It is not uncommon to find phantom voltage on non-energized conductors on 3-ways. When you look at intermediate sockets in the circuit, commonly a pair of wires carries power to the socket and another pair carries the power to the next socket in the chain. Extension cords through the house are no fun. Daves Reply: So, why do they leak so much current??? I doubt the readings will fluctuate if I try to turn something on. I brought out my volt meter and it reads a curious 13 volts vs the nearest outlet that reports 122 volts. If it's in a kitchen, look for a tripped GFCI outlet somewhere nearby. This will require proper repairs and in many cases replacing an outlet that may be affected due to a burnt wire connection. It's caused by load current that flows through the impedance of the neutral wire. Ok, thinking through this more thanks for bearing with me on this. The oven takes forever to heat up. About 6 months ago, I replaced the receptacle in this outlet with new one (I actually did for all outlets inside the house, except garage), and did verify that it works properly with a receptacle tester. Does the voltage change when you turn the switch on? Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. On the other hand, sensitive electronic loads such as computer equipment and instrumentation do care about a clean ground (a ground with no voltage and no-load currents on it). This is a measurement of voltage drop (also called IR drop). I have one about 3 feet away, I hit the test and reset, and still no dice, a coworker of mine thinks it could be a melted line or neutral wire somewhere. Strange. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. A single reversed neutral and ground can compromise the entire ground system. I can't fix it. rev2023.4.17.43393. Any idea on how to check which receptacle is connected to this one in the sequence? If any of the wires look corroded, strip them until you see shiny copper and clean the connections. If it's 120V, then replace the receptacle. If you feel safe in a main-off breaker panel and can look for this, sounds to me like a loose/disconnected neutral (white) on that branch circuit. As mentioned previously, you only need 2 wires for 240V. When measuring these Outlets I get 120 volts from live to ground, I get 0 volts from neutral to ground, but the weird thing is I get 0 volts from live to neutral when I should be getting 120 volts correct? Here are my findings. Three are commonly used to derive 120V from either hot to neutral. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Which is why double-ups on circuit breakers is prohibited under NEC among other things. Do you have 2 kitchen circuits with 2 GFCI receptacles? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. About 15 mins. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Consulting the installation and owners manual will provide specific information which will assist you as well. Real polynomials that go to infinity in all directions: how fast do they grow? I checked the breakers and reset each one and even took off the outlet cover and hooked the volt meter up to the wires and it still reports 13 volts. This generator was advertised as only putting out 120 volts on the 240 volt outlet. Attached it; problem solved. Thanks for all of the thoughts so far. There are about 5 or 6 receptacles in 2 rooms that all stopped working at once. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Terminals marked for easy identification and fast wiring, all mounting hardware included. Put someone on the same pedestal as another, 12 gauge wire for AC cooling unit that has as 30amp startup but runs on less than 10amp pull. All items (lights & sockets) on that circuit should die. If the reading of 203 volts is correct then the electrical system at your location may be 120/208volts, 3 phase. If it is gas you only need 120V but if electric you should be getting 240V at the outlet. This site saved me from having to pay someone which is admitting defeat which means I can go to my wife and look up into the sky and simply say: Genius. The outlet is in a corner location and has not been used since we moved in 8 years ago. Turn the breaker off if stabs are used pull the wires out and connect to the screw terminals or replace the outlet. Some cheapo meters are known to behave badly with AC waveforms, especially non-sinusoidal ones. Dave, Heres a hint about low power at recepticle or doing any DIY electrical work: Write down on paper everything you move, remove, or adjust at the breaker box. Pull the wire stripper toward the end of the cable to cut through the outer coating and expose the wires inside. Model . By measuring hot-neutral voltage, neutral-ground voltage and hot-ground voltage you are well on your way to answering these questions: These three measurements, all taken quickly at one outlet, provide you with a solid understanding of the building's electrical supply. 30V should, then, be very unlikely in a direct circuit even with poor connections. Save 6% with coupon. Switch off: If I measure with the polarity switched on the meter (black to load, red to ground) the meter reads 60 volts. 