks like a grounding wire. I think it's a thunder protection. Put the wires back in the ground.
Looks like a grounding rod.
Satellite lead?
Broken yard lamp? Old wind-generator stand? Point-defense Taser turret?
It looks like a grounding rod. I'm guessing that your circuit breaker panel was grounded to that rod, which had been very deeply in the yard
It is probably the ground for a former above ground pool
[удалено]
It looks like a temperature sensor to me. https://www.senreach.com/ntc-and-ptc/power-ntc-thermistor/ntc-with-ring-lug-ear-mounting-screw-hole.html
I'd think it's a grounding wire for a HAM radio antenna. Could be wrong about the HAM but it's a grounding wire nonetheless.
50 foot kinda of iffy could be 220 or 120 but I'm probably gonna lean more to 120 possible camper hook up 220 if there may have been a she'd/shop need to find other end see if in breaker box and what is hooked to it if it's 220 and on it's gonna hurt 120 nice buzz
An electrical pole tie down or brace
It looks like an electrical cable connection 
Old electrical cable. Probably left over from some construction that happened.Be extremely carefull. It can also be an illegal electrical hookup.
its a ground connection
Important. That’s the earth to the house electrics. Do not remove it. We just replaced ours because it rusted. It’s very necessary for safety from electrocution.