Riograndeelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- Lakewood Colorado
had a service call today in which customer said the TV went out and the outlets in the room with the TV went out and customer heard and saw flash.
customer did some trouble shooting on his owner before calling me customer has experience in electronics hence his reason for minor trouble shooting. he stopped at taking switches and outlets out and checking connection and voltage. customer told me he read 50-75 volts with with digital meter on a switch controlled wall outlet with the switch in the off position. I found that the neutral conductor on the hone run at the panel had become extremely hot and insulation melted along with the conductor itself.
I fixed the melted neutral although not sure why it melted the termination was tight.the 2 neutral wire below this one were also showing signs of overheating and melting insulation. all other on the same neutral bar did not show any signs on discoloration or melting.
upon fixing the neutral I was checking voltage and read 50-75 volts on the switched outlet with the switch in the off position with the switch on i read 120 volts.
I though maybe there was a neutral crossed in a another circuit. the circuit in question is a 2 wire circuit, house was built 1972 and has aluminum wire.
disconnected the neutral at the panel and rung it out to the neutral bar. I had no continuity/ Read open circuit which leads me to believe the neutral is not crossed with another neutral. why would I be Reading 50-75 volts between hot and neutral on a outlet with the switch in the off position.?
customer did some trouble shooting on his owner before calling me customer has experience in electronics hence his reason for minor trouble shooting. he stopped at taking switches and outlets out and checking connection and voltage. customer told me he read 50-75 volts with with digital meter on a switch controlled wall outlet with the switch in the off position. I found that the neutral conductor on the hone run at the panel had become extremely hot and insulation melted along with the conductor itself.
I fixed the melted neutral although not sure why it melted the termination was tight.the 2 neutral wire below this one were also showing signs of overheating and melting insulation. all other on the same neutral bar did not show any signs on discoloration or melting.
upon fixing the neutral I was checking voltage and read 50-75 volts on the switched outlet with the switch in the off position with the switch on i read 120 volts.
I though maybe there was a neutral crossed in a another circuit. the circuit in question is a 2 wire circuit, house was built 1972 and has aluminum wire.
disconnected the neutral at the panel and rung it out to the neutral bar. I had no continuity/ Read open circuit which leads me to believe the neutral is not crossed with another neutral. why would I be Reading 50-75 volts between hot and neutral on a outlet with the switch in the off position.?