I had this exact problem in my house today. The electrician went on a hunt for crossed wires. I pulled up this video saw the neutral break and then I went on a hunt for a break in the neutral; found it and fixed the problem myself. The electrician was here for five hours and the fix was as simple as tightening the neutrals in a junction box. He was about to have me replace all my outlets in a bedroom and rerun all the wire. I feel a mixture of triumph and dismay. Mostly, I'm glad I was able to identify the problem and avoid a lot of unnecessary expense by watching a video in about 4 minutes. Great, to the point, video!
I had heard of this issue with that type of receptacle tester, but didn't understand until I saw your video. Thank you for posting such a clear example!
Saved me a lot of headache. Thank you so much. I was afraid fire was eminent. You put that fear to rest! And helped me find my loose neutral at my breaker!
Your video answered my question perfectly. I thought the same thing (that it just can't be a reversed hot/ground) when trying to trouble shoot the problem, but I wasn't aware that the tester gave this particular signal for the broken neutral circuit. Thank you, you saved me from a lot of work.
You have just saved me ! I was looking for reversed since yesterday.. now looked for OPEN return ! You are right , fixed the open neutral and all good now
Thanks for this video. I had recently installed a new outdoor GFCI outlet on our patio and it worked for a few weeks then stopped working. I used my line tester on it and it came back with a "Hot-Ground Reverse" error. After watching this video I pulled the outlet to find that the neutral wire had indeed broken. It was a simple fix and now everything is back to normal.
You are awesome Mike. Thanks for explaining what my plug tester is telling me. Just a wow job you did. Hope I can find more videos telling me how do you go about trying to fix the issue.
So very helpful. Ive been an electrician for almost 20 years. I still found this very helpful. What i have found is if it's an open hot your circuit won't work, bu open neutrals cause all sorts of funky readings. If it's a weird reading.. Likely an open neutral.
I appreciate you posting this video. It helped me to quickly narrow down what I screwed up when replacing numerous receptacles. I knew there was no way I had reversed the hot and the ground.
Very informative. The load must be turned on, as stated, to receive a shock on an open neutral. Kirchhoff's voltage law for series circuits. You are in series with the other load. Did not know about the plug in tester giving misinformation. A big thank you.
Solved my problem I broke the wrong Tag on a switched outlet and it threw off every outlet in the room. Your hint that it could be anywhere on the circuit was all I needed to realize my mistake. Thanks.
Just helped a friend with this issue. Previous homeowner had installed a hidden GFCI that was wired backward (hot on neutral, neutral on hot) and when it tripped, broke the neutral instead. I knew it was an open neutral, just couldn’t figure out why the outlet tester showed this. It makes sense now! They had a ceiling fan on the circuit that was in the ‘on’ position.
Great explanation. Checked the wiring on the GFCI and found the neutral had wiggled loose. Resetting the push connection and tighten down all connections. Everything works again without having to replace the GFCI outlet. Thanks!
thank you for the EXCELLENT explanation. and I also thought that there was no way they were actually reversed and thought I had bad testers. Now time to go hunt for my loose neutral.
Thank you for explaining this. This was my exact problem, and I i was able to fix it.( i couldn't understand why my diagnostic tool was giving that reading. Your explanation helped me u to understand)
This video unlocked the solution to my problem. I installed a window AC unit, plugged it in, and it ran for a minute and then shut off. Slowly I began to realize all the outlets and lights in the room were dead. My outlet tester indicated hot/ground reverse, which completely confused me until watching this video. At first I suspected the GFCI breaker, because I had recently moved locations in the beaker panel, redoing the wire connections in the process. It all checked out. The last component I touched on the circuit was replacing a bathroom vent fan, so naturally I suspected a problem with a connection there. Into the attic I climbed, and my twist nuts looked fine to me, but I replaced them with Wago connectors just to be certain, especially since I was connecting stranded and solid cores. That wasn't it... I tore apart all but 1 outlet and switch (8 outlets and 12 switches) in the bedroom and bathroom before finding the culprit. Had I thought a little harder, I would have known to start there, because the lights were working in the bathroom despite being on the same breaker circuit as the non-functioning outlets in the bedroom. As I pulled the wiring out, the wire nut holding 5 neutral wires came off with almost no force and some of the wires came apart. One of them was stranded while the others were solid. I used a Wago to connect them all. During reassembly of all my switches and outlets, I took the opportunity to convert all the backstab connections to the side screws. Too many issues with backstabs burning for me to be comfortable with that. Anyhow, thanks for the video Mike!
Sounds like quite the ordeal tracking it down. I am glad my video was helpful for you. I appreciate the comment/info on your experience. Maybe someone else can learn from it.
White from lamp to bare ground working in an apartment I'm rehabbing. I changed the panel today and went through all the wires. Before changing the panel, ground was hot, neutrals were hot. Double checked and Separated everything (why do people insist on taking 2 minutes to tie the grounds together, when it only takes 5 minutes to put them all separately) and viola! No more hot grounds. I still have to troubleshoot a little more, but I'm sure it's a spot I left the neutrals untied in for tracing and I was a bit tired to finish so I just left those breaker off. Right now I'm getting exactly what's depicted with plugging a light into the outlet with the tester at the same time. I had a feeling it was that open neutral I know I left. Total of 4 lamps were working without neutral off just hot and neutral to ground.
