Looks like reverse polarity but isn't

Merry Christmas
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Re: Looks like reverse polarity but isn't

Gentlemen, I am glad to report that he found the problem. There was a nicked neutral and a nicked hot in one of the outlets. So when it was pushed back in the box they were touching. He repaired and everything is reading 118 volts from hot to ground whereas before it read "0". Thanks for all your advise.
 
Re: Looks like reverse polarity but isn't

Gentlemen, I am glad to report that he found the problem. There was a nicked neutral and a nicked hot in one of the outlets. So when it was pushed back in the box they were touching. He repaired and everything is reading 118 volts from hot to ground whereas before it read "0". Thanks for all your advise.
 
Re: Looks like reverse polarity but isn't

In my first post I told them to look for a low resistance reading between hot and neutral in the wiring between the second and third receptacle. I know that you guys have seen this. It's not a dead short but just enough arcing to cause the insulation at the nick to carbonize and act as a resistor. You will get a bad reading but not enough current flow to trip a breaker. I have seen old light fixtures where the wire insulation in the junction box was carbonized ( baked ) and it would give strange reading with a tester or meter even at the receptacles. What I don't understand is why two of the receptacles tested good, they are all tied to gather on the same circuit. It doesn't even explain why the equipment blew up. Normally it just wont work it will act as an open circuit, no return because the neutral is hot.
 
Re: Looks like reverse polarity but isn't

still doesn't explain why there was an open ground before ... or am I missing something ...
 
Re: Looks like reverse polarity but isn't

Mario,

I don't quite follow either. Might be that the ground was bonded to the box and not the recp and they had it out of the box while testing. Also, a nick in both conductors should have tripped the breaker, as others pointed out, unless they have a FPE. Also, I don't understand how that fried the one satellite component and not the other electronic stuff. I guess that why there is no DIY help here. Leave that to Ridgid.
 
Re: Looks like reverse polarity but isn't

Michael ... I agree with all you stated especially the Rigid comment I go there for amusement and to make sure these people don't live near me

just a short note to original post though ... I think you still have a problem ... and sorry to say but I find it hard to believe the 'non-typist' is an "electrician"
 
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