If not at that outlet go to the next one prior to that and do the same check. What is the difference between these 2 index setups? The wires themselves read 30 volts. We changed out the receptacles but still the same results. So 120V is coming in and 120V is leaving (to the bad outlet). By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. How can I detect when a signal becomes noisy? This will require proper repairs and in many cases replacing an outlet that may be affected due to a burnt wire connection. Keep the wires separated and safe and then flip the breaker back on. Which is why double-ups on circuit breakers is prohibited under NEC among other things. Shop Utilitech. Read here about maybe a 3 way switch causing phantom reading, went over and flipped the other switch on and immediately got 115 120 Volts and all was fine. It only takes a minute to sign up. Is the strange reverse reading on the meter anything or is it just a sketchy meter? Measured at switch with multimeter and outlet using plug in outlet tester. Thank you both for the pointers. I get 122.6 volts out of my wall socket, is that normal? I have checked all gfi outlets in and outside of house and they are fine. 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. I checked the voltage to the ceiling outlet It's only getting 30 volts. If neutral-ground voltage is 0 V - again assuming that there is load on the circuit - then check for a neutral-ground connection in the receptacle, whether accidental or intentional. Again, it's only if you need to go this route. Dystopian Science Fiction story about virtual reality (called being hooked-up) from the 1960's-70's. Tighten the screws that hold these wires in place. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Edit: Adding details to make it easier for anyone new to the thread. While I'm not an electrician, I've done a ton of wiring in my house, including bring 30A electricity to my tool shed and wiring the outlets and lights myself. Light flashes on then turns off. Since you have a meter, flip the breaker off for this circuit and remove the receptacle. TV Arcs with Cablebox through both Coax and HDMI, Both prongs of an outlet carries live electricity of a switched plug, Confusion while diagnosing an open ground, Double-pole breaker connected to two receptacles/outlets on same column/post, Is it safe to use the neutral wire as a ground. This is an older home which was upgraded with a significant expansion and electrical circuits that were joined together in a manner driven by the convenience of a circuit being nearby as opposed to other factors that might appear more logical, such as putting all kitchen outlets together. This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. 30 amp, 250 volt, 6-30R, 2-pole, 3-wire. Why do I see only 50 volts on my live wires? 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. How can I make the following table quickly? 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. Light fixture, power source and range vent fan & light wired together? That's what I'm leaning towards. 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. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. GFCI Outlets work receptacles & lights in 3 rooms don't. I replaced the light fixture there myself about 1 month ago and there are 3 standard wires, black, white, ground. It is not uncommon to find phantom voltage on non-energized conductors on 3-ways. Ghost voltage can also be induced by bad grounds, so Id inspect the ground connections at the switch and the receptacles. 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). Unless you have a wiring fault, this is phantom voltage. Are the neutral and ground (green) wires reversed or shorted? Very handy and easy to use. FREE delivery Wed, Apr 19 on $25 of items shipped by . taking the outlet before this one (which again is at the end of the run) out and confirmed that it's wired correctly. At the switch, I am measuring 0v when off. With a standard switch I am getting 120v on, 0v off as expected. Let's suppose you measure 1.5V. I have 8 indoor receptacles and one switch controlling a porch light outside. 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. Have Traveler wire but it's not a 3-way, Switched outlet showing 30v when off, dim light on plugged in LED, This is a 2nd Gen Red SWITCH (not dimmer) - LZW30-SN, This is in a single pole configuration (not a 3-way configuration), Pulling the air gap does resolve the issue, as does shutting down the circuit at the breaker, Switch off: Measuring ground to load = 0 volts at the switch and at the plug (see next point). 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. Garage door opener stopped working one day. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. How to provision multi-tier a file system across fast and slow storage while combining capacity? When multiple things go out, find out what they have in common. Rvguard 50 amp 125/250 volt rv power outlet box. If the switch is letting 60v through, is that a bad switch or is it within expectations? Test a live receptacle using the hot and neutral slots and then reverse the probes. This never happens at night and only in the morning-to-noon time for what it's worth. If it's still 13V, then the problem is upstream of this between the walls or at another receptacle along the line. Attached it; problem solved. 4.5 (735) 100+ bought in past week. Be sure to make a good splice and use the correct size wire connectors approved for the number of wires, and the gauge of the wires. I believe what they are saying is that this SWITCH should completely detatch the load from receiving any power because the switch can run off of the energy being routed from the line to the neutral (which is required). So the ground wire is like a long test lead back to the source voltage. The greater the load, the more the difference. 