This was very helpful. I had four receptacles on one 20A breaker and no power out of and receptacle. I opened them all and found a broken ground that was hot. This video helped me understand why. Thanks so much!
Excellent video and content. This caused me to double check my wires, to the outlets and one white wire I failed to connect to the outlet itself. Thanks
@@morganinspectionservices3840 Hi Mike, I found part of my issue. Stupid me, I misinterpreted what the original electrician had done back in 1990. I’ve fixed the mistakes I made. Still have one circuit with an open neutral that’s affecting numerous plugs and lights. Found the breaker. But have yet to find the break in the neutral. 🤷♂️
Trying to diagnose an issue with same indicators per your test light. Glad to have your input that the issue is more than likely a loose or disconnected neutral somewhere. Am going to start checking for that in the general area to see if I can find the problem. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thank for the video. Im in the process of hunting down the culprit of my hot ground reverse. After adding a junction box for new outlets. The new outlets test fine and the old ones are testing hot ground reverse.
Thank you very much. I've had an exterior light and a few outlets not working and some on the circuit test hot/ground reversed. Recently found a wire inside a wall that appears to have been cut by a drywall saw. Open neutral. Hoping the repair will fix my light and outlets.
Thank you for the video it’s the best explanation I have found, every outlet I have has the hot ground lights, found a power share switch that was burned, left all the wires open until I get a replacement, been testing every outlet and still getting hot reverse from the outlets, what am I doing wrong? Will appreciate some guidance
I’m sorry for the delayed response, but I’ve been very busy. You have replaced the switch already or have not replaced the switch already? I’m trying to understand exactly what the situation is at the moment that you are getting the hot ground reverses still.
Thank you SO much. I am replacing a normal outlet with one that has USB built into it. I got a Hot Ground Reversed and not NO CLUE how that was even possible!!
Ok. The outlet is working fine, but the tester indicated a hot and neutral reversal. And you're right the first thing I thought of was that the wires were likely reversed at the other end. I'm going to just leave things the way they are since it's all working like it should. I only found it when I was checking all the outlets to see if they were correctly grounded. Some were and some weren't but I was able to fix those.
I just finished working on my sons home they just purchased. The inspector noted a weird sub panel and a few receptacles with hot neutral reversal. The 60 amp feeder in the Main panel board was connected black L1, red L2, white neutral/ ground bar, bare neutral/ground bar. In the MLO panel connections were black neutral bar, red L1, white L2, bare to ground bar. There were circuits connected to breakers 3,4,7,8,11,12. So, all of the L2 positions with the white wire connected. After testing and revising the feeder to be correct, all but two receptacles tested reverse wired. Black on silver white on brass. The original installer had reversed them to look correct. So, power was from neutral bar, to devices on white, back to panel on black to breaker. This installation was done over 20 years ago and been that way the whole time. Horrible that anyone would do this!
Excellent information ! I have an overhead light that went out. Replaced the switch- still out checked wires at light - (ground wire nut burnt out) replaced, but can not get proper power to hot and neutral. And the ground wire is hot ! Could it be an open neutral somewhere up the line ?
Sorry. I missed your comment from a couple of weeks ago. The ground wire is actually hot? It’s not the neutral wire that’s hot? An open neutral is not going to cause a ground wire to be hot, but will cause the neutral wire to be hot. A hot ground wire is a pretty serious and rare problem. Since it has been two weeks, you very well may have already solved this already. If so, I would be very interested to hear what you found.
Thank you Very informative.. Learned something I didn't know. But still wonder why / what causes a electrical wire to have power when breaker is off. 😮
It will not have electrical power when the breaker is off. The neutral wire will have power when you have a combination of an open neutral, and a switch turned on which allows the voltage to travel through the hot wire, through the device and to the neutral wire. Definitely no power with the breaker off, though.
I thought about a tester indicating Hot/Gnd Rev and looking for the ground within my house. I knew your hilarious at the point in a video. When you had said, "There's no such thing," no way am I going to locate any green ground wire. Accept this comment and remember the only ground wire outside is a hot ground in reverse to the line from a recepticle where the reading on a test plug in reveals those red and orange lights.
Thanks for clearing that up. How do I find the open neutral wire? The plugs was working until an appliance was plugged in (the appliance was never turned on) after 20 minutes the plug went dead. On the same circuit the refrigerator was working fine, then it died about 1 hour later.
Sounds like an odd situation to me. You need to work backwards and find the first outlet in the daisy chain. I would use my 3- light tester to see which outlets on that circuit are giving the hot/ground indication. If some do and some don’t, then you need to start with the first outlet that does not have power and go backwards from there looking for the bad neutral. If none of the outlets on that circuit have power, then I would start at the breaker panel and move forward looking for where the neutral is disconnected.
Thanks for the help. I worked backwards as you suggested. I found the culprit, it was a faulty receptacle that the neutral wire was slipping in and out contact in its "hole". After replacing the plug,all is good.
