On Apr 2, 5:07*pm, "Dave" wrote:
"bud--" wrote in message
.. .
Dave wrote:
"Bob F" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:
Question for the gurus. *I just tested my housewiring (at the wall
outlet) and found that I have 120V AC between the hot and return,
only I can't tell which of the top two "slots" is hot and which is
return. *They both show 59.4 VAC with referrence to the third (GND)
terminal, on the bottom. Huh? Anyone have any idea what might be going
on with my house
wiring? *It's an old house, built in '49 or '50, and has had numerous
pieces added and modified. *I was in the attic once, installing the
wiring for a bathroom outlet, and got bit by the *white* wire, which
should have been my first clue something was wrong. *When I asked
someone else about that though, was told that it might be normal,
depending on what had been put in place. *:/
Any ideas or feedback are welcome. *Hoping someone can explain this.
Also hoping I don't have to rewire my house...
Floating ground. It is likely that there is no ground wire at the
outlet, and that the origional 2 prong outlet was replaced with a
"grounded" outlet, even though there was no ground wire to connect to
the ground connection.
Hey Bob,
Floating ground... *Okay. *That would fit with what I saw up in the
attic, about the wiring used in the house. *sigh *At least it's nothing
really wierd. *Always thought I ought to rewire the house, just didn't
want to tackle that project. *Wondering if I can live with it... *
If done properly, it should be a 2 prong ungrounded receptacle, or a GFCI
receptacle, or downstream from (protected by) a GFCI receptacle. If
downstream from a GFCI it can be a grounded receptacle even though there
is no ground. That could be what you have (but not likely).
--
bud--
You know, something's jogging my memory. *I remember now I once tested a
different outlet and got the same results, right after we had the house
remodeled. *And I wonered about it but never persued it. Before the house
was remodeled I worked on an outlet to replace the hardware, and it tested
normal. *In between these two, when the house was remodeled, the contractor
(or whoever) had to hardwire their floor sander into the service entrance
because we didn't have any 220 VAC outlets, even though we had the normal
two "hot" wires (each 110 or 120 but 180 out of phase with each other)
coming from the pole. *We have central air, and the outside unit
(compressor?) is wired for 220 (or 240, whatever, I don't remember) but it
is the only thing on the property that is. *I am wondering now if they
changed something at the service entrance when they hard-wired their floor
sander in.
probably has nothing to do with your problem, there's generally no
need to have 240VAC receptacles in your average house unless you have
large window A/C units, an electric range, or an electric clothes
dryer.
I just filed for a bunch of insurance reimbursements, and we are expecting
some extra cash as a result. *I need to get an electrician out here to check
this out. *Anyone have any ideas as to what I might expect to have found?
All ears...
I expect you will find simply a lot of old wiring without an earth
ground conductor. Didn't become code until sometime in the 50's or
60's. You can either have an electrician repull everything (and
possibly add some receps in strategic locations if you so desire) or
else simply install a GFCI recep in the first box on each circuit,
your choice.
If you go for the complete rewire route I would also go ahead and get
a couple cases of "spec grade" receps and switches and then your house
will be all good for the next 30 years or more. Be aware that if you
do the full rewire you will also have to install AFCIs on all circuits
serving the bedrooms. If you have an obsolete breaker panel that is
no longer supported, then you're looking at a panel replacement as
well, so you may want to assess that before making a decision.
If you're reasonably handy, this is something you can do yourself (I
have, although I still have more work to do.) However it is not
something to mess around with, make sure you know exactly how to "do
it right" so you don't end up causing more problems than you solve.
nate