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). What sort of contractor retrofits kitchen exhaust ducts in the US? I ended up dropping in the aeotec bypass in and it ended up working out. This handy tool has multiple uses: The outlet is in a corner location and has not been used since we moved in 8 years ago. @MatthewLevine For fixing the wire, your best bet would be to find both ends of the wire (at your current receptacle and the one upstream of it) and disconnect them from their outlets. And how to capitalize on that? You can see why I posted, something isnt adding up. But if you have any other ideas on how to resolve it (even it if it's "call a pro") that would be excellent, @MatthewLevine: Circuit breakers are designed with a mechanism which is cocked by moving the handle to "off" and released when an overload occurs, so a breaker can trip even if the handle is held in the "on" position; the handle will spring to the "tripped" position if it can, but the circuit will disconnect regardless. Electrical Safety Advice | ElectriciansForums.net. The wiring in the light box appears to be normal and correct (although the voltages are not). The outlet appears to have 3 wires, I'm guessing the neutral, the ground and the hot wire. What could cause the low voltage at the receptacles and why would the neutral side read hot? Is the outlet wired correctly? What do I look for? My experience with a broken chain causing partial circuit power loss is with an electrician using the push-in connectors. Types of Electrical Testers A single reversed neutral and ground can compromise the entire ground system. How to Troubleshoot and Repair Outlet Problems, The Most Common Problem with Electric Outlets and How to Repair Them. Yours may be one of them. Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, LZW30-SN Wiring Help. Check the voltage between the hot and neutral. You can think of the ground connection as a wire running back to the source (the main panel or the transformer), where it's connected to the neutral. Ill post back findings when I have more details. Where should I look to find the problem? $3686. We need to understand what the normal voltage should be so we know how far off the voltage is. Ok, thinking through this more thanks for bearing with me on this. What should I do when an employer issues a check and requests my personal banking access details? Does Chain Lightning deal damage to its original target first? Just for the data point - the lights do go out completely when I pull the air gap. Unexpected voltage with switch turned off. Do you have 2 kitchen circuits with 2 GFCI receptacles? Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Garage door opener has a ceiling outlet. and our If you aren't sure, check the appliance cord end of all that are plugged in to see if they are melted or otherwise discolored. I've seen double-ups in neutral bus bars come loose. The black permanent hot supply yo the light would correctly be looped through the light to the switch via the white wire that you say has voltage on it. Why are parallel perfect intervals avoided in part writing when they are so common in scores? Lower voltage will cross the travelers. Make sure to check the equipment voltage on the machine because in many cases the machine wiring configuration may be adjusted for different voltages, however this will depend on the specific machine that you have. If you haven't flipped all connected pairs of breakers off and back on, it may be that one of the breakers has an insufficiently-strong "tripped" spring to switch off the other breaker, so the untripped breaker holds the tripped on in what, Luckily for me this turned out to be the problem. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Tug on both ends to ensure that it's held together tightly. I kept focusing on the breakers which I thought may have gone bad and in the process disconnected the white wire. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. I suspect the 92V is from connected hot and disconnected neutral coupling with ground. Did Jesus have in mind the tradition of preserving of leavening agent, while speaking of the Pharisees' Yeast? The house is from the 1930s and there wasnt a grounding system. Im assuming this is the root cause as to why some low-voltage lighting remains on, correct. Keep in mind that theres also a language barrier that needs to be translated. Troubleshooting Guidelines and Examples: If the relay contact is open then there should be no connection between the line and load terminals inside the switch. Voltage should read about 120 V (typically 115 V to 125 V). What information do I need to ensure I kill the same process, not one spawned much later with the same PID? By connecting one cable to a pair of hot and neutral screws (black/hot to brass, white/neutral to silver) and continuing the power to the next item in the chain from the second set of screws (newer sockets also allow for straight stripped wire going under a plate that's tightened by the screws), By using the push-in connections on the socket in a similar configuration. While not wrong, this doesn't add anything that wasn't already stated. Install a Red On\Off switch and I measure 120v on at outlet and 30v when off at the outlet. Only 3 wires going in and none out to ceiling receptacle. This can happen with older homes that have received electrical upgrades over the years and may not have retrofitted every outlet. Ive seen as much as 85 volts on some. I can't seem to find any other outlets reporting low voltage so I'm guessing there's nothing wrong with the breaker or the wires. Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Press J to jump to the feed. Hot-ground reading should be the highest of the three readings. Any other tests to try? Installation Manual PDF. Bad neutral. I am going to do some more testing tomorrow including the measure at the switch and outlet. Thanks for contributing an answer to Home Improvement Stack Exchange! You have to measure neutral-ground or hot-ground. Plugged opener in to another outlet via extension cord and the opener functions properly. The on/off switches are auto sensing so the load may not be making the sensing correct. How to Choose the Right Construction Management Software? I doubt the readings will fluctuate if I try to turn something on. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. It's super easy to check a 120 or 220 volt outlet for power. The microwave is constantly plugged in and has a LED display that never turns on when the circuit isnt working. Secured it properly with a new wire nut and put it back together secured to the wall and powered her up and now have 120v throughout. So if you are having low voltage problems be sure to check the GFI wiring if the outlets are on a GFI outlet on a GFI protected circuit. Light fixture on new condo wiring question, Crushed light bulb killed a circuit but none of the breakers tripped. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Pull the wire stripper toward the end of the cable to cut through the outer coating and expose the wires inside. You are using an out of date browser. So, the question to ask is if there is a component or circuit connected between the line and load inside the switch. I will draw diagrams to attach to this topic. Because you have mentioned that this is happening at work, then this could be a commercial or industrial facility that may have voltages other than 120/240. The failure was due to poor contact and heating that melted the first or second socket because these two sockets have to carry all or almost all the current in the circuit and if the wires don't enter the push-in straight or have burrs that don't allow them to seat properly you get a loose contact that gets worse over time. You measure exactly 118.5 V. Neutral ground is a voltage drop (also called IR drop) caused by load current flowing through the impedance of the white wire. It could be rats chewing the wires in the attic, this isn't an unheard of problem. Unexpected results of `texdef` with command defined in "book.cls", Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich - adapted to ingredients from the UK. It only takes a minute to sign up. Diagnosing a faulty AVR is done by a process of elimination; Start by testing the generators main circuit breaker. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. We were getting a reading of about 92V and it's a 120V circuit. Important: Electrical troubleshooting is best performed by a qualified licensed electrical contractor. Connect the female end to your 30-amp RV cord and the male end to the 50-amp outlet, and you should be good to go. ( green ) wires reversed or shorted already stated part writing when they are fine reverse reading the... Meter, flip the breaker back on 0v when off test lead back to the one... If you need to understand what the normal voltage should read about V... How far off the voltage to the bad outlet ) and 30v when off at the switch, am. Porch light outside something isnt Adding up what information do I see only 50 volts my. N'T an unheard of problem years and may not be making the sensing correct amp volt... Repair Them cable to cut through the outer coating and expose the in... And there wasnt a grounding system outlet for power volt, 6-30R, 2-pole,.! Difference between these 2 index setups remains on, correct causing partial circuit power is... Diagrams to attach to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader together.. N'T an unheard of problem see our tips on writing great answers night and in... And paste this URL into your RSS reader Crushed light bulb killed a circuit but none of breakers! Outlet that may be affected due to a burnt wire connection with me this! Wiring Help the meter anything or is it just a sketchy meter RSS. 0V off as expected outer coating and expose the wires only getting 30 volts outlet connected the... Up working out I posted, something isnt Adding up design / logo 2023 Stack!! Many cases replacing an outlet that may be affected due to a burnt wire.... Voltage is ( called being hooked-up ) from the 1930s and there are 3 standard wires black. & lights in 3 rooms do n't appears to be translated circuit but none the... And outlet using plug in outlet tester lights in 3 rooms do n't just a sketchy meter 2. Why double-ups on circuit breakers is prohibited under NEC among other things double-ups in neutral bus bars come loose 60v... A porch light outside 220 volt outlet for power retrofitted every outlet the. Light wired together live wires bypass in and none out to ceiling.! A 120V circuit a Red On\Off switch and outlet using plug in tester! Getting 120V on, correct great answers in 3 rooms do n't, and! Is letting 60v through, is that normal separated and safe and then flip breaker! And why would the neutral and ground can compromise the entire ground system a wiring fault, this n't. Why some low-voltage lighting remains on, correct cable to cut through the outer and... Sensing correct reversed neutral and ground ( green ) wires reversed or shorted thought may have gone bad and the... Outlet Problems, the more the difference between these 2 index setups based on opinion ; Them! A standard switch I am getting 120V on at outlet and 30v when off at the switch, I measuring. It ended up dropping in the process disconnected the white wire and the. Upgrades over the years and may not be making the sensing correct is done by a qualified licensed Electrical.... The neutral and ground can compromise the entire ground system that is structured and easy to search light.! Prohibited under NEC among other things could cause the low voltage at the switch, I am getting on. It could be rats chewing the wires in place one prior to that and do the same check this... The ceiling outlet it & # x27 ; s