Similar issue - I get the two amber lights just fine - until I give it a load, then I get the red-off-amber indication. I assume that I have an intermittent neutral?
Have you checked the all the lights on the circuit as well? Have you turned off the breaker to identify every load that is on this particular circuit to make sure that you have checked every neutral?
Yes sir I have a question, awesome video by the way. My sister's house is showing that problem, should reconnect the outlets I switched back to the way they were? The owners before them rigged a big thick extension cord to an outlet. Thanks much!
That is a great question. I will to a video where I compare readings on the three-light tester to what the Suretest shows. I will do that this week. Thanks for asking.
I tested this open neutral set up with the Suretest circuit analyzer. It was as if it was plugged into a dead outlet. The suretest did not light up at all. I was rather surprised by that, so I checked it with my spare Suretest and got the same result.
@@morganinspectionservices3840 I watched an electrical you tube channel explain that the sure test by Ideal uses the neutral wire for its indicated functions and will not indicate an open neutral. surprises me the cheaper plug in tester will indicate an open neutral but the more expensive sure test will not.
I have an outdoor outlet in the middle of the yard with a hot ground reverse. it's been like that for years, and I can't figure it out. I started to carefully dig up the wire going to it to see where it goes, it's a gray direct burial cable that disappears into a large rose bed, which I can't dig up. I can only assume it keeps going straight, which would put it going into the corner of the foundation. I've looked up into the basement ceiling, but don't see it coming in any joists. Kind of stuck there. The odd thing is the outlet used to work fine maybe 10yrs ago. 🤷
Your video is very helpful. Thank you. What happens when you have a hot and groung reverse and 120volts between neutral and ground wire which I know there should be no voltage there
You will have 120 volts between the neutral and ground wire with a hot/ground reverse or the open neutral situation described in this video. as a result of the open neutral and load turned on, the neutral will be energized to 120 volts, thus causing a 120-volt difference between the neutral and the ground.
Great demo Mike. Thanks. I have a GFCI switch connected to 4 receptacles and one light in my bathroom. GFCI tripped and I couldn't re-set it thereafter. I decided to replace the GFCI. I still cannot reset the GFCI after wiring. The original wiring which has been there since 1997 is as follows: all hot (black wires) to receptacles are joined together and connected by a piggy to GFCI load (gold screw); and all white wires to receptacles are joined together and connected to GFCI "load" "stainless screw". Then hot (black wire) from source (breaker) is spliced: (one piggy goes to GFCI "Line" (hot) and the other one to light); the white wire is also spliced and one piggy goes to GFCI Line (neutral) and the other one to the light. When I use my tester on GFCI, both red and yellow lights of the tester illuminate - indicating "hot reverse neutral" - same applies to the other 3 receptacles. Do you know what causes such? Or how do you recommend I correct such a problem? Thank you.
I am slightly confused. You said after you replaced the GFCI that it would still not reset. If this is the case, how are you getting any reading when you plug in your tester? If you have the black wires connected to the gold screw and the white to the silver screw, then you have wired it correctly. If it is wired correctly, and you are getting a reverse polarity indication, then maybe the wires supplying the outlet are backwards somewhere upstream. Do you have a non-contact voltage detector so you can see if the black wires are truly hot and the white wires are not hot?
Thanks for the video. The outlets in my living room work fine and have for years. Until this afternoon. This morning they worked (the TV plugged into one of the outlets worked just fine) but then later this afternoon the TV wouldn't turn on when I tried. I tried the three-light outlet tester and it showed the "hot ground reverse" red/yellow lights. I tested all the outlets in the living room and they all had the same yellow/red light display but the rest of the house seems to be just fine. No circuit breaker is tripped and, as I mentioned, I'm puzzled because I don't know of anything that would have happened to have affected those outlets between this morning and this afternoon. If you have any ideas I'd be delighted to hear them. Thanks.
Sounds like that specific circuit has a bad neutral connection, meaning as all other circuits work just fine. Unscrew some faceplates and check neutrals on the outlet and other devices on that specific circuit.
I’m going through the same scenario right now. Every outlet in one of my rooms says hot and ground reverse. I’ll let you guys know if I’m able to fix it.
should we remove all the plugged appliances and all lights turned off during testing in order to get accurate test readings using this outlet tester? many thanks in advance for your input.
Very good video! Totally helps ! What if someone upstream connected the white wire of the branch to the hot or black wire side of the upstream outlet? So the hot and the neutral side are both from the hot upstream. What would the indicator show?
If both the hot and neutral sides are connected to hot, the indicator would show that the receptacle is dead. This obviously could be quite dangerous because someone, thinking that there was no power to the receptacle, could potentially be shocked or electrocuted.
@@morganinspectionservices3840 , 9f course I think you are right I was just trying to imagine what would have caused this fault. .. My situation was just as described with an open neutral. I just didn't understand why it snowed a circuit between the neutral and ground when I really don't think anything was plugged in or connected after the open ground... Thank you just the same, it really helped me find the "stab in the back" upstream outlet that caused my problems.
