That's fantastic -- thank you so much. It's a snowy day in Denver today and I am shut inside. I'm printing this out for reference.
Line fault at the outlet -- do I need an electrician?
Yesterday, I got a Panamax, Max 1500 surge protector and line conditioner. (I got a very good deal on it, and am just trying it out.)
I plugged it into an outlet I've been using for a while and one of the red lights on the front lit up saying "line fault." (I'm not sure how this is different from a "ground fault." Maybe it's the same.) The Panamax does not do this with other outlets in the room. They seem ok.
So, I know this means that the outlet is improperly wired. My question is, might this be a simple thing to check and/or fix? Any suggestions most appreciated. It's the only outlet I can use to have my audio set up where I usually have it. Now is not an optimal time to call an electrician. If this is a big problem, I'll try out my gear somewhere else in the room, but if I can fix this without too much expertise, that would be ideal.
I plugged it into an outlet I've been using for a while and one of the red lights on the front lit up saying "line fault." (I'm not sure how this is different from a "ground fault." Maybe it's the same.) The Panamax does not do this with other outlets in the room. They seem ok.
So, I know this means that the outlet is improperly wired. My question is, might this be a simple thing to check and/or fix? Any suggestions most appreciated. It's the only outlet I can use to have my audio set up where I usually have it. Now is not an optimal time to call an electrician. If this is a big problem, I'll try out my gear somewhere else in the room, but if I can fix this without too much expertise, that would be ideal.
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heaudio123135 posts heaudio123 I think some clarification here for a novice. When you measure between ground and neutral at a receptacle, most multimeters will indicate some voltage, i.e 0.1 - 2.0V approx. True, If #2 of my previous post above is met. Therein a properly wired receptacle outlet with a Correct AC polarity, and an equipment ground is present. For the novice a difference of potential, voltage, measured between the neutral conductor and the equipment grounding conductor on branch wiring can be caused by, at least, two things. 1) VD, (Voltage Drop), on the neutral conductor due to the connected load on the branch circuit. 2) An induced voltage that is/may be created by the hot and neutral current carrying conductors onto the equipment grounding conductor. Jim |
Ok, here are some results. TESTS for two connected outlets: Ground contact of wall outlet TO Hot contact slot = 4 volt reading Ground contact of wall outlet TO Neutral contact slot = 120 volt reading TEST for another outlet on a different circuit in same basement: Ground contact of wall outlet TO Hot contact slot = 124 volt reading Ground contact of wall outlet TO Neutral contact slot = 0 volt reading I suppose this means I have reversed polarity on those problematic outlets? I don't know why I got a 4 volt reading in from those outlets. |
- 98 posts total