electric wire questions

Last December a tree fell on my powerline ripping a yard light wire out of the attic. Previously the yard light wire was just cut and the end wrapped in electrical tape. The other end was just 2 wires that look like they were connected to a switch. There was only 2 wires with no bare ground wire. The ripping loose of the wires also disconnected my bedroom light.

There are 3 wires in the attic and each wire has two wires. They look identical to me so I'm wondering how do I know which one is the ground and which is hot? The wiring is old and has the wire covered with a twisted cloth layer and a paper layer on top of that. One of the wires seems to have a slight silver color on the twisted cloth covering but I can't say for sure.

I checked the wires with one of those pens today and they are all hot. When I first looked at the wires after the storm there was a connection within a metal box. It was just a few wires left. My guess is that the box is where the now disconnected yard light connection was made. If I can't figure out the wiring I'm going to have to start cutting holes in the sheet rock.

 

has anyone tried running temporary electric fence wire through poly pipe for protection? I'm wondering if that's a decent way to shield it from animals or weather long-term. Also, has anyone used aluminum wire instead of steel to make handling easier, or does that affect the zap too much over longer distances?

 

I ran into similar confusion last year, especially figuring out wire sizes and what passed inspection. One thing that helped me stay organized and avoid headaches with the inspector was using this checklist: https://itptemplates.com/inspection-and-test-plan-for-electrical-works/. It lays things out clearly so you don’t miss something basic like labeling or grounding correctly. Made the whole permit process smoother on my end.