Open neutral or something else?

Wuzzat? said:

?
The current in a series circuit, i.e.,
-receptacle-switch-breaker-
is the same.

Still, these may fail at a higher rate for other reasons, probably mechanical wear.

BTW, IMHO, I think God damns more than He or She blesses.

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The wiring for receptacles , goes from one to the next to the next ..... But it is not a series circuit . They are in parallel on the hot and neutral ( and the earth ground ) .

A lite / switch system taps off the hot and the neutral ( and the earth ground ) . While the single pole switch is in series with the lite , the system as a whole is in parallel .

Actually , God sets the guidelines . Whether we like it or not . If we choose not to follow those guidelines , we dam ourselves .

I will say no more . This is a DIY forum , not a religious forum . If you wish to further discuss this , please feel free to contact me off list .

God bless
Wyr

WyrTwister said:

The wiring for receptacles , goes from one to the next to the next ..... But it is not a series circuit . They are in parallel on the hot and neutral ( and the earth ground ) .

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Depending on how you look at it, it is both at the same time, and this has been debated on several forums.

As for God, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot

Wuzzat? said:

Depending on how you look at it, it is both at the same time, and this has been debated on several forums.

As for God, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot

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Debating it dosn't make both side right. Go hook up a few lights in series and see what happens.:rofl:

There is no series about it this type of electrical wiring is all parallel. Of course a switch has to be in series but the load always has to be wired across the voltage and in parallel. The only series loads is the resistance of the wire and if it’s sized right it is insignificant.

I am not a professional by any means and was taught by my dad and other handymen and used to daisy chain my outlets using the extra set of terminals. I rethought that method and now feel I have a much better circuit using the pigtail method. I also have been experimenting with twisting vs straight wires going into wire nuts. It is a bit more work and I know a lot of the pros will say it is unnecessary but I have convinced myself it’s the method I feel is best for me.

I understood what WyrTwister was saying about finding more open wires in runs of outlets as opposed to lighting circuits when I read that. I didn’t find it confusing in the least. It could be load related, I’m not so sure that is the cause though. There are many more outlets in a normal house than lights it may just be the probability. One thing I never use is the stab connectors on the back of the outlet. I can still hear my dad saying what a lousy connection those make. I really like the type of connection GFCI outlets have with the side clamps would love seeing regular outlets redesigned to eliminate bending the hooks on the wires. I have a method I use to make the hook and get a good 270 degrees of contact under the screw head. I see a lot of them barely having 120 degrees of wire under the head. All these things take a few seconds longer to do but greatly decrease the odds of having problems.

As to how someone choses to sign off of a post in their signature I have no problems with if its short and sweet and reflects who they are. I do have issues with posting off topic links trying to escalate nothing into something.

nealtw said:

Debating it dosn't make both side right. Go hook up a few lights in series and see what happens.:rofl:

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Did that.
My front porch lights were burning out frequently so with stuff from HD I wired two 40w bulbs in series which assembly now consumed 15w and not the 20w you would expect if the tungsten filaments acted like normal resistors. They give off a pleasant orange glow and will probably last longer than the mortality table gives me as my remaining lifetime.

Of course, every electrical code on earth plus U.L. may prohibit this. Long lasting bulbs, along with knowledgeable DIY, are bad for business. . .