resistance reading

[Charlie Bob]

I relocated a subpanel for a customer. Used old box as junction box and rearranged circuits, since he had more than one on same fuse.
I turned everything on, everything cool. Within a 45 second to a minute one tripped. I followed wires in circuits, did visual inspection everything seemed to be ok, so i turned braker again, it tripped immediatly. dead short!
Trace the short to a gas furnice , tested with my continuity setting on my DMM, the unit had a dead short. disconnected the unit breaker atayed on.
What troubles me is that one of the romex cable in the circuit read 320ohms,it wouldn't beep continually but it was not shorted either.
I did'n't megger the cable cause i was afraid of blowing something out.( if you've seen the place you'd understand, wires everywhere, i ain't kidding.(this is in a basement)
My question is:
-f i'm reading for continuity, and is not infinity but is not shorted, Why the reading from L-N would be so low (My DMM beeps between 0 and 250 ohms)

By the way HVAC people fix a relay in it, everything works now but the 320 ohms reading on that romex cable bothers me.

Sorry about a long post. Thanks

 

[mcclary's electrical]

Was the cable determed on both ends? If it wasn't that's why you're getting a weird reading, and even if it was if somewhere down the line a grounding conductor from another circuit is being shared with yours, especially if that grounding conductor is touching a grounded conductor somewhere (porcelein lamp holder or something) then you'll get readings such as that. Unless you verified that you are seperated EVERYWHERE,,,then don't let that reading bother you.

 

[Charlie Bob]

it was not determed on both ends, could not found where the sucker when to.
Thanks Mcclary.