A neutral not connected somewhere can cause a reading of 120 volts on the neutral to ground. The voltage flow through any device that is plugged in. The device does not work because there is no current flowing.
How much voltage do you get from neutral to ground?
In the light box, with the light disconnected I get 19v from neutral to ground. with or without the light, I get 90v between the hot to neutral. In the garage, the outlets read out 120v and everything connected to them seem fine (work).
Why does the neutral of a transformer drop voltage when hot?
Basically the neutral has current trying to return back the the transformer and is dropping voltage due to how a neutral is simply a series circuit. When the source hot passes thru the light (as a parallel circuit), it continues out the neutral without dropping voltage.
How many volts from hot wire to neutral wire?
I measured the voltage across the circuit breaker that controls this this wiring and I get 120 volts; however, at the circuitry for this on/switch from hot to neutral, about 2 volts shows on the meter. From hot to a ground wire though, I get 120 volts.
Which wire is energized with the voltage of 120V?
The LINE wire is energized with the circuit voltage of 120V. The NEUTRAL wire is the return path for the current and is not energized. The GROUND (sometimes referred to as “Safety
Should there be 120V on neutral?
You have to measure neutral-ground or hot-ground. If neutral-ground voltage is about 120 V and hot-ground is a few volts or less, then hot and neutral have been reversed. Under load conditions, there should be some neutral-ground voltage - 2 V or a little bit less is pretty typical.
What would cause a neutral wire to have voltage?
When the wire length from the breaker panel to the service outlet is long and the connected equipment is pulling a large amount of current, the resistance in the wire will cause a voltage drop along the NEUTRAL wire.
Why do I have 120V on my neutral-to-ground?
If the neutral-to-ground is 120V and the hot-to-ground is a few volts or less, then the hot and neutral wires are reversed (Fig. 1). Neutral-to-ground connection. Some neutral-to-ground voltage should be present under load conditions, typically 2V or less.
Should there be voltage on neutral?
This is a common question that one would think should have a simple answer, but that is not actually the case. The neutral wire is often said to have zero voltage on it.
Why would my neutral wire be hot?
If the neutral is disconnected anywhere between the light bulb and the panel, then the neutral from the light to the point of the break in the neutral will become hot (and the device will be unpowered, because no current will be flowing through it). Look for a disconnected neutral.
Is there any current in neutral wire?
In a three-phase linear circuit with three identical resistive or reactive loads, the neutral carries no current. The neutral carries current if the loads on each phase are not identical. In some jurisdictions, the neutral is allowed to be reduced in size if no unbalanced current flow is expected.
Why do I have voltage when switch is off?
Just to recap, a "phantom voltage" is where a wire from a switch to a light or outlet runs next to a permanently live wire, when the switch is off, the AC voltage in the other wire can induce a voltage in the switched-off wire.
What voltage is in a neutral?
While working in a customer's house, I discovered each neutral has 120V to ground in the panel when disconnected from the neutral bar. I opened a few receptacles and switches to discover the same 120V on the neutrals there also. This is a ML 100A panel located in a finished basement being fed by a MB 100A panel located outside next to the meter. There is also a ML 200A panel next to it being fed by a MB 200A panel outside also. Everything in the house seems to be working fine and no breakers are tripping. I spent about 4 hours trying to figure out the problem with no success. I asked the homeowner to call the POCO to eliminate the possibility of it being a problem with the incoming service. Does anyone have any experience with this and can offer some explanation as well as a solution?
What does 60V sound like?
That 60V reading sounds like phantom voltage or no neutral there.
Is there a solution to disconnecting a neutral?
There is no "solution". This is perfectly normal. All I can say is you better get up to speed on basic electrical theory before you do some serious damage to some expensive loads by disconnecting a neutral of live circuit. Maybe you just got lucky and none of the neutrals you lifted were part of a MWBC.
Can you ground a 0V panel?
You can't have 0 V to ground at the panel when the breaker is on and the wire is landed on the breaker. Where were you testing?
Can you get more meaningful readings with a low impedance meter?
OP: And as ActionDave points out, you will get more meaningful readings in this case with a low impedance meter.
Is ground bonded to neutral?
3. Ground is not connected (bonded) to neutral.
Is it important to understand electrical theory?
Now that I got the harsh words out of the way, seriously, it is imperative that you understand basic electrical theory or things like this can lead to some serious issues. With a little study you will quickly understand this.
What should the hot to ground voltage be?
Hot to ground should read ~120V, not zero.
Where should the hot conductor be attached?
The hot conductor should be attached to the brass screw terminal of the receptacle. This would make the "shorter" slot on the receptacle hot. Just remember "short girls are hot"-----> short blade of receptacle is hot. J.
Can digital testers give false readings?
some digital testers can give false readings !
Is the hot slot on a receptacle the same as the ground hole?
Yes, the "hot" is the smaller of the two slots on a receptacle, to the right if the ground hole is below.
Why is the neutral dropping voltage?
Basically the neutral has current trying to return back the the transformer and is dropping voltage due to how a neutral is simply a series circuit.
Do neutral and hot circuits originate in the same junction box?
The problem with this circuit is the neutral and hot do not originate in the same junction box and is very confusing not only DIY's but also electricians, not to mention a Code violation.
