NEUTRAL / /GROUND QUESTION

[bure961]

A couple of us guys were trying to figure out a 15a 120V circuit why it wasn t working. Maybe someone here could help.
This receptical is in a home 14 - 2 bx , outlet stops working . One tests finds power to hot and box only, no power between hot to neutral . if neutral is bonded at the panel this should be why there is power to hot to box. Now a question comes up that when a plug from a heater or radio is connected to this outlet it should trip the breaker because the bx is the egc of the cable. This does not happen, tried to find the open neutral and could not, checked panel and outlet boxes. Any help would be welcomed. I find I don t know what I should.

 

[GoldDigger]

Unless the breaker is GFCI type, there is no reason that using the EGC as the return would trip it. But the heater or radio should not work unless it has an internal neutral to ground bond (not legal).

You just have to trace the neutral till you find the break.


Tapatalk!

 

[cadpoint]

Since it's BX, is it a stab in receptacle?

Bring power to receptacle via an extension cord, test again.

Did you try to read the receptacle free of the wires?

 

[bure961]

Don't know if it is stab wires to recept or wrap around screw . He is going back on Monday I think. What I know is none of the five outlets work and all the outlets have power on the terminal without the neutral connection [power to ground reading] only. Not sure if lights work but told him to remove light and check connection there for loose wires.

Thanks to you guys for your help if you think of anything else you like to share please do.

 

[guschash]

How about reverse hot and neutral at switch or receptacle. I had the same just recently at my daughter 's house. At a receptacle I had 120 from hot to box, found a switch in another room had neutral and hot reverse. There was a little melt down at the connector.

 

[kwired]

A couple of us guys were trying to figure out a 15a 120V circuit why it wasn t working. Maybe someone here could help.
This receptical is in a home 14 - 2 bx , outlet stops working . One tests finds power to hot and box only, no power between hot to neutral . if neutral is bonded at the panel this should be why there is power to hot to box. Now a question comes up that when a plug from a heater or radio is connected to this outlet it should trip the breaker because the bx is the egc of the cable. This does not happen, tried to find the open neutral and could not, checked panel and outlet boxes. Any help would be welcomed. I find I don t know what I should.

You have lost the neutral somewhere between the first non working outlet and the service equipment. True the neutral and ground are tied together there, but the neutral path is not complete to the non working outlet(s) making an "open" point in your circuit. Nothing works in the usual current path because you have an "open" circuit.

 

[kwired]

How about reverse hot and neutral at switch or receptacle. I had the same just recently at my daughter 's house. At a receptacle I had 120 from hot to box, found a switch in another room had neutral and hot reverse. There was a little melt down at the connector.

Switching the neutral will not cause any melt down of a connection, it is nothing more then putting the switch in a different location in the circuit - it is still interrupting the same current in either location.

 

[mjf]

Sounds like an old house with old wiring. Chances are power comes to the ceiling outlet and then feeds the rest of the room(s). Pull the luminaire and check it's outlet box for your broken neutral. good luck.

 

[hurk27]

If a heater has been used on this circuit odds are you have lost the neutral at one of the receptacles upstream from this one, if the receptacles are daisy chained and have 2 sets (4 wires) of wires on each then loosing one connection will cause several receptacles to go dead, the easiest way I have found to find the bad one is to use a 3-light tester and first find all receptacles on this circuit, then plug in a lamp in one of the receptacles that is out, then take the 3-light tester and use it to wiggle the other receptacles watching the lamp to see if it comes on or at least flashes, remember the bad receptacle can be one that is still working, also it might be in another room on the other side of a common wall.

I have tracing equipment that can take me right to the bad receptacle but they are expensive but worth it, but many times the moving the receptacle with a 3-light tester is the best method as many times you can find it faster then using tracing equipment, but you need to find out which circuit feeds this receptacle then turn off the circuit and find what loads are on this circuit, if you find other receptacles on it, then use the 3-light tester to wiggle each receptacle on this circuit and watching the lamp you have plugged into a receptacle that has lost power can short cut the job quit a bit, If you need to use an extension cord to move the lamp close to you so you can readily notice if the lamp flickers..

also if the home owner still wants to use a space heater then offer to pig tail all receptacles in the area they wish to use it, land the pig tail on the receptacle by going around both screws on each side, this will give allot more contact area and lesson the likelihood of a failure in the future.

Space heaters tend to find the weak link in any wiring and its mostly at the receptacle termination, I always advise against them but I had a few who would not give them up so I did as above and never had a call back.