On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:32:59 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , BobK207 wrote:
On Nov 25, 10:08=A0pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
Loose neutral will do that -- turns two 120V circuits on opposite legs of the
240V service into a single 240V circuit in series, sending 240V through a
whole bunch of things that were never intended to see more than 120V.

Doug-

I know that across the two hot legs of a residential installation is
240V.

But I'm not understanding how a loose neutral (would that be to the
house neutral or neutral an individual circuit?) would give 240V on a
120V?

Loose neutral on the incoming supply.

A loose "individual circuit neutral" would break the 120V
circuit ....dead no power?

Loose (how loose?) or lost house neutral would still leave all the
individual neutrals connected at the neutral bus.......and the return
path for all the 120V circuits is back through the opposite leg hot?

Exactly.

Is that where the 240v in series across the 120V circuits comes
from????

Exactly.

Would the Edison guys have know enough to check for loose neutral at
the house entrance?

They'll check up to where they make the connections at the rain head (if it's
an overhead entrance) or at their side of the meter base (underground
entrance). Downstream from there is your responsibility, and they won't check
it. The neutral could be loose on your side of the meter base, or at the lug
in your main panel.

Much more likely, though, that any loose neutral problem that might exist is
on the power company's side of things.

And would throwing a Wiggy across the terminals give them anything
other than voltage?

Don't think so.

My service comes in underground & the meter w/ main breaker (mounted
outside on the house).

My "main panel" is in the laundry room (no main breaker there).

Everything seems to be working fine now.

Let's hope it stays that way.


My dad lost most of his electronics and every light-bulb that was
turned on when someone slid their car into the transformer vault about
2 houses down the street. The hydro company figured he gor a couple
thousand volts for up ro a second before the fuse on the downline
transformer let go.