voltage on outlet below normal - help!!
 

Many residential electricians use the spring-tensioned "stab-in" wire
termination points on the back of cheaper duplex u-ground
receptecles... this is often a weak link where a loose "grab" on a
wire creates an open condition or a high series resistence with part
of your voltage being dropped across this "load." If this is not the
problem, you want to check voltage to ground/ hot to neutral/ neutral
to ground with a high impedence meter. If spring terminals were the
problem, reconfigure wiring so that load, line, and device wires are
scotch locked together. Pigtails feeding receptecles constitutes a
better installation because then, if a device fails, down-stream
devices continue to work (even when the problem device is removed.



On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 23:02:57 GMT, "Pony" wrote:

In one of my rooms I have 4 outlets. All 4 are on the same breaker yet one
is getting around 123 volts while the other 3 are only getting 68. What
could be causing this problem? I am unable to use these outlets due to the
low voltage.

Thanks for the help!

Robert wrote,

You have a ground condition. Somewhere the wiring is going to ground. If
you take a voltage meter the hot side should read about 115 vac the common
(white cable should read 0 vac) Right now you have 68 vac on the hot and 47
vac on the common. This is a dangerous problem to have and should be fixed
asap. If you suffer a voltage spike you will have problems and devices that
are plugged in will be ruined and the building could burn down. Have an
experinced electrician look at the problem asap.
wrote in message
...
Many residential electricians use the spring-tensioned "stab-in" wire
termination points on the back of cheaper duplex u-ground
receptecles... this is often a weak link where a loose "grab" on a
wire creates an open condition or a high series resistence with part
of your voltage being dropped across this "load." If this is not the
problem, you want to check voltage to ground/ hot to neutral/ neutral
to ground with a high impedence meter. If spring terminals were the
problem, reconfigure wiring so that load, line, and device wires are
scotch locked together. Pigtails feeding receptecles constitutes a
better installation because then, if a device fails, down-stream
devices continue to work (even when the problem device is removed.



On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 23:02:57 GMT, "Pony" wrote:

In one of my rooms I have 4 outlets. All 4 are on the same breaker yet
one
is getting around 123 volts while the other 3 are only getting 68. What
could be causing this problem? I am unable to use these outlets due to
the
low voltage.

Thanks for the help!