2v low voltage on circuit

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Cloakingknight

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I recently plugged in a dewalt drill charger and it must have shorted something. I couldnt turn on the light that is on the same circuit. Easy, just flip the breaker. Went to the panel and found that the breaker did pop. I flipped it off and on, went back expecting every to be work. Nope didnt work. I thought maybe bad outlet, switched it out, same problem. Used a non contact pen to test, and every outlet, switch beeps, but no power to power any devices.

I thought it was a gfi issue, which I do have 2 gfi on the circuit, I pressed restart on both and nothing happened. I disconnected one of the gfi, didnt bother with the other one after I hooked up my voltmeter.


Volt meter results.

Hot and neutral. Now 1.9 - 2.4.
Hot and ground .5v
Neutral and ground is .4v

Not sure why I get so low voltage. I did some research. Could it be a loose connection up stream? Could it be a faulty breaker?

Thanks, I figure an electrician will charge a bunch.
 
It could be a loose connection upstream or at the breaker.
 
When you reset the breaker did it stay in the "on" position? Depending on the make of the panel/breakers some require much more pressure to push the handle completely to the "off" position and then back to the "on" position. Some may seem to have reset if not reset properly.
 
i checked the voltage and it is reading 122v. I replaced it anyways. Now one of the outlet read 1.2v. So its not the breaker.
 
Any voltage you are reading with the digital meter below 10 volts is zero.
Power is coming out of the breaker OK. You need to trace the circuit wiring and check the connection in each junction box, fixture, switch, receptacle, etc.
 
One common problem is what I call back stabbed receptacles . Instead of the wire wrapping around a screw terminal , & then tightening down the screw , the stripped end of the wire plugs into a hole in the back of the receptacle .

Very common for these to go bad . They outlawed them but there are still a lot of them in older houses .

Try to make a map / drawing of that circuit , what is hot and what is not . Usually in either the last hot receptacle or the first dead one . But you have to figure out which direction the home run comes from .

May be on a GFCI circuit , so check all those circuits / circuit breakers / receptacles . They are found near water ( kitchens , bathrooms , etc. ) , in the garage or outside receptacles .

Best I remember , a GFCI receptacle must be hot , to reset . Seems like I remember , some arc fault circuit breakers are also GFCI . So , check for arc fault circuit breakers / receptacles , too .

Wyr
God bless
 
Definitely not the GFIs. I disconnected both and still no power. I disconnected an outlet upstream before both GFIs and it powered down all the GFIs. I have not seen any stabbed receptacles. The oldest receptacle was stripped and screwed down.

I think i pin pointed the first receptacle/junction box. Based off of where the panel is and runs from back of the house to the attic. That reads 1.2v.
I think there are 2 less obvious receptacles (while running up to the attic).

Question. In the panel, i see that there is a red wire connected to the breaker. At the first receptacle, should i expect the same red wire? or does it connect to another wire leaving the panel to the first receptacle. Typically at the receptacles, its either white/black (some have ground, some dont).
 
If the red wire is connected to the circuit breaker & it makes no change / splice in the panel / loadcenter , it should still be red at the first lighting box , receptacle box , switch box , junction box . However , it is beginning to sound like you have not located the first box / home run box .

I have even found them in closets or attic with a door bell transformer mounted to it . If you have a gas heater / furnace that requires 120 VAC , it may be in that closet .

Is the loadcenter in the garage , in the living space or on the outside of the house ?

God bless
Wyr
 
I have a transfer switch for the generator. I guess that is somewhat of a junction box. I think it might be the spot where the red becomes regular wires where i see the first receptacle. Im not sure how that works.
 
do you have any outside GFI's? in my house, they're ALL tied together. had a problem a few weeks ago and found i had a disconnected wire on an outside GFI.
 
Cloakingknight said:
I have a transfer switch for the generator. I guess that is somewhat of a junction box. I think it might be the spot where the red becomes regular wires where i see the first receptacle. Im not sure how that works.
Click to expand...

You have 20 amp ( #`12 ) wire going through a transfer switch ?

Wyr
God bless
 
Yes, the red wire is fed into the manual transfer switch, and the labeled black wire from the transfer switch is connected to the black,white,ground cable to the first receptacle. I just tested the connection from transfer switch wire nutted to the electric wire leaving the panel. At the breaker shows 122v and the wire nut connection also 122v. I will disconnect the dome light tomorrow, and nothing should have voltage. Is there a wire chaser tool?
 
Can you post a photo ? I am a little confused .

Wyr
God bless
 
Forget the transfer switch. I proof that it is delivering 120v thru the wire to the dome light.

Below is the dome light. The readings are:
Light switch.
Ground to neutral 115v.
Hot (Long black wire with clip to red) to neutral 1.3v
Hot to ground 123.5v


Bypass 2 hot wire (short back wire) to neutral 1.3v
Bypass 2 hot wire to ground 124.2v
 

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I separated the in and out wires.

The in wire readings:
Hot to ground 125.5v
Neutral to ground is 0v
Hot to neutral is 0v

Is this normal?
 

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Cloakingknight said:
Forget the transfer switch. I proof that it is delivering 120v thru the wire to the dome light.

Below is the dome light. The readings are:
Light switch.
Ground to neutral 115v.
Hot (Long black wire with clip to red) to neutral 1.3v
Hot to ground 123.5v


Bypass 2 hot wire (short back wire) to neutral 1.3v
Bypass 2 hot wire to ground 124.2v
Click to expand...


At the light switch , it is common in residential wiring to run 2 wire w/ ground Romes to the single pole switch . In that case , one of the wires will be a switch leg and one a hot . So , the white , in that case is not a neutral & you will read 120 VAC to ground . The white , in the ceiling box is connected to the hot in the ceiling box and the black is a switch leg , in the ceiling box ( if it is feed hot from the ceiling box ) .

If it is feed hot from the switch , then the white is a neutral and the black to the ceiling box is a switch leg .

If you are getting 120 VAC from the white in the ceiling box to ground , sounds like you may have a loose neutral some where and the neutral is " hunting a ground " .

God bless
Wyr
 
Cloakingknight said:
I separated the in and out wires.

The in wire readings:
Hot to ground 125.5v
Neutral to ground is 0v
Hot to neutral is 0v

Is this normal?
Click to expand...
If the hot reads 0 to neutral and 120 VAC to ground , that really sounds like the neutral is " hunting a ground " .

Work your way back from there to the panel ( through the transfer switch ) checking all the neutrals . If the neutral to hot still reads 0 and the hot to ground reads 120 VAC , you still have not found the fault & continue to work your way back towards the panel . Check all wire nuts on all the neutrals . And all other neutral connections .

Check all the neutral terminations on the neutral bar , in the panel . BE CAREFUL !

God bless
Wyr
 
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