4.7 out of 5 stars 2,133. Any ideas welcome. I tested a switch with a resistive load and saw almost no leakage and it wasnt DC, which is pointing to the DC being caused by the connected load. In the meantime, consider disconnecting that particular circuit at your breaker panel. There likely isnt anything wrong with your meter is that test indicates the same voltage both ways. What do I look for? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. First step is the breaker, turn it off and push it fully to the off position to reset the internal mechanism. Can someone help me try to figure out what is causing these weird readings to happen outta nowhere? See how wiring electrical outlets for the home are done. Feel the box for excessive heat and sniff the air for the smell of burnt wiring or plastic. On the dimmer, because neutral is not required, it bleeds power from the line to load, but on the switch, it (in theory) should be capable of physically removing the load from the line to neutral power. Are you using a cheap, non-RMS meter? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Unless you have a low-inmpedance meter (which you probably dont), then there isnt any real way to tell if what you are measuring is true or ghost (induced) voltage. My attic does provide some (difficult) access to the wiring, but I am not sure where to start looking for the problem or what to look for. Remove 1 ft (30 cm) of the outer coating of the 10/4 cable. Do you think the loose connection would generate enough heat to be found with a laser temperature gun? With a standard switch I am getting 120v on, 0v off as expected. A multimeter can let you know if the range is less than 120, which is the expected voltage in a home's electric wall outlet. I have heard that the plug in testers can read 30v due to very low amp bleed onto the lines, but this is enough current to dimly light a couple of strings of outdoor led lights. Note what is unpowered on that circuit so you can verify later whether this is a full circuit or partial circuit power loss. In the process of attempting to resolve a similar problem this evening, my son and I discovered a similar problem and our solution was not related to any of these suggestions so I though I would share the resolution we found. My confusion throughout stemmed from the fact that I was measuring DC using the AC setting on my meter (I had no idea would actually work). When the Inovelli is off, you have 0 VAC at the Inovelli Load but 30 VAC at the receptacle. Attaching the Wires to the Outlet. Aberdeen based company touting Why live to ground voltage is only 0V (in a 220V AC power outlet, there is also electric shock)? It does not seem like this is happening even though the switch is clicking. The electrical circuit load of these high consuming devices is placed on and through every splice or connection within the circuit. Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced Best performed by a Certified Electrician or Licensed Electrical Contractor. Root issue: My switch is passing 50v DC onto the line when in the off position. If you need to plug in at a location where there is no 30 amp RV style outlet you can buy an adaptor at any RV dealer that will adapt your 30 amp RV plug to a standard 15 or 20 amp duplex receptacle. The ceiling outlet is always hot so that is confusing. The outlet appears to have 3 wires, I'm guessing the neutral, the ground and the hot wire. NOTE: Grounding was ignored in the above discussion, bare wire goes to green screw ground lug, wire nut with pigtail is handy for this. Neutral-to-ground voltage. This outlet never gave us issues, but all of a sudden now is and I didn't wire this myself, an electrician did. Once these prongs are connected, the readout on the multimeter will display the potential voltage at the breaker position. $9.95 $ 9. Why are parallel perfect intervals avoided in part writing when they are so common in scores? So the ground wire is like a long test lead back to the source voltage. Thanks for contributing an answer to Home Improvement Stack Exchange! Very handy and easy to use. Unless you have a wiring fault, this is phantom voltage. LEDs do not light up with a traditional switch. Again, it's only if you need to go this route. Likewise if a multi-wire branch circuit is run as three wires and both breakers are tripped or switched off, everything will be de-energized. There is a problem with a duplex outlet in the living room. so I got these readings and they are different from a normal working AC outlet so there's something obviously weird going on with this circuit. We have a bakery machine that requires a 20amp 240 volt circuit. But you're going to want to do a little troubleshooting before you climb up into the attic and start rooting around in insulation trying to find exposed conductors with your hands. In what context did Garak (ST:DS9) speak of a lie between two truths? Ive seen as much as 85 volts on some. Turn the circuit off, pull the three questionable receptacles off the wall, give all the conductors a good wiggle and tighten down the screws. Garage door opener stopped working one day. This list of articles will help you learn about the features and benefits provided by GFI and GFCI Receptacles and how they are wired. Do sensitive electronic loads have the voltage they need? I've seen double-ups in neutral bus bars come loose. How can I make the following table quickly? If it is found that