I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 10:20:46 AM UTC-4, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?


Sounds like a problem with the neutral not being properly grounded and
possibly a neutral that has a bad connection too. Even with the breakers
open, your neutral is still connected to the service neutral and hence
tied into the system that includes your neighbors, etc. Suggest you call
an electrician. What kind of shock was it? The just noticeable little
tingle kind or something more?

When I was trying to connect two white wires with a wire-nut (i.e., twist-on connector), one of the white wires sparked when it touched the other white wire.

On Mon, 28 May 2018 07:20:42 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Trader is right, you may have a problem with the building grounding or
neutral wiring. Theoretically if the last time the neutral was
grounded was at the service disconnect and it goes unshared from there
to your unit, there should be no voltage there with all of your
breakers off but if there was some connection of neutrals between
units down stream of the service disconnect you can see a voltage
there. It should be very small tho. You might also have the problem
that "ground" in your panel may not be ground everywhere. There are
typically voltage gradients between what we call ground in different
places.

On Mon, 28 May 2018 11:14:50 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 28 May 2018 07:20:42 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Trader is right, you may have a problem with the building grounding or
neutral wiring. Theoretically if the last time the neutral was
grounded was at the service disconnect and it goes unshared from there
to your unit, there should be no voltage there with all of your
breakers off but if there was some connection of neutrals between
units down stream of the service disconnect you can see a voltage
there. It should be very small tho. You might also have the problem
that "ground" in your panel may not be ground everywhere. There are
typically voltage gradients between what we call ground in different
places.

It could just be that the neutral is sharing two hots.
If you get between two white wires you complete the circuit.
Was there a red wire coming in and leaving the box?

A wing of garages are detached from the condos.

When the condos were built in the early 1970s, the farthest garage from my condo was assigned to me and the nearest garage was assigned to my neighbor.

When I complained about that, the condo board re-assigned the garages so my garage is now closest to my condo. The condo board also had to switch the electrical service (to match the new arrangement).

Could the "sparking" white wire still be controlled by my neighbor's circuit panel?

The new receptacle with the USB ports won't fit into the existing junction box because the new receptacle is deeper than the old receptacle and the box is crammed with too many wires. I'll have to replace the old box with a larger box.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 11:14:46 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 28 May 2018 07:20:42 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Trader is right, you may have a problem with the building grounding or
neutral wiring. Theoretically if the last time the neutral was
grounded was at the service disconnect and it goes unshared from there
to your unit, there should be no voltage there with all of your
breakers off but if there was some connection of neutrals between
units down stream of the service disconnect you can see a voltage
there.

Yes, agree. That new info puts new light on it and points the finger
elsewhere. If there is voltage between those two segments of his
neutral on one circuit, it strongly suggests that it's being shared
with a neighbor. What's on that circuit? I'd be focused on things
like exterior security lighting and the like, where it's more likely
to wind up with two hots incorrectly sharing a single neutral.
Measuring the current would be interesting too.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 11:29:56 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 28 May 2018 11:14:50 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 28 May 2018 07:20:42 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Trader is right, you may have a problem with the building grounding or
neutral wiring. Theoretically if the last time the neutral was
grounded was at the service disconnect and it goes unshared from there
to your unit, there should be no voltage there with all of your
breakers off but if there was some connection of neutrals between
units down stream of the service disconnect you can see a voltage
there. It should be very small tho. You might also have the problem
that "ground" in your panel may not be ground everywhere. There are
typically voltage gradients between what we call ground in different
places.

It could just be that the neutral is sharing two hots.
If you get between two white wires you complete the circuit.
Was there a red wire coming in and leaving the box?

But he has the disconnect open, so that neutral would not only be
sharing a hot which is a code violation, but it would also be sharing
a neighbor's hot on a different service.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 11:40:30 AM UTC-4, condo owner wrote:
A wing of garages are detached from the condos.

When the condos were built in the early 1970s, the farthest garage from my condo was assigned to me and the nearest garage was assigned to my neighbor.

When I complained about that, the condo board re-assigned the garages so my garage is now closest to my condo. The condo board also had to switch the electrical service (to match the new arrangement).