How do you find the neutral disconnect on a string of wall plugs? Is the disconnect always on the 1st wall plug and the last wall plug? Or could the neutral disconnect can occur in between the 1st and last wall plug.
The disconnected neutral can be anywhere in that string of electrical outlets. Here’s another video I made that shows how to locate it. I hope this helps. ruclips.net/video/BVcNnBKfC8Q/видео.html
Thank you soooo much. The very 1st wall mount closest to the breaker was the culprit. The entire circuit had a hot and ground reverse. Your link to the other video explained why. As soon as I jiggle the very 1st wall plug the entire string was back to normal. I check the 1st plug and all was good. I think it's the surge protector on the 1st wall plug tripped something up. That is most likely the culprit. I learned something new from this exercise. Big 😊 thanks
Hi there, thank you for your video. I seem to be having this exact situation of having hot/grd rev on the tester. Mind you this is after I have slammed a gate onto an extension cord and shorted the power. I'm not an electrician but I'd like to give it a try to see if I can fix this. Can you provide some guidance as to where I should lookfor this problem? I'm thinking I should just replace the outlet that perhaps I have fried the neutral wire?
So the outlet that is showing hot/ground reverse is the outlet where the extension cord is plugged in? Have you checked other outlets that may be on the circuit, and are you getting the same reading there or only on that one outlet?
@@morganinspectionservices3840 I found the problem! I fried the gfi outlet up the stream and had to pull the whole thing out to see that's partly melted on the back. Got a new one and replaced it and everything works now! Thanks again for a good inspiration video.
So I have half a dozen or more outlets that say the exact same thing and to my understanding from your explanation (that was very good I might add) is that if something is a hot ground reverse it would have had to been that way the whole time it is literally impossible for outlets to work and then all of a sudden a hot ground reverse happen, because it would have to be that way in the first place , am I correct , thanks for your time
That’s not exactly what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that a “hot/ground“ reverse will almost never ever happen in reality. Although the tester shows that that is the problem, the problem is actually an open neutral, which can basically happen at any time. It can happen on outlets that were working yesterday, but not today. You need to watch my video “How to find an open neutral.“ That will show you how to track down the location of the open neutral so that you can fix it and get these half a dozen outlets working again. I will be very interested to hear back from you to hear what happened and how you were able to find it and fix it.
I installed GFCI outlets in my new house, and my no contact tester was beeping in the downstream plug at all the terminals and in the plug itself. When I plugged in my tester the main light came on and the next yellow light was not as bright and was flickering, and the red light was flickering faintly as well. Is it a loose neutral wire somewwhere in the circuit. The GFCI will still trip when I push the button on the tester, so will it still be ok ?
If the GFCI-test button on your tester trips the GFCI outlet, then that outlet will provide the proper protection. If you can plug things into those outlets and they work, then the problem is not a disconnected or loose neutral. There have been a few instances where I have tested outlets with my tester and multiple lights come on, but some of them very dimly. I have not discovered exactly what causes this, but I think it is because there is some low-voltage on the neutral for some reason.
I have a GFCI in my bathroom and when I plug in a GFCI tester it indicates open ground, then when I press the test button on the GFCI tester it indicates Hot/Neutral reversed and the GFCI outlet doesn't trip. I checked the wires and there is a grounding, bare copper wire, on the grounding green screw on the outlet, the black hot goes to the gold screw terminal on the outlet, and the white neutral goes to the silver screw terminal, so they are NOT reversed. Furthermore, I can't have an open neutral because all devices work in the GFCI outlet. I think the GFCI tester is really telling me I have an open ground. Please advise. Thank you.
Yes, it certainly sounds like you have an open ground. A GFCI tester will not trip an ungrounded outlet. You should disregard any reading you get on the tester when the test button is depressed. If you have a ground wire connected to the receptacle/outlet, then the ground wire is apparently not connected somewhere upstream of that outlet.
I got that reading from a similar tester when I touched the mounting screw to the box. There is no ground wire. Before touching the mounting screw to the box, I merely got "open ground" (which I expected). Hopefully, it will be safe to use.
Thank you for this. Question - Garage Sub panel, 60amp 2 pull feeding from main inside house. No GFI's in garage will allow you to reset, every plug reads reversed hot/ground. Checked sub's neutrals, all good there, checked main's neutrals, all good there. What in the world is going on here. Gonna read voltage tomorrow when I can grab my meter, but am I missing something..... thanks
This is a tough one. Before I think too hard, I want to ask if you have found out anything new in the week since you commented. If fix, please let me know what the problem was. If not fix, let me know any new info, and I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks,
@@morganinspectionservices3840 Unplugged other garage door opener on one circuit and tester showed open neutral. metered it at 60-70volts at sub. Main pnl and breaker was good so I figured a line was cut somewhere. Dug 4 holes 3.5ft down finally found it under my dad's deck where he auger'd the pole/cement holes. 1 hot and the neutral severed. And yes I slapped him.
The other outlet would’ve tested as properly wired, since the open neutral was downstream of this outlet. The open neutral does not affect upstream outlets whatsoever.
