i go over to look at a rental that has lost power in 5 recepticals.check the gfci plug in in the kitchen. hit the button it trips,reset’s just like its suppose to. so i take my volt meter stick it in the upper and lower slots,i get a 120 volt reading on both,but on the top when i stick the probes in all the other plugs come back on line????
so i go get a new gfci and start to put in ,when i take the cover off i can see a lose wire. the black load [going out to the next plug ] has come undone,so easy fix ,it’s done.
but i’m still trying to figure out why when i checked the voltage [also you could plug something in with the same results]it would light up everything downline. i’m sure it’s simple but i can’t figure it out. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Replies
My guess is that it was loose, but still close enough that when you put the probes in you moved it enough to touch the wire and make contact.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Yeah, actually fairly common -- seen it occasionally with electrical outlets, many times with electronic connectors. The outlet itself doesn't have to be loose -- often the individual contact assembly will wiggle enough to make contact with the wire.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin