Electrical help

[1930artdeco]

Ok, need electrical help. I just installed a gfi receptacle in the garage. I have 120 at both sockets and everything down stream.

However, if I use the red probe in the small slot and place the black probe on the little tab where the hold down screw goes, I get 120v. Question is why am I getting volts where I should not be getting any? Is it safe to touch?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[micromind]

With a 120 receptacle, the small slot has the voltage, the larger slot is the neutral which is eventually connected to the ground wire which is eventually connected to the metal tube.

In other words, all is good.

To test your work, trip the GFI and see if you still have voltage anywhere downstream. There should be none anywhere. Now, with the GFI tripped, test for continuity between the larger slot (neutral) and the ground port or the metal tab. It should be an open circuit.

 

[BrandonV]

Normal. Your multimeter will not trigger the GFI since you're only pulling around 0.01mA with the multimeter to ground.

If you used a neon bulb or a solenoid tester in the same fashion you would find the GFI will trip.

 

[1930artdeco]

Ok, thank you. I was just wondering why the little tab was registering voltage in the circuit. I will butting them up then.

 

[Max]

Ok, thank you. I was just wondering why the little tab was registering voltage in the circuit. I will butting them up then.

A quick, cheap, and effective way to test outlets is with one of these:

Klein Tools GFCI Outlet Tester RT210 - The Home Depot

Klein Tools GFCI Receptacle Tester designed to detect the most common wiring problems in standard and receptacles. Easy to use.

www.homedepot.com

It also has a test switch to test GFCIs for proper operation. They are very handy, and for standard 120V outlets they will detect every type of wiring mistake except a swapped ground and neutral.

You can do similar tests with a DVM (except the GFCI test), but that takes a bit of knowledge and experience that you may or may not have.

 

[CraigStu]

A quick, cheap, and effective way to test outlets is with one of these:

Klein Tools GFCI Outlet Tester RT210 - The Home Depot

Klein Tools GFCI Receptacle Tester designed to detect the most common wiring problems in standard and receptacles. Easy to use.

www.homedepot.com

It also has a test switch to test GFCIs for proper operation. They are very handy, and for standard 120V outlets they will detect every type of wiring mistake except a swapped ground and neutral.

You can do similar tests with a DVM (except the GFCI test), but that takes a bit of knowledge and experience that you may or may not have.

Those tools are great and were used by the 2 home inspectors I dealt with in the last 8 years.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Ok, thank you. I was just wondering why the little tab was registering voltage in the circuit. I will butting them up then.

Voltage is all about difference. In North American power, the neutral is connected to the earth and chosen as the reference voltage. That doesn’t make ground or neutral zero volts.

 

[nadogail]

Voltage is all about difference. In North American power, the neutral is connected to the earth and chosen as the reference voltage. That doesn’t make ground or neutral zero volts.

Because Neutral conductors are connected to Ground at the service panel, I consider the neutral to be at Zero Volts or reasonably close.

 

[marinusdees]

Because Neutral conductors are connected to Ground at the service panel, I consider the neutral to be at Zero Volts or reasonably close.

Turn on a light, take hold of the neutral downstream, tell me what you feel?

 

[nadogail]

Turn on a light, take hold of the neutral downstream, tell me what you feel?

Not today, but I will try it after checking with a known good meter.

 

[micromind]

Turn on a light, take hold of the neutral downstream, tell me what you feel?

If said neutral is connected to a properly grounded neutral bus, you'll feel nothing.

 

[sparky 1971]

Turn on a light, take hold of the neutral downstream, tell me what you feel?

The neutral would have to disconnected as well as the the person touching it be grounded in order to get tickled.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Ok, need electrical help. I just installed a gfi receptacle in the garage. I have 120 at both sockets and everything down stream.

However, if I use the red probe in the small slot and place the black probe on the little tab where the hold down screw goes, I get 120v. Question is why am I getting volts where I should not be getting any? Is it safe to touch?

Thanks,

Mike

Youve tested between hot and ground. Neutral is bonded to Ground at the main panel. So youre test shows everything is A OK

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Because Neutral conductors are connected to Ground at the service panel, I consider the neutral to be at Zero Volts or reasonably close.

That‘s a dramatic oversimplification. Voltage is a difference, not an absolute and the numbers mean nothing if not given with a reference. Ground is only zero volts because we choose to call it that. Saying something is zero volts is only useful when referencing other points in the circuit. Electrically, there is no difference in the hot and neutral. Either can shock you if you contact it while touching something at a significantly different voltage.

Ground only provides safety when combined with safe wiring and equipment construction practices. Touching ground or neutral will shock you if the other conductor you are in contact with is at a different voltage. That can be a hot wire or a ground wire from another electrical system. Watch high voltage power line workers handling live lines. The last thing they want to do is touch the ground.