This is awesome. I have plugged in a vacuum and the vaccum "blew a fuse". I just switched outlets. Later went to reset the circuit breaker and nothing tripped. Bedroom circuit tho. Ceiling fan in bed room and bathroom light switch stopped working but all other outlets except two are working. Can't figure where the problem is. Any ideas?
Do you have an outlet tester, and are you getting the hot/ground reverse indication? If so, and even if not, the problem is going to be between the first outlet/light that is having a problem and the last outlet/light on the circuit that is working properly. Without knowing the set up of your home, I cannot tell you much more than that.
Half the power in my grandmother's manufactured home went out a while back, and I just bought one of these testers to try and diagnose the problem. It happened during those really heavy storms in california two years ago. Is it possible something somewhere got shaken loose? I'd like to get power working back in her house without spending a fortune if I can
If she literally lost half the power, it almost sounds like she lost one leg of her electricity, so she may not have any 240 V power. Personally, I would start at the panel and see if you have 240 V. I would check the voltage at the outlet for the dryer and see if you’ve got 240 V. If not, then she’s lost one leg of her power. If you’ve got 240 V, then, yes, it could easily be a disconnected neutral somewhere. If you do some checking and tell me what you find, I will give you my thoughts about what the next step is.
I have a hot Ground Rev. showing on my tester. My charger for my car is not working on any outlet in that correct. How can I fix that? Is it just a bad outlet?
It definitely sounds like you have a disconnected neutral. I wouldn’t think that it is simply a bad outlet. Try watching my video on how to locate or find a disconnected neutral and see if that helps you. ruclips.net/video/BVcNnBKfC8Q/видео.htmlsi=UMbfhM_MqydIRtnR
@@morganinspectionservices3840 thanks!!! You have been a big help. Fortunately my issue is in a detached garage. So all the wires are visible. I’m going to get a new GFCI that’s on the exterior. That’s the second outlet in the row. The first outlet is inside and a gfci too but the chain leaving the first outlet has two wires one going outside the outlet showing the fault and the other continuing inside for the rest of the outlets. Would it be good to get some new wire and eliminate the split from the first outlet and put it all on one chain? Thanks again.
Using a multimeter, I get no voltage reading when probes touch hot and neutral. However, my multimeter registers 120v when probes touch hot and ground. What does this mean?
I have a small vintage travel trailer and I replaced a cheap wall lamp with something nicer looking. Had no switch so I installed one on the lamp. Didn't realize that the insulation was brittle, and it shorted out against the new mounting bracket. Took it apart, electric taped the wires and reinstalled it. The lamp now works with the switch, but the receptacle downline shows a "PWR/GND REV" and isn't providing power. You said this can be dangerous. I'm living in this thing. Any suggestions? I replaced the original receptacle with a GFI receptacle, still reads PWR/GND REV.
I had this exact problem in my house today. The electrician went on a hunt for crossed wires. I pulled up this video saw the neutral break and then I went on a hunt for a break in the neutral; found it and fixed the problem myself. The electrician was here for five hours and the fix was as simple as tightening the neutrals in a junction box. He was about to have me replace all my outlets in a bedroom and rerun all the wire. I feel a mixture of triumph and dismay. Mostly, I'm glad I was able to identify the problem and avoid a lot of unnecessary expense by watching a video in about 4 minutes.
Great, to the point, video!
Wow! I guess some electricians don’t know about this “flaw” with these outlet testers. I am glad you were able to quickly fix the problem.
I have that problem but I don't understand why it was working like that all this time till now
Need to find a better electrician 😂
You solved the mystery that was haunting me all night.. I’m motivated to go back in with my meter now
Good luck.
By FAR the best explanation of this situation.
Thank you.
Thank you for going extra steps to demonstrate with a mockup tool. You have got a new subscriber.
I had heard of this issue with that type of receptacle tester, but didn't understand until I saw your video. Thank you for posting such a clear example!
Glad it helped
Saved me a lot of headache. Thank you so much. I was afraid fire was eminent. You put that fear to rest! And helped me find my loose neutral at my breaker!
I’m glad my video was helpful for you.
Your video answered my question perfectly. I thought the same thing (that it just can't be a reversed hot/ground) when trying to trouble shoot the problem, but I wasn't aware that the tester gave this particular signal for the broken neutral circuit. Thank you, you saved me from a lot of work.
Great!! So, were you able to find and fix the problem?
Ive commented on a few yt vids but dont know where to find a reply
@@morganinspectionservices3840
You have just saved me ! I was looking for reversed since yesterday.. now looked for OPEN return ! You are right , fixed the open neutral and all good now
So glad my video helped you. I appreciate the feedback.
This video helped me trace the problem and fix it. thank you very much!
Thanks for the feedback. I’m glad the video was helpful.
Thanks for this video. I had recently installed a new outdoor GFCI outlet on our patio and it worked for a few weeks then stopped working. I used my line tester on it and it came back with a "Hot-Ground Reverse" error. After watching this video I pulled the outlet to find that the neutral wire had indeed broken. It was a simple fix and now everything is back to normal.
Great. I’m glad the video was helpful. Thanks for the feedback.
