View Full Version : Lost power to large section of home
ed_thomas
Mar 4, 2008, 10:44 AM
My daughter is having electrical problems with her modular home.
All of the Switches are the type where you press the wires into them without removing the insulation.
In a large section of the home they have lost (usable) power.
This section of the home is all serviced by the same Circuit Breaker.
I have replaced the Circuit Breaker with a NEW one and nothing changed.
Here is what I have been able to find out with a Multimeter and a Circuit Tester.
1) The Voltage going into the wires (Black & White) from the Circuit Breaker is
121 volts.
2) There is NO voltage coming out at any Outlet or Light Fixture if I check the
(Black & White) wires.
I get voltage if I run the test leads to the White & Ground, but the voltage is
Less than 10 volts.
3) If I plug in a Circuit Tester I get the following HOT/GROUND REVERSE.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Ed:confused:
Stratmando
Mar 4, 2008, 11:32 AM
Does any 240 Volt stuff work? You need to measure from breakers to neutral, and 240 volts from 2 pole breaker.
Turn off Main breaker and Back on, maybe one leg is open(tripped).
Stratmando
Mar 5, 2008, 11:01 AM
You need to measure from breakers to neutral.
Did you have voltage on all breakers? If a bad breaker is found, you may want to look at where it plugs onto panel.
Sometimes single pole breakers will trip, but not throw handle, Running finger lightly down each row or breakers torwards off position may expose the tripped breaker. If all else, turn simgle pole breakers off, then back on. Any GFI's Tripped?
hkstroud
Mar 5, 2008, 08:39 PM
All of the Switches are the type where you press the wires into them without removing the insulation.
Does that mean that the switches and outlets are wired using the little stab holes in the back. If so that is probably the problem. This type of wiring is known to develop bad connection after a period. Remove outlets and rewire using screws.
Flying Blue Eagle
Mar 5, 2008, 09:02 PM
ed_thomas , Stratmando & Herold , HE said that on his circuit tester he got a reading of ( hot/ground reverse. He needs to do some checking to find out where they are reversed at Herold , you are so right about when they just stick the wire in the hole on the back . On the breaker is the BLACK WIRE hooked to the breaker?? If it is check all recepticals and switches to see if a black wire is on the nutral side of one of them and the white is on the side for hot, IF so change them .
Stratmando
Mar 6, 2008, 06:25 AM
FBE, don't know what happened to answers, Someone thought You couldn' get a hot Ground reversed, I responded that it is one of the Indications on those testers. Those responses are not here, but different answers are, Have seen this a couple of times.
Strange. Both mine and Hk's appear out of place?
hkstroud
Mar 6, 2008, 06:43 AM
Strat, question here.
Don't know how those little testers work.
If you have a circuit in use, you have, shall we call it a residual voltage, on the neutral line correct?
Now, it you test a dead circuit won't your tester see a small voltage on the neutral and no voltage on the hot and give a reversed polarity reading?
Stratmando
Mar 6, 2008, 06:53 AM
With circuit off you should have no lights, Load will not affect tester readings.
Those testers can NOT tell Ground/Neutral reversed as they are at same potential.
I could see where a loose neutral, or a backfeeding condition to give strange readings.
You provide a lot of good input. Take Care