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RBM[_2_] RBM[_2_] is offline
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Default Floating neutral or wiring problem?


"scorpster" wrote in message
...
Last night several of the lights and outlets went dark in the house. Then
it mysteriously came back by itself for a few hours, and now these
circuits went out again. All fuses tested ok (unless there is a failed
circuit breaker somewhere). One of the dead circuits is an outlet that is
right below the main panel (so it's not a fuse or breaker in a remote
subpanel). Looking into this further, I tested the voltages going into a
subpanel that is right next to the main panel.

The difference between the two hot phases going into this subpanel show
110v. Between one of the hot phases and neutral it is 120v. Between the
other hot phase and neutral it is only 12v!

Last year the electric company came out to fix a broken neutral wire on
the telephone pole, and this reminds me of the floating neutral problem I
had back then, causing mysterious problems with some of the circuits.
Because there is a major difference between the different phases and the
neutral, I wonder if I should call out the electric company again, maybe
their original repair failed?

Or could this be due to a wiring problem inside the house that I should
check first? Or perhaps a failed circuit breaker in this subpanel?


If you test between the two hot legs, you should get 240 volts. If you test
from each hot leg to neutral, you should get 120 volts. If you got 120 volts
between the two hot legs, you have a dead leg. You need the check the
breaker or fuses feeding that sub panel