You are awesome Mike. Thanks for explaining what my plug tester is telling me. Just a wow job you did. Hope I can find more videos telling me how do you go about trying to fix the issue.
Glad to help
So very helpful.
Ive been an electrician for almost 20 years. I still found this very helpful.
What i have found is if it's an open hot your circuit won't work, bu open neutrals cause all sorts of funky readings. If it's a weird reading.. Likely an open neutral.
Thanks for the great feedback! You're right, open neutrals are very tricky.
I appreciate you posting this video. It helped me to quickly narrow down what I screwed up when replacing numerous receptacles. I knew there was no way I had reversed the hot and the ground.
So glad it was helpful. Thanks for the feedback.
Same problem I had FIXED NOW
Very informative. The load must be turned on, as stated, to receive a shock
on an open neutral. Kirchhoff's voltage law for series circuits. You are in series
with the other load. Did not know about the plug in tester giving misinformation. A big thank you.
Thanks for the feedback.
My entire bedroom and living room was reading this and I changed every outlet. So good to know it isn't the breaker and there is a broken neutral.
This was the exact answer I needed. Thank you very much...
So glad it was helpful.
Solved my problem I broke the wrong
Tag on a switched outlet and it threw off every outlet in the room. Your hint that it could be anywhere on the circuit was all I needed to realize my mistake. Thanks.
So glad I was able to help. Keep on watching!
Just helped a friend with this issue. Previous homeowner had installed a hidden GFCI that was wired backward (hot on neutral, neutral on hot) and when it tripped, broke the neutral instead. I knew it was an open neutral, just couldn’t figure out why the outlet tester showed this. It makes sense now! They had a ceiling fan on the circuit that was in the ‘on’ position.
Great explanation. Checked the wiring on the GFCI and found the neutral had wiggled loose. Resetting the push connection and tighten down all connections. Everything works again without having to replace the GFCI outlet. Thanks!
That’s great. I’m glad the video helped.
You are a good teacher my friend! Thanks!
I appreciate that!
Thank you for the visual and easy to understand explanation. Solved my issue in a few minutes thanks to your video. Just a loose neutral on a pigtail.
Glad it helped!
thank you for the EXCELLENT explanation. and I also thought that there was no way they were actually reversed and thought I had bad testers. Now time to go hunt for my loose neutral.
I’m glad the video was helpful. Thanks for the comment.
Found the problem, thanks to this video.
So glad it was helpful!
Great video! Bravo. Especially because this scenario is the vast majority of cases.
Thank you.
This,THIS! Awesome, exceedingly helpful!!! God Bless you, Brother‼️‼️‼️‼️😀🤘❤️
Quick explanation. Found the problem. Thank you.
Glad it helped.
Thank you for explaining this. This was my exact problem, and I i was able to fix it.( i couldn't understand why my diagnostic tool was giving that reading. Your explanation helped me u to understand)
@@billcampbell4547 So glad it was helpful.
This video unlocked the solution to my problem. I installed a window AC unit, plugged it in, and it ran for a minute and then shut off. Slowly I began to realize all the outlets and lights in the room were dead. My outlet tester indicated hot/ground reverse, which completely confused me until watching this video.
At first I suspected the GFCI breaker, because I had recently moved locations in the beaker panel, redoing the wire connections in the process. It all checked out.
The last component I touched on the circuit was replacing a bathroom vent fan, so naturally I suspected a problem with a connection there. Into the attic I climbed, and my twist nuts looked fine to me, but I replaced them with Wago connectors just to be certain, especially since I was connecting stranded and solid cores. That wasn't it...
I tore apart all but 1 outlet and switch (8 outlets and 12 switches) in the bedroom and bathroom before finding the culprit. Had I thought a little harder, I would have known to start there, because the lights were working in the bathroom despite being on the same breaker circuit as the non-functioning outlets in the bedroom.
As I pulled the wiring out, the wire nut holding 5 neutral wires came off with almost no force and some of the wires came apart. One of them was stranded while the others were solid. I used a Wago to connect them all.
During reassembly of all my switches and outlets, I took the opportunity to convert all the backstab connections to the side screws. Too many issues with backstabs burning for me to be comfortable with that.
Anyhow, thanks for the video Mike!
Sounds like quite the ordeal tracking it down. I am glad my video was helpful for you. I appreciate the comment/info on your experience. Maybe someone else can learn from it.
This was very helpful. Thank you!
You’re welcome.
White from lamp to bare ground working in an apartment I'm rehabbing. I changed the panel today and went through all the wires. Before changing the panel, ground was hot, neutrals were hot. Double checked and Separated everything (why do people insist on taking 2 minutes to tie the grounds together, when it only takes 5 minutes to put them all separately) and viola! No more hot grounds. I still have to troubleshoot a little more, but I'm sure it's a spot I left the neutrals untied in for tracing and I was a bit tired to finish so I just left those breaker off. Right now I'm getting exactly what's depicted with plugging a light into the outlet with the tester at the same time. I had a feeling it was that open neutral I know I left. Total of 4 lamps were working without neutral off just hot and neutral to ground.
