Thanks for the safety suggestions, all. I aim to have a dedicated line but that has to wait on some home renovations. At the moment, I just want to locate my gear where the shelves, etc. are -- but that's where the weird outlets are. I'll be careful.
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.
- ...
- 98 posts total
It does sound like your wiring is reversed.... but!!! It may also be you have a bad neutral. The 4 volts should be zero. It indicates you have higher than normal resistance on that wire. This could happen from bad screw connections or bad twist-on connector. When you finish reversing, check again. If still 4 volts, chase that down. |
@Hilde45, when you measured the 4 volt difference between safety ground and the miswired "hot" terminal on the outlets was some or all of the equipment plugged in at the time? If so, I think it would be worthwhile to repeat that measurement with the equipment unplugged. In addition to the possible causes Erik has cited for the 4 volt measurement I’m thinking that applying 120 volts to the neutral of whatever equipment was plugged in could have resulted in AC leakage to ground within the component(s) that might have been responsible. Jim ( @jea48 ), does that sound plausible to you? Good luck. Best regards, -- Al |
hilde45 OP283 posts @ hilde45 I had only read this far in your last post: Thanks, Jim. Later today, I will probably try this. Or tomorrow.When I then responded Ok..... I just checked your thread and read the rest of your post. Before I proceed -- I want to be clear that so far I have tested multiple outlets on this daisy chain -- they all read as reversed.Keep checking..... Keep checking the outlets on the circuit as you get closer to the electrical panel you will find the culprit. The chance the problem is in the electrical panel is slim to none, imo. Jim |
- 98 posts total