I have an interesting problem that has me perplexed. My microwave is on a circuit by itself. It quit working. I checked the outlet. It has 88 volts across neutal and hot. I took the microwave down. There is a large plate on the wall that is bolted to the studs. I measure 37 volts between this plate and the neutral of the outlet. I also measure 38 volts between the plate and the neutral of another outlet this is on a different circuit. I took off the plate, put it on the floor and still measured 38 volts. My reasoning was that perhaps one of the screws caught a wire and caused a minor break in the wire thus causing a low voltage, but I would think that there would be just NO voltage if there were a break in the wire. I am confused as to what the problem is. I have checked the CB panel and the breaker is correctly installed and the screw attaching the wire is tight. I have taken off the outlet and measured 88 volts directly between the white and black wire. So, where do you think my voltage is going? This house is only 5 years old! AND it is the only circuit in the house that is being affected.

Thanks for your help.

Sure sounds like a screw. It can be doing something weird, breaking the wiire and causing a heated connection buried someplace.

Keep the circuit off until this gets resolved.

I may be all wet, but better to err on side of caution.

If you can gain access to the cable before it enter the vertical wall, in basement or attic. I would cut the cable there, with power off, and measure the volts, after turning back on with wires safe at exposed ends.

If all is good there, I would just run a new cable up the wall to replace the damaged and junction to the good end above or below.

Could be a bad slice in a junction box. Could be a 2 wire cable from a nearby outlet box where a 3 wire feeder splits, and be a bad splice there.

These are just examples of real world situations.

Did you check the voltage between the hot and the ground?

Did you check the connection of the neutral at the breaker panel?

There are a couple of key points here:

1. Circuit all it's own
2. You checked at the wire at the outlet.

Let's assume that this is true for the time being.

Did you check the voltages at the breaker panel?
At the terminals or at the wire?
Did you check for loose wires at the breaker?

There are two other voltages and they are neutral to ground and hot to ground at both locations.

Voltage is a funny thing when you try to measure it with sensitive meters. Sometimes the results can be misleading.

One would hope it's a single circuit, but if it were not, then a spice at another outlet could be causing the issues.

The ground integrity, neutral integrity and hot integrity need to be looked at.