Troubleshooting

[Dale lee]

Today I was working on a remodel, working on a 4G switch while low volt guys were working on a lutron system. In trying to troubleshoot tripping circuits I had all my neutrals disconnected. Found the one making the circuit trip, and as I’m testing I find 120v neutral to ground on every single neutral in the box. My mind is boggled as some of these are switch legs coming straight out of fixtures. I think maybe backfeeding but if that were the case what about every other neutral not interconnected. I checked the main panel for a possible back feed to neutral bar to explain the other neutrals but it all checks out. So I tie them all together and it does not trip but now I have 1v and all is working fine. Can someone explain this to me?

 

[Terminator5047]

Is the wire ran in conduit ?

 

[Terminator5047]

I’m still astonished you were
Working on 4g switch were u gutting it ?

 

[Little Bill]

Are you sure all of them were neutrals? Might have been a switch loop in there as well.

 

[hbiss]

Did you test with a Wiggy or even a simple test light- bulb in a pigtail socket?

-Hal

 

[Dale lee]

Is the wire ran in conduit ?

No romex

 

[Dale lee]

I’m still astonished you were
Working on 4g switch were u gutting it ?

No, they shrank a wall down and some morons got the wires mixed up between a 4g, 3g, and single all by the entry

 

[Dale lee]

Are you sure all of them were neutrals? Might have been a switch loop in there as well.

They were all neutrals

 

[Dale lee]

Did you test with a Wiggy or even a simple test light- bulb in a pigtail socket?

-Hal

Not sure what you mean

 

[Dale lee]

Thought there may be a chance it had something to do with the lutron system

 

[Terminator5047]

I thought u were talking about a 4G cellular switch not a 4 gang switch box.

 

[Dale lee]

I thought u were talking about a 4G cellular switch not a 4 gang switch box.

Gotcha

 

[Dale lee]

I’m assuming something to do with how the house was wired previously, works fine just was concerned of causing damage in the future if left unattended and I don’t have time to trace out someone else’s nonsense.

 

[Terminator5047]

So if u unhook the noodle that previously made the ckt trip and now it’s not and your getting 120v on it sounds like the ckts not tripping because it doesn’t have a ground reference and you probably have a staple or nail touching the hot to the noodle. Or if there are
Power packs maybe one of them is shorted

 

[unclekb]

I ran into this once. Home owner replaced a receptacle and reversed the neutral and common.

 

[hbiss]

Not sure what you mean

Wiggy or test light instead of a meter.

-Hal

 

[Dale lee]

I ran into this once. Home owner replaced a receptacle and reversed the neutral and common.

I thought about that too, last time I saw that someone backstabbed wires on a receptacle and hot and neutral set screws were touching the side of a mud ring.

 

[Dale lee]

Wiggy or test light instead of a meter.

-Hal

Nope, I’ll try it

 

[ptonsparky]

Answers would depend on the age of the house. Under which NEC it was wired
White does not equal neutral. We were not always required to ID a switch leg.
Neutrals were not always required at switches.
Open circuit voltage of Neutral to EG would be 120 volt.
Measuring 1 volt between a loaded neutral conductor and EG would be VD.