This was very helpful. I had four receptacles on one 20A breaker and no power out of and receptacle. I opened them all and found a broken ground that was hot. This video helped me understand why. Thanks so much!
Glad it helped
What does broken ground mean ? The ground wire was cut somewhere ?
Thank you this video was excellent it was very helpfull.it help me solve the issue.
You’re welcome. So glad it was helpful.
very helpful, was indeed an open neutral
Excellent video and content. This caused me to double check my wires, to the outlets and one white wire I failed to connect to the outlet itself.
Thanks
Thanks
Great video. Thank you, you solved my issue. I now know exactly where the neutrals in my situation got disconnected.
Glad it helped
Jeepers! Thanks Mike. I was going nuts trying to figure out how I could reversed these wires! Now to find that open neutral! 😮
I hope you find it quickly. Let me know what you find, please.
@@morganinspectionservices3840 Hi Mike,
I found part of my issue. Stupid me, I misinterpreted what the original electrician had done back in 1990. I’ve fixed the mistakes I made.
Still have one circuit with an open neutral that’s affecting numerous plugs and lights. Found the breaker. But have yet to find the break in the neutral. 🤷♂️
Thank you, very helpful and informative
So glad I was able to help.
Trying to diagnose an issue with same indicators per your test light. Glad to have your input that the issue is more than likely a loose or disconnected neutral somewhere. Am going to start checking for that in the general area to see if I can find the problem. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Tim C Good luck. I’d be curious to hear what you find.
This video saved me $200 or $300 … thank you!
I’ll send you my Venmo. Just kidding. So glad it was helpful.
Thank for the video. Im in the process of hunting down the culprit of my hot ground reverse. After adding a junction box for new outlets. The new outlets test fine and the old ones are testing hot ground reverse.
Thank you very much. I've had an exterior light and a few outlets not working and some on the circuit test hot/ground reversed. Recently found a wire inside a wall that appears to have been cut by a drywall saw. Open neutral. Hoping the repair will fix my light and outlets.
Had this indicator on an outlet in a chain that went to a motion detector/light and it helped me determine exactly what was wrong. Thank You!
So glad the video helped.
Thank you so much, Sir!!!
You’re welcome
Thanks for video it helped to understand better what is behind ground hot reverse which I have reading on my test. Thanks 😊
Glad it was helpful.
thanks , I have just that wiring an outlet to a time , luckily I googled and found your vid , now to figure out where I went wrong !
Glad I could help.
I’m having this problem. Oh the fun I’m having looking for the bad connection. Thanks for the education!
Good luck to you.
Excellent video, good information 👍👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
Thank you for the video it’s the best explanation I have found, every outlet I have has the hot ground lights, found a power share switch that was burned, left all the wires open until I get a replacement, been testing every outlet and still getting hot reverse from the outlets, what am I doing wrong? Will appreciate some guidance
Please and thank you
I’m sorry for the delayed response, but I’ve been very busy. You have replaced the switch already or have not replaced the switch already? I’m trying to understand exactly what the situation is at the moment that you are getting the hot ground reverses still.
Thank you SO much.
I am replacing a normal outlet with one that has USB built into it.
I got a Hot Ground Reversed and not NO CLUE how that was even possible!!
Did you get the hot/neutral reverse before or after you replaced the outlet?
Thank you so much! You saved me a big headache!
Glad it helped!
Ok. The outlet is working fine, but the tester indicated a hot and neutral reversal. And you're right the first thing I thought of was that the wires were likely reversed at the other end. I'm going to just leave things the way they are since it's all working like it should. I only found it when I was checking all the outlets to see if they were correctly grounded. Some were and some weren't but I was able to fix those.
It's not a good idea to leave a hot/neutral reverse in the home - especially as easy as it normally is to correct it.
Thanks buddy 👍
Very helpful, I know what to look for now.!
I am glad I was able to help.
you just saved me a call to the electrician, thank you
Glad I could help
Great job explaining this. I have always wondered about that.
Thank you! Glad it was helpful.
You can also get the reading from a light switch turned on.
Good to know. Thank you for your video.
I just finished working on my sons home they just purchased. The inspector noted a weird sub panel and a few receptacles with hot neutral reversal. The 60 amp feeder in the Main panel board was connected black L1, red L2, white neutral/ ground bar, bare neutral/ground bar. In the MLO panel connections were black neutral bar, red L1, white L2, bare to ground bar. There were circuits connected to breakers 3,4,7,8,11,12. So, all of the L2 positions with the white wire connected. After testing and revising the feeder to be correct, all but two receptacles tested reverse wired. Black on silver white on brass. The original installer had reversed them to look correct. So, power was from neutral bar, to devices on white, back to panel on black to breaker. This installation was done over 20 years ago and been that way the whole time. Horrible that anyone would do this!
Very helpful. Thank you!!
You're welcome!
Very helpful thankyou very much
Glad it helped
Excellent information ! I have an overhead light that went out. Replaced the switch- still out checked wires at light - (ground wire nut burnt out) replaced, but can not get proper power to hot and neutral. And the ground wire is hot ! Could it be an open neutral somewhere up the line ?
