poulsbonian
Aug 2, 2009, 06:08 PM
Hi,
Here is my dilemma: I have the symptoms of a "loose neutral"... that is to say, the voltage on all the receptacles on one particular circuit in the house will drop to as low as 101 VAC when a large load (AC compressor motor) is applied. Subsequently, all of the lights on that circuit will dim as well. Meanwhile, the other circuits in the house maintain a steady 120VAC and their lights do not dim, thus eliminating the possibility of the problem lying upstream of the main power panel.
A troubleshooting tip I found online recommended I check each of the receptacles in the faulty circuit for a bad neutral connection. So, I started going around the house, pulling off covers and checking neutral connectivity. The first few outlets were as I suspected: The 120VAC could be read from the Black (B) wire to White (W) wire, and again from black to ground (GND). White to ground read 0 ohms. So far, so good... However, once I got to the master bedroom, things started to get strange...
I pulled all of the outlets belonging to the faulty circuit and started checking them; all of them read the same thing: 55VAC B-GND and 25VAC W-GND, 120VAC B-W, and W-GND read infinite ohms. The neutral wires were not connected to the neutral bar at all... instead, they had voltage on them!
Furthermore, on one of the outlets I found two black wires connected together by a wire-nut on the hot side of a receptacle (we'll call them B1 and B2) and one white wire coming in and connecting to the neutral side. B1-GND, B2-GND, and W-GND read approx. 55VAC, 25VAC, and 25VAC respectively. B1-B2 and B1-W read 120VAC, and B2-W read 0V. I then turned off the circuit bkr and checked resistance readings. B1-B2-W read 0 ohms. W-GND read infinite ohms (open). I left B1-B2 disconnected and went back to the previously checked outlets in the other rooms. None of the lights worked and none of the outlets had any power whatsoever. Once I reconnected B1-B2 together, all power returned to the circuit: lights came back on and outlets read normal. Keep in mind that all of the other receptacles on the circuit - with the exception of the three in the master bedroom - read as follows: B-W = 120VAC, Infinite ohms. W-GND = 0VAC, 0 ohms. <-- from my research, I assume that this is as it should normally read.
My question is, what is going on with my masterbedroom wiring? Thanks/ Kathleen
Here is my dilemma: I have the symptoms of a "loose neutral"... that is to say, the voltage on all the receptacles on one particular circuit in the house will drop to as low as 101 VAC when a large load (AC compressor motor) is applied. Subsequently, all of the lights on that circuit will dim as well. Meanwhile, the other circuits in the house maintain a steady 120VAC and their lights do not dim, thus eliminating the possibility of the problem lying upstream of the main power panel.
A troubleshooting tip I found online recommended I check each of the receptacles in the faulty circuit for a bad neutral connection. So, I started going around the house, pulling off covers and checking neutral connectivity. The first few outlets were as I suspected: The 120VAC could be read from the Black (B) wire to White (W) wire, and again from black to ground (GND). White to ground read 0 ohms. So far, so good... However, once I got to the master bedroom, things started to get strange...
I pulled all of the outlets belonging to the faulty circuit and started checking them; all of them read the same thing: 55VAC B-GND and 25VAC W-GND, 120VAC B-W, and W-GND read infinite ohms. The neutral wires were not connected to the neutral bar at all... instead, they had voltage on them!
Furthermore, on one of the outlets I found two black wires connected together by a wire-nut on the hot side of a receptacle (we'll call them B1 and B2) and one white wire coming in and connecting to the neutral side. B1-GND, B2-GND, and W-GND read approx. 55VAC, 25VAC, and 25VAC respectively. B1-B2 and B1-W read 120VAC, and B2-W read 0V. I then turned off the circuit bkr and checked resistance readings. B1-B2-W read 0 ohms. W-GND read infinite ohms (open). I left B1-B2 disconnected and went back to the previously checked outlets in the other rooms. None of the lights worked and none of the outlets had any power whatsoever. Once I reconnected B1-B2 together, all power returned to the circuit: lights came back on and outlets read normal. Keep in mind that all of the other receptacles on the circuit - with the exception of the three in the master bedroom - read as follows: B-W = 120VAC, Infinite ohms. W-GND = 0VAC, 0 ohms. <-- from my research, I assume that this is as it should normally read.
My question is, what is going on with my masterbedroom wiring? Thanks/ Kathleen