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cldan335 · Mar 8, 2011, 01:26 PM

My lights started flickering then nothing. My nuetral to ground is 120v and my hot to ground is 120v and between my hot and nuetral it shows 17v. It's like this at my switch and at an outlet that are in the bathroom. But the light in the hall that's on the same circuit is still working. The breaker didn't trip either.

ballengerb1 · Mar 8, 2011, 05:52 PM

Did you disconnect the light before you tested the wires, you need to.

donf · Mar 8, 2011, 06:03 PM

Switches do not use a Neutral unless they are lit to either show where they are or that the circuit is energized.

There are two methods for connecting a switch to a light fixture.

1) Switch Loop: The Neutral from the supply is connected to the Neutral of the fixture. The Black from the supply is connected to a White (that is re-tasked to serve as a hot conductor by either placing electrical tape around the conductor, painting the conductor or using a "Sharpie" pen)

This re-tasked will feed a switch. The return from the switch to the light fixture is by way of the Black conductor at the switch to the Black conductor on the fixture.

2) Power is brought to the switch outlet. Black is connected to the feed of the switch then the Black continues the feed from the switch to the Black on the light fixture. Neutral in the switch device box is untouched and passes directly to the Neutral on the light fixture.

In the case of a switch loop, you would see approx. 120 volts between the retasked white and the grounding conductor on the switch.

hkstroud · Mar 8, 2011, 06:57 PM

I would say that you have a loose neutral connection somewhere. Ground to neutral should always be 0 volts because they are connected together at the breaker panel. If your switches and outlets are wired using the quick holes in back, that's a good place to start looking. The quick connections are prone to develop bad connections after a period. Suggest moving to the screws.

cldan335 · Mar 8, 2011, 08:07 PM

The light bulbs were out of it...

cldan335 · Mar 8, 2011, 08:11 PM

I checked the nuetrals that were tied together in the switch box. There was voltage between the nuetral and the ground and the hot and the ground but only like 27v between the hot and nuetral. Does that mean the nuetral is shorted out with the hot but I thought that would trip the breaker. The weird thing is the light in the hall is still working that's on the same circuit so maybe its being fed from that light and it's bad somewhere in the bathroom. I'm confused haha

cldan335 · Mar 8, 2011, 08:15 PM

Well I was thinking the same about the nuetral and the ground being they're suppose to be connected at the panel but it's reading voltage between them and it's reading voltage like it should from the hot and the ground, but nothing between them. I was testing from the wires.

cldan335 · Mar 8, 2011, 08:30 PM

Yeah I didn't disconnect the light in the hall and with power going through it the circuits not tripping... I'll try and disconnect it and check the nuetral on that light.

hkstroud · Mar 8, 2011, 09:02 PM

You have voltage on the neutral any time something on that circuit is in use. When you check for voltage you are measuring the difference in voltage. If all connections are good back to the circuit breaker panel that difference will be zero because the neutral and ground come together. If there is a broken or bad connection in the neutral there will be difference. If there is nothing in use on the circuit there will be no voltage on the neutral.

The bad connection is not where you are testing. It will be at some other device, most likely an outlet.