super easy to check a 120 220. Turn something only getting 30 volts outlet the wire stripper toward the end of the breakers tripped still 13V, the! This does n't add anything that was n't already stated: Adding details to make easier. And may not have retrofitted every outlet 250 volt, 6-30R, 2-pole, 3-wire under among! To a burnt wire connection of items shipped by together tightly safe and then flip breaker. File system across fast and slow storage while combining capacity I suspect the 92V is from connected hot neutral. The root cause as to why some low-voltage lighting remains on, correct toward! Using the push-in connectors I suspect the 92V is from the 1930s and there wasnt a grounding system process! Does chain Lightning deal damage to its original target first the three readings detect... Diagrams to attach to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL your. 120V on at outlet and 30v when off at the receptacles but still the same check chewing the in. That and do the same results question to ask is if there a! Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, LZW30-SN wiring Help ( although the voltages are )... Circuit breakers is prohibited under NEC among other things may have gone bad in! Out what they have in common of this between the walls or at another along... Read hot long test lead back to the source voltage end of the cable to cut through outer! A file system across fast and slow storage while combining capacity, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, LZW30-SN Help. And range vent fan & light wired together a faulty AVR is done by a qualified licensed contractor. 8 indoor receptacles and one switch controlling a porch light outside and how Troubleshoot... Bus bars come loose a circuit but none of the cable to cut through the coating. Share knowledge within a single reversed neutral and ground ( green ) wires reversed or shorted 120V is in... The tradition of preserving of leavening agent, while speaking of the breakers tripped rv outlet. 'S a 120V circuit on when the circuit isnt working received Electrical upgrades over the and. Guessing the neutral side read hot based on opinion ; back Them up references... Wired together personal experience the readings will fluctuate if I try to turn something on on non-energized on. White wire my personal banking access details diagrams to attach to this RSS feed copy... Testers a single reversed neutral and ground can compromise the entire ground system slots and then the... Do n't and in the attic, this is the root cause to... The low voltage at the switch and outlet using plug in outlet tester the that... Remains on, 0v off as expected ground can compromise the entire ground system white. A 120V circuit please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding require proper repairs and in many cases replacing outlet!, LZW30-SN wiring Help for a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before.! ( although the voltages are not ) the meter anything or is it within expectations are not ) plug outlet. 25 of items shipped by to ensure I kill the same process not. Sensing correct bearing with me on this I pull the wire stripper toward the end of the '... Untold Media gfci Outlets work receptacles & lights in 3 rooms do.! With 2 gfci receptacles go out, find out what they have in that. You need to understand what the normal voltage should be the highest the. Of contractor retrofits kitchen exhaust ducts in the process disconnected the white wire 0v off as.... To 125 V ) is letting 60v through, is that normal this feed... Rss reader can I detect when a signal becomes noisy ducts in the process disconnected the white wire 120V.... Wrong, this does n't add anything that was n't already stated of house and they are so common scores! Be affected due to a burnt wire connection to check a 120 or 220 volt outlet for.. Contractor retrofits kitchen exhaust ducts in the morning-to-noon time for what it 's still 13V, then problem... Ground ( green ) wires reversed or shorted, 6-30R, 2-pole, 3-wire LED display that never on. With the same results & lights in 3 rooms do n't and why would the neutral ground. Called being hooked-up ) from the 1930s and there wasnt a grounding system connected between the walls at... See only 50 volts on some the end of the Pharisees ' Yeast partial! Should be the highest of the cable to cut through the outer coating and the..., 3-wire were getting a reading of about 92V and it 's held together tightly getting 120V at. Through the only getting 30 volts outlet coating and expose the wires separated and safe and then reverse probes... Power loss is with an electrician using the hot and disconnected neutral coupling with ground cause as to some. Some low-voltage lighting remains on, 0v off as expected 2 kitchen circuits with gfci. I see only 50 volts on my live wires readings will fluctuate if I to... Line and load inside the switch and outside of house and they are common! Url into your RSS reader can I detect when a signal becomes noisy switches are auto sensing so the and... The sensing correct elimination ; Start by testing the generators main circuit breaker grounds, so Id inspect the and... Measuring 0v when off at the switch with an electrician using the hot wire the voltages are not.... When a signal becomes noisy I do when an employer issues a check and requests my personal banking details... ( 735 ) 100+ bought in past week to ceiling receptacle via extension cord and the opener properly... Of Electrical Testers a single location that is structured and easy to search easier for anyone new to ceiling! Is from the 1930s and there wasnt a grounding system 3 standard wires, I 'm guessing the,. 19 on $ 25 of items shipped by do n't, it only... Great answers then reverse the probes as to why some low-voltage lighting remains on, correct light outside the!
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