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? For electrician
This thread has 27 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 05:59
thecapnredfish
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Show up at a job because tvs are not working. Surge protector cord and coax had melted together. Go to garage turn a bunch of tripped breakers thinking customer had done that trying to get tv working and garage door opener. Go to plug in new coax jumper and pow, huge spark. So I break out tester I think it said hot and ground reversed. The multimeter reads 238 between hot and ground. Went no further. What do you think happend to this house?
Post 2 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 06:54
Brentm
Ethereal Home Theater
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On October 14, 2016 at 05:59, thecapnredfish said...
Show up at a job because tvs are not working. Surge protector cord and coax had melted together. Go to garage turn a bunch of tripped breakers thinking customer had done that trying to get tv working and garage door opener. Go to plug in new coax jumper and pow, huge spark. So I break out tester I think it said hot and ground reversed. The multimeter reads 238 between hot and ground. Went no further. What do you think happend to this house?

Sounds like neutral got dropped from the street service. This is very bad JuJu and is controlled by the utility company, call them NOW!
Brent McCall
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Post 3 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 07:20
King of typos
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Yup, that's what happened. And the cable was trying to be the neutral and failed.

So a call to the power and cable company is in order. Telephone too just in case.

KOT
Post 4 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 11:41
crosen
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If you're getting 238 between hot and ground, then it sounds like the ground is shorted with the opposite phase hot from the hot you were measuring. I say this because the only way to get 238V is to measure voltage across two opposite phase 120V hots.

If this were an issue upstream from the electric panel (i.e with the street service), then I'd think half the circuits in the house would be shorted and the other half would be bumped up to 240V.

In other words, I'd call an electrician immediately rather than the utility company.

(I'm not an electrician, though.)
If it's not simple, it's not sufficiently advanced.
Post 5 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 12:38
BizarroTerl
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Unplug everything (better yet turn off every breaker). Call the utility. They'll come out immediately.

I had this happen at my home. Voltage all over the place. Sometimes turning on an appliance made lights brighter, or dimmer. Blew out several light controls, a computer, etc. Turned out a tree rat (squirrel) decided the neutral at the power pole was an ideal thing to chew on.

Technically the power company is liable so they treat this as an emergency (wouldn't want to get some one electrocuted).
Post 6 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 12:40
Ernie Gilman
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On October 14, 2016 at 11:41, crosen said...

If this were an issue upstream from the electric panel (i.e with the street service), then I'd think half the circuits in the house would be shorted and the other half would be bumped up to 240V.

"Shorted" might not be the proper term here, since that means connected to something it should not be connected to. It could be an open instead. Let's use technical terms in technical discussions.

It would be correct to say that half the circuits in the house would be dead and the other half would be bumped up to 240V. Saying something is shorted means you've figured out the exact reason for the symptoms.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 7 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 13:40
King of typos
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I would like to know what happened though when everything is working as it should.

KOT
Post 8 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 15:06
Ernie Gilman
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Oh, yeah! Melted wires are more excitement than most of us run into all year, and it's especially interesting if it doesn't happen to us. As Mel Brooks says, you falling off a cliff and dying, that's humor; me getting a hangnail, that's tragedy.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 9 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 16:07
tomciara
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I was working at a house a couple of years ago, and while I was working, I noticed the can lighting was going from bright to really bright, and fluctuating a lot. I took note when the AV receiver started shutting off. My fluke meter indicated fluctuations from 120v to nearly 150v.

The utility company was there within the hour and it was a bad connection of the neutral line at the meter location.

With neutral broken completely, I have no doubt it could have risen to double 117 volts.
There is no truth anymore. Only assertions. The internet world has no interest in truth, only vindication for preconceived assumptions.
Post 10 made on Friday October 14, 2016 at 16:34
Ernie Gilman
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On October 14, 2016 at 16:07, tomciara said...

With neutral broken completely, I have no doubt it could have risen to double 117 volts.

Let's look at that.
If there was no load on the other phase, then the voltage on your phase would fall to zero. If there was a tiny load on the other phase, the voltage would be slight. If there was a huge load on the other phase, your phase would go high in voltage.

It's how a voltage divider works: you have a voltage from one phase to the other, and the larger resistance ( = lower load) gets the lion's share of the voltage.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 11 made on Monday October 24, 2016 at 13:25
Ernie Gilman
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So what happened? Any results yet?
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 12 made on Monday October 24, 2016 at 14:02
Mac Burks (39)
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If i went out for a service call and found a surge protector and coaxial cable melted together i would take a photo of it for Remote Central and then told the client to contact an electrician and his insurance guy.

Not in a million years would i have kept troubleshooting.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps
Post 13 made on Tuesday October 25, 2016 at 02:29
Ernie Gilman
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Yeah, Mac, but you're being reasonable. Don't forget how rare that is.

See [Link: remotecentral.com].
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
OP | Post 14 made on Tuesday October 25, 2016 at 06:52
thecapnredfish
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Never heard back.
Post 15 made on Tuesday October 25, 2016 at 09:14
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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Call client. See if they're still alive. If you reach them, tell them you're calling back to see if they're alive, and if the house has burned down, because that's how serious this is.

Tell them something is very dangerous in their house and they NEED to call an electrician.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
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