Could the "sparking" white wire still be controlled by my neighbor's circuit panel?

Sounds like you're on the right track. Perhaps something got screwed up
when they switched the electrical service. They could have just moved
the hot connection from your unit to the other guy, but not the neutral.
That would produce the symptom. But they must have moved the hot, I'm
assuming you checked that it's dead with your service disconnect open?

On 05/28/2018 09:20 AM, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?




Evidently the power is NOT from your breaker box. There was a mistake
made when the condo was built

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 12:13:06 PM UTC-4, trader_4 wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 11:29:56 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 28 May 2018 11:14:50 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 28 May 2018 07:20:42 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Trader is right, you may have a problem with the building grounding or
neutral wiring. Theoretically if the last time the neutral was
grounded was at the service disconnect and it goes unshared from there
to your unit, there should be no voltage there with all of your
breakers off but if there was some connection of neutrals between
units down stream of the service disconnect you can see a voltage
there. It should be very small tho. You might also have the problem
that "ground" in your panel may not be ground everywhere. There are
typically voltage gradients between what we call ground in different
places.

It could just be that the neutral is sharing two hots.
If you get between two white wires you complete the circuit.
Was there a red wire coming in and leaving the box?

But he has the disconnect open, so that neutral would not only be
sharing a hot which is a code violation, but it would also be sharing
a neighbor's hot on a different service.

Correct the above to be that the neutral could be shared if it's an Edison
circuit and correctly identified/tied, but again that would not exhibit the
voltage there with the disconnect open. Something is wrong.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

There is a possibility that the white wire is part of a light switch leg. I would often use the "Jesus Method" to find circuit breakers. If there was a hot wire in a junction box that was a mystery, I'd short it to the ground and yell, "JESUS!" as it made a loud electrical arc sound. Then I'd go find the tripped circuit breaker and make note of it. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Trippy Monster

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 12:38:46 PM UTC-4, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

There is a possibility that the white wire is part of a light switch leg. I would often use the "Jesus Method" to find circuit breakers. If there was a hot wire in a junction box that was a mystery, I'd short it to the ground and yell, "JESUS!" as it made a loud electrical arc sound. Then I'd go find the tripped circuit breaker and make note of it. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Trippy Monster

That would not explain why it's hot with the disconnect open.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

On Mon, 28 May 2018 09:03:51 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

The new receptacle with the USB ports won't fit into the existing junction box because the new receptacle is deeper than the old receptacle and the box is crammed with too many wires. I'll have to replace the old box with a larger box.

I would look for something like this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+...HoVV-D3xEOcmM:

condo owner posted for all of us...



I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Not to criticize but testing the wires should have been done before work, be
that is at may there is definitely a problem probably caused by the garage
swap. Also the overstuffed box points to this.

--
Tekkie

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 1:12:40 PM UTC-4, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster


Again, one more time, he said he has all the breakers in the panel off.
Are you like Trump, alternate facts?

And the only way there can be a code compliant shared neutral is with an
Edison circuit.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 2:32:48 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 28 May 2018 09:03:51 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

The new receptacle with the USB ports won't fit into the existing junction box because the new receptacle is deeper than the old receptacle and the box is crammed with too many wires. I'll have to replace the old box with a larger box.

I would look for something like this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+...HoVV-D3xEOcmM:

If a USB receptacle won't fit, if it were me, I'd just forget about it.
Not sure why he needs a USB charging receptacle in a condo garage.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 2:14:31 PM UTC-5, trader_4 wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 1:12:40 PM UTC-4, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Again, one more time, he said he has all the breakers in the panel off.
Are you like Trump, alternate facts?

And the only way there can be a code compliant shared neutral is with an
Edison circuit.


Leave it to Traitor_4ever to drag its Trump Derangement Syndrome into a discussion on electrical circuit problems. What a total loon. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Observant Monster

The headlight, the tail-light and the speedometer on my bicycle are USB rechargeable.

Since I keep the bicycle in my garage -- doesn't everyone? -- having a receptacle with USB ports in my garage seems sensible.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 3:59:02 PM UTC-4, condo owner wrote:
The headlight, the tail-light and the speedometer on my bicycle are USB rechargeable.

Since I keep the bicycle in my garage -- doesn't everyone? -- having a receptacle with USB ports in my garage seems sensible.

I see, sounds like a good reason, hope you can make it fit.

On 5/28/2018 3:16 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 2:32:48 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 28 May 2018 09:03:51 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

The new receptacle with the USB ports won't fit into the existing junction box because the new receptacle is deeper than the old receptacle and the box is crammed with too many wires. I'll have to replace the old box with a larger box.
I would look for something like this.

https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+...HoVV-D3xEOcmM:
If a USB receptacle won't fit, if it were me, I'd just forget about it.
Not sure why he needs a USB charging receptacle in a condo garage.

Charge your phone while wrenching on your Hardley Abelson?

On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?

--
The fastest way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 5:44:44 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?
--


There is a lot of material about the subject on the Internet. Think of it as the return to the generator completing the circuit. The ground is attached to a ground rod which is in the ground, not the same thing. ^_^

http://qa.answers.com/Q/What_does_th...ical_cir cuit

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help...circuit-194475

https://community.smartthings.com/t/...angeable/27849

[8~{} Uncle Electrical Monster

On 5/28/18 7:11 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 5:44:44 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?
--


There is a lot of material about the subject on the Internet. Think of it as the return to the generator completing the circuit. The ground is attached to a ground rod which is in the ground, not the same thing. ^_^

http://qa.answers.com/Q/What_does_th...ical_cir cuit

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help...circuit-194475

https://community.smartthings.com/t/...angeable/27849

[8~{} Uncle Electrical Monster


Interesting, those are good explanations. Thanks.

But I understood that in AC, the current reverses back and forth through
the circuit 50-60 cycles per second.

If the neutral is a "return" wire, how does the "alternating" part fit in?

--
Nigerian authorities found a man dead in his apartment along with 16
billion dollars stored there. Apparently he had been trying to give it
away for over 15 years... but no one would return his emails.

On Mon, 28 May 2018 08:40:25 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

A wing of garages are detached from the condos.

When the condos were built in the early 1970s, the farthest garage from my condo was assigned to me and the nearest garage was assigned to my neighbor.

When I complained about that, the condo board re-assigned the garages so my garage is now closest to my condo. The condo board also had to switch the electrical service (to match the new arrangement).

Could the "sparking" white wire still be controlled by my neighbor's circuit panel?

If this is in a common area it is probably on the "house" panel.

On Mon, 28 May 2018 12:14:27 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 1:12:40 PM UTC-4, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster


Again, one more time, he said he has all the breakers in the panel off.
Are you like Trump, alternate facts?

And the only way there can be a code compliant shared neutral is with an
Edison circuit.

If this is not actually inside his unit, it is probably not on his
panel. The garage in a condo is typically on the "house" panel with
the common area lighting. He is lucky he did not light himself up. He
is also screwing with common area infrastructure. This is the kind of
thing "condo commanders" raise hell about.

On Mon, 28 May 2018 12:58:59 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

The headlight, the tail-light and the speedometer on my bicycle are USB rechargeable.

Since I keep the bicycle in my garage -- doesn't everyone? -- having a receptacle with USB ports in my garage seems sensible.

Put a wiremold ring on it.

On Mon, 28 May 2018 18:44:40 -0400, Wade Garrett
wrote:

On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?

The NEC is addressing that more in every cycle. In fact they want to
stop saying neutral altogether. It is the "grounded" conductor. (not
to be confused with the "grounding" conductor.
It is simply the terminal on the transformer that gets grounded. Other
than that the AC is still that sine wave you learned about in high
school. Current reverses direction through that circuit with a
complete cycle 60 times a second.

On Mon, 28 May 2018 20:35:12 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 28 May 2018 12:58:59 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

The headlight, the tail-light and the speedometer on my bicycle are USB rechargeable.

Since I keep the bicycle in my garage -- doesn't everyone? -- having a receptacle with USB ports in my garage seems sensible.

Put a wiremold ring on it.


Or use a plug-in USB charger.

:

What do you mean by "house panel". Each condo unit has its own circuit panel box on its outside wall.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 8:34:15 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Mon, 28 May 2018 12:14:27 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 1:12:40 PM UTC-4, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster


Again, one more time, he said he has all the breakers in the panel off.
Are you like Trump, alternate facts?

And the only way there can be a code compliant shared neutral is with an
Edison circuit.

If this is not actually inside his unit, it is probably not on his
panel. The garage in a condo is typically on the "house" panel with
the common area lighting. He is lucky he did not light himself up. He
is also screwing with common area infrastructure. This is the kind of
thing "condo commanders" raise hell about.

I agree, it's getting a little weirder. I thought that too, if it's a
common garage that's shared, seems unusual that the panel with the
breakers for it would be in his unit. I guess what you're suggesting is
that maybe he turned off all "his" breakers, but not the one controlling
the receptacle in the garage that he's working on.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 7:31:50 PM UTC-4, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 7:11 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 5:44:44 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?
--


There is a lot of material about the subject on the Internet. Think of it as the return to the generator completing the circuit. The ground is attached to a ground rod which is in the ground, not the same thing. ^_^

http://qa.answers.com/Q/What_does_th...ical_cir cuit

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help...circuit-194475

https://community.smartthings.com/t/...angeable/27849

[8~{} Uncle Electrical Monster


Interesting, those are good explanations. Thanks.

But I understood that in AC, the current reverses back and forth through
the circuit 50-60 cycles per second.

If the neutral is a "return" wire, how does the "alternating" part fit in?



It's really a nomenclature thing. Think of it as a wire going to one
side of a power source, could be a battery for example. In the case of
AC wiring the neutral is also bonded to an earth ground. If you grab
hold of it, and grab hold of a water pipe, the potential difference
in an ideal world would be zero. In a non-ideal world, it's not zero,
but it's insignificant and won't shock you. In that way it's very
different from the hot side. Grab that while in contact with a water pipe,
earth and you will get shocked.

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 6:31:50 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 7:11 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 5:44:44 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?
--


There is a lot of material about the subject on the Internet. Think of it as the return to the generator completing the circuit. The ground is attached to a ground rod which is in the ground, not the same thing. ^_^

http://qa.answers.com/Q/What_does_th...ical_cir cuit

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help...circuit-194475

https://community.smartthings.com/t/...angeable/27849

[8~{} Uncle Electrical Monster

Interesting, those are good explanations. Thanks.

But I understood that in AC, the current reverses back and forth through
the circuit 50-60 cycles per second.

If the neutral is a "return" wire, how does the "alternating" part fit in?
--


Electrons move real fast which in terms of human perception is instantaneous even though the speed can be measured with the right instruments. If you look at a sine wave you will see where the electron flow crosses zero. You might think of that as the neutral if you had an electrical connection there as in a center tapped transformer but it's not that simple. If you're familiar with house wiring in North America, you know that you have two hot wires and a neutral which is the center tap of the transformer feeding the house. ^_^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVamt9IdQd8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n8CiU_6KqE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMzevUC4sao

[8~{} Uncle Neutral Monster

On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:35:40 PM UTC-4, condo owner wrote:
:

What do you mean by "house panel". Each condo unit has its own circuit panel box on its outside wall.

Usually condos have some common area lighting, eg security lights, parking lot
lights, street lights, that are run off a meter paid for by the condo.
In your case it appears there is a common garage area, so it sounds like
that lighting would be on a house panel. Otherwise if it's a garage for
say 6 cars, who pays the electric bill?

On Mon, 28 May 2018 18:35:36 -0700 (PDT), condo owner
wrote:

:

What do you mean by "house panel". Each condo unit has its own circuit panel box on its outside wall.

Is there an additional panel for the house lights and common areas? It
does not need to be accessible to anyone but the management.
You need access to your panel tho.

On 5/28/18 10:08 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 6:31:50 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 7:11 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 5:44:44 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?
--


There is a lot of material about the subject on the Internet. Think of it as the return to the generator completing the circuit. The ground is attached to a ground rod which is in the ground, not the same thing. ^_^

http://qa.answers.com/Q/What_does_th...ical_cir cuit

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help...circuit-194475

https://community.smartthings.com/t/...angeable/27849

[8~{} Uncle Electrical Monster

Interesting, those are good explanations. Thanks.

But I understood that in AC, the current reverses back and forth through
the circuit 50-60 cycles per second.

If the neutral is a "return" wire, how does the "alternating" part fit in?
--


Electrons move real fast which in terms of human perception is instantaneous even though the speed can be measured with the right instruments. If you look at a sine wave you will see where the electron flow crosses zero. You might think of that as the neutral if you had an electrical connection there as in a center tapped transformer but it's not that simple. If you're familiar with house wiring in North America, you know that you have two hot wires and a neutral which is the center tap of the transformer feeding the house. ^_^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVamt9IdQd8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n8CiU_6KqE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMzevUC4sao

[8~{} Uncle Neutral Monster

In the maturity of one's years, you come to realize and accept that
there are some things you just can't get your mind around.

There's a good reason I never become an electrical engineer...

--
"Twenty years of schooling and they put you on the day shift."
- Bob Dylan

On Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at 5:44:50 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 10:08 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 6:31:50 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 7:11 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 5:44:44 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/28/18 1:12 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
On Monday, May 28, 2018 at 9:20:46 AM UTC-5, condo owner wrote:
I turned off ALL circuit breakers in the panel.

I then pulled out the duplex receptacle from the electrical box in my garage and removed the wires.

I then attached the black, white and ground wires to a new duplex receptacle with two USB ports.

I was shocked by another white electrical wire in the box. Why wasn't that circuit controlled by a circuit breaker in the panel? Should the white wire have power?

Sometimes two different energized circuits wind up sharing a neutral and that could be the reason you got a shock off the white neutral wire. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Zapped Monster

Always wondered- what exactly is a "neutral" wire in an AC circuit?
--


There is a lot of material about the subject on the Internet. Think of it as the return to the generator completing the circuit. The ground is attached to a ground rod which is in the ground, not the same thing. ^_^

http://qa.answers.com/Q/What_does_th...ical_cir cuit

https://www.enotes.com/homework-help...circuit-194475

https://community.smartthings.com/t/...angeable/27849

[8~{} Uncle Electrical Monster

Interesting, those are good explanations. Thanks.

But I understood that in AC, the current reverses back and forth through
the circuit 50-60 cycles per second.

If the neutral is a "return" wire, how does the "alternating" part fit in?
--


Electrons move real fast which in terms of human perception is instantaneous even though the speed can be measured with the right instruments. If you look at a sine wave you will see where the electron flow crosses zero. You might think of that as the neutral if you had an electrical connection there as in a center tapped transformer but it's not that simple. If you're familiar with house wiring in North America, you know that you have two hot wires and a neutral which is the center tap of the transformer feeding the house. ^_^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVamt9IdQd8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n8CiU_6KqE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMzevUC4sao

[8~{} Uncle Neutral Monster

In the maturity of one's years, you come to realize and accept that
there are some things you just can't get your mind around.

There's a good reason I never become an electrical engineer...
--


My field of study was physics but I had to leave college and go to work. I worked in the field of electronics and worked overseas as an electrician for a contractor who had some work for the SDI program. I even worked as an electrician for a short time in the foreign country of Californiastan. There are a bunch of weird futher muckers wandering around that alien planet but it was entertaining at times. I came home to Alabamastan where I know and understand the weird futher muckers and can deal with them without resorting to homicide even though it may be warranted at times. Before I came to the point I couldn't walk/work anymore, I was doing contract service for a national service company where I may run a service call on a phone system in a Walgreens one day and repair a point of sale system in a Walmart the next day. I installed a lot of electrical outlets on outside walls for those DVD rental vending machines when they came to the area. I miss working but at least I can do some tech support for my friends via the phone. As long as I have an Internet connection I can retain some sanity. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Frustrated Monster