Lost neutral?

[dhalleron]

I don't know why I can't remember. I don't do this full time anymore. I haven't been there yet but a friend just called asking for advice.

I originally thought lost neutral but now leaning towards lost phase.

Kitchen light only works when electric range is turned on. Symptom of lost neutral at service or in panel? Or lost hot? Maybe the kitchen light with missing hot is picking up hot through series with the range. And would with any 220 volt circuit that is on?

My friend is going to look at it and I know I can figure it out once I get there. I just don't have time right now.

 

[Buck Parrish]

It's more likely a lost hot phase.

 

[jumper]

Could be lost hot.

Your friend got a meter?

If you get 120V L-G on both legs, but 0V L-L you lost a hot and have a backfeed.

 

[Buck Parrish]

It may be on the POCO side. Tell your friend to call the power company it may be on their side.

 

[Sierrasparky]

Sounds like a lost phase.
could be at the main or the POCO

 

[qcroanoke]

Sounds like a lost phase.
could be at the main or the POCO

If he has fuses one of those could be blown. I've seen that happen.

 

[kwired]

Lost neutral would make the light brighter or dimmer depending on the balance of 120 volt loads, switching on a 240 volt load shouldn't matter as it does nothing to change the 120 volt balance, the 240 volt load can add to voltage drop though, which would dim the light, but would need to be significant voltage drop to notice much.

Lost ungrounded conductor to a distribution point such as a loadcenter - will do exactly what you described.

All the 120 volt circuits connected to the lost side will not work - there is no complete circuit. Now throw some 240 volt loads to the mix, and they don't work either, but if they are (relatively) low resistance like ranges, water heaters, electric heat elements of any kind - you get a backfeed through such 240 volt loads and do have voltage on the otherwise "dead side" of the panel. What voltage you see will change as loads change though as you have those 120 volt loads of the dead side connected in series with the 240 volt load.

One line worded drawing that shows the series circuit:

[(working) L1] ---------------- [240 volt load(s)] ------------------[(open circuited to source)L2]-------------[load(s) on L2 side of panel]-----[neutral]

There is 120 volts from left to right of the one line, resistance of 240 volt load is in series with the 120 volt loads

The "good side" of the panel has no issues as all those circuits have no additional resistance in series and are operating as usual.

 

[cowboy1966]

You should definitely go over there with voltmeter in hand and start in the panel checking the main feeders and grounded conductor. Check voltage at each breaker, turning them all off, and turn them on one by one, but check voltage at all breakers as u turn them on one by one. Checking neutral to hot and ground to hot. Probably get solved faster, just saying

 

[cowboy1966]

Kwired sounds like a smart man. If the neutral is reading current, then that narrows it down

 

[cowboy1966]

Heck, check all the ground and neutral terminations and make sure that they are tight while you're in there. If it's an older home with the wires stabbed, that could account for power loss and loose neutrals can do some strange things

 

[cowboy1966]

I am talking about devices like plugs and switches

 

[Little Bill]

You should definitely go over there with voltmeter in hand and start in the panel checking the main feeders and grounded conductor. Check voltage at each breaker, turning them all off, and turn them on one by one, but check voltage at all breakers as u turn them on one by one. Checking neutral to hot and ground to hot. Probably get solved faster, just saying

Kwired sounds like a smart man. If the neutral is reading current, then that narrows it down

Heck, check all the ground and neutral terminations and make sure that they are tight while you're in there. If it's an older home with the wires stabbed, that could account for power loss and loose neutrals can do some strange things

I am talking about devices like plugs and switches

I see there are only a couple of minutes between your posts. Did you know that you can use the "edit post" function to add to your posts rather than making a new one?
I see that you are new here (Welcome, BTW) and may not know this.

But there is a time limit for editing. Not sure what it is here but I think maybe 15 minutes.

 

[cowboy1966]

Okay, thanks

 

[kwired]

Kwired sounds like a smart man. If the neutral is reading current, then that narrows it down

What that current reading means depends on exactly where the measurement is taken and where any "open circuit" condition is located in relation to that measurement point.