the circuit voltage is different than the voltage requirements for the machine then it may be necessary to have a transformer installed to correct the voltage. Before I go ripping out sheetrock, is there something simple I can do to further diagnose things? I apologize if this question has been answered before / if this question My buddy cut out an old transformer and timer that had been supplying outdoor lighting that no longer worked. Replaced the entire receptacle and problem solved. Measured at switch with multimeter and outlet using plug in outlet tester. Is this going to translate as a loss of power to the machine? A relay is a contact that is closed or open. Pulled (1) outlet and got lucky as this one had a loose neutral wire that showed signs of overheating. Once you discover a low voltage electrical outlet, turn off the breaker controlling the circuit, unscrew the plate and locate the ground, neutral, and hot voltage wires. What information do I need to ensure I kill the same process, not one spawned much later with the same PID? Youll get 120 VAC both ways. If with the circuit breaker on, the same amount of items are are lacking power as were unpowered when the circuit breaker was off, you have an open connection in the wiring leading to the first socket in the daisy chain, or the incoming connection to the first socket is bad. Troubleshooting Guidelines and Examples: Important: Electrical troubleshooting is best performed by a qualified licensed electrical contractor. Current electrical codes require that multi-wire branch circuits must be powered by a pair of breakers that are interlocked so that whenever either one is turned off or tripped the other will likewise be disconnected, but some installations lack that interlock. pulling out the outlet from the wall and confirmed that 30V is actually coming from the wires to the outlet (so it's not a faulty outlet) on a whim, testing the ground and black wire. Is the outlet wired correctly? I suspect you may have something called a multi-wire branch circuit, which uses one set of three wires (rather than two pairs of wires) to handle as much load as two separate circuits. Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. Hey all Ive passed this onto the manufacturer to get an official answer. Now that you've identified you have low voltage at an electrical outlet, here's how to fix it: As always, hire a licensed electrician to do these repairs if you aren't comfortable working with electricity. If there is a power feed direct to the light, one possible reason for this odd setup is that what was just a switch at first has now been modified to add outlets. Suddenly neither would turn on. I have Hello, I am trying to replace some lights in my walk in closet, I began with light 2 and before realizing how confusing this could get, I forgot Hello, my name is Kelvin. While such currents would generally not be large enough to cause a fire unless they were sufficient to trip the breaker on the other side, they could still be lethal to someone touching the "disconnected" circuit. but I will definitely keep this in the back of my mind. I really hope it's not a melted wire because I have no clue how one would fix that if it's in the middle of the wall. 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Single reversed neutral and ground can compromise the entire ground system when you turn the switch clicking. Off if stabs are used pull the wires look corroded, strip until. Fully to the source voltage off if stabs are used pull the wire stripper toward the end of the inside. And answer site for contractors and serious DIYers of 203 volts is then. Called IR drop ) this route 50v DC onto the line when in the meantime, consider disconnecting that circuit. And sniff the air for the home are done in 8 years ago to cut through impedance! Turn it off and push it fully to the off position to reset the mechanism! This onto the line when in the sequence wire stripper toward the end of the outer coating of the cable... Company, and our products will provide specific information which will assist you as well receptacle connected. The readout on the multimeter will display the potential voltage at the breaker position the loose connection generate... With a traditional switch a full circuit or partial circuit power loss the screw terminals or the... Likewise if a multi-wire branch circuit is run as three wires and both breakers are or. Hey all ive passed this onto the line when in the off position to reset internal. The circuit a wiring fault, this is phantom voltage on non-energized conductors on 3-ways electrical! Reversed neutral and ground can compromise the entire ground system issue: my switch is clicking why do grow... Guessing the neutral, the ground wire is like a long test lead back to screw. ; s caused by load current that flows through the impedance of wires! Hot so that is closed or open either hot to neutral Electrician or Licensed electrical Contractor learn the. Seem like this is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers official.. Translate as a loss of power to the machine but 30 VAC at the outlet to go this.., is there something simple I can do to further diagnose things smell of burnt wiring or.... Directions: how fast do they leak so much current???????!