Sorry. I missed your comment from a couple of weeks ago. The ground wire is actually hot? It’s not the neutral wire that’s hot? An open neutral is not going to cause a ground wire to be hot, but will cause the neutral wire to be hot. A hot ground wire is a pretty serious and rare problem. Since it has been two weeks, you very well may have already solved this already. If so, I would be very interested to hear what you found.
Super helpful, thank you!
You're welcome.
Thank you
Very informative..
Learned something I didn't know.
But still wonder why / what causes a electrical wire to have power when breaker is off. 😮
It will not have electrical power when the breaker is off. The neutral wire will have power when you have a combination of an open neutral, and a switch turned on which allows the voltage to travel through the hot wire, through the device and to the neutral wire. Definitely no power with the breaker off, though.
I thought about a tester indicating Hot/Gnd Rev and looking for the ground within my house. I knew your hilarious at the point in a video. When you had said, "There's no such thing," no way am I going to locate any green ground wire. Accept this comment and remember the only ground wire outside is a hot ground in reverse to the line from a recepticle where the reading on a test plug in reveals those red and orange lights.
Thanks for the comment.
Thank you! The neutrals in one outlet were never tightened (new home) causing my problem.
Glad it helped
Thank you so much. Im a bit out of practice and that damn legend on the tester had me so confused on a plug i wired up.
Well, I hope it helped and that you were able to get it wired correctly.
Very helpful thank you
You're welcome!
Thanks for clearing that up. How do I find the open neutral wire? The plugs was working until an appliance was plugged in (the appliance was never turned on) after 20 minutes the plug went dead. On the same circuit the refrigerator was working fine, then it died about 1 hour later.
Sounds like an odd situation to me. You need to work backwards and find the first outlet in the daisy chain. I would use my 3- light tester to see which outlets on that circuit are giving the hot/ground indication. If some do and some don’t, then you need to start with the first outlet that does not have power and go backwards from there looking for the bad neutral. If none of the outlets on that circuit have power, then I would start at the breaker panel and move forward looking for where the neutral is disconnected.
Thanks for the help. I worked backwards as you suggested. I found the culprit, it was a faulty receptacle that the neutral wire was slipping in and out contact in its "hole". After replacing the plug,all is good.
Similar issue - I get the two amber lights just fine - until I give it a load, then I get the red-off-amber indication. I assume that I have an intermittent neutral?
Great videos!
Thank you
Thank you so much
Good teacher
You are welcome
Thank you for the info. However, we have checked all of the neutrals and are still getting this light code.. where else should we look for this issue?
Have you checked the all the lights on the circuit as well? Have you turned off the breaker to identify every load that is on this particular circuit to make sure that you have checked every neutral?
Yes sir I have a question, awesome video by the way. My sister's house is showing that problem, should reconnect the outlets I switched back to the way they were? The owners before them rigged a big thick extension cord to an outlet. Thanks much!
I am very sorry for the delayed response. Hope you've already solved it, but if not, let me know, and I will do what I can to help.
Needed this video
Hope it helped.
Thanks for the helpful information. I was wondering what would the sure test meter by Ideal indicate in this test.
That is a great question. I will to a video where I compare readings on the three-light tester to what the Suretest shows. I will do that this week. Thanks for asking.
@@morganinspectionservices3840 I look forward to seeing the test results. Thanks.
I tested this open neutral set up with the Suretest circuit analyzer. It was as if it was plugged into a dead outlet. The suretest did not light up at all. I was rather surprised by that, so I checked it with my spare Suretest and got the same result.
@@morganinspectionservices3840 I watched an electrical you tube channel explain that the sure test by Ideal uses the neutral wire for its indicated functions and will not indicate an open neutral. surprises me the cheaper plug in tester will indicate an open neutral but the more expensive sure test will not.
I have an outdoor outlet in the middle of the yard with a hot ground reverse. it's been like that for years, and I can't figure it out. I started to carefully dig up the wire going to it to see where it goes, it's a gray direct burial cable that disappears into a large rose bed, which I can't dig up. I can only assume it keeps going straight, which would put it going into the corner of the foundation. I've looked up into the basement ceiling, but don't see it coming in any joists. Kind of stuck there. The odd thing is the outlet used to work fine maybe 10yrs ago. 🤷
Your video is very helpful. Thank you. What happens when you have a hot and groung reverse and 120volts between neutral and ground wire which I know there should be no voltage there
You will have 120 volts between the neutral and ground wire with a hot/ground reverse or the open neutral situation described in this video. as a result of the open neutral and load turned on, the neutral will be energized to 120 volts, thus causing a 120-volt difference between the neutral and the ground.
Great demo Mike. Thanks. I have a GFCI switch connected to 4 receptacles and one light in my bathroom.
GFCI tripped and I couldn't re-set it thereafter. I decided to replace the GFCI. I still cannot reset the GFCI after wiring.
The original wiring which has been there since 1997 is as follows: all hot (black wires) to receptacles are joined together and connected by a piggy to GFCI load (gold screw); and all white wires to receptacles are joined together and connected to GFCI "load" "stainless screw".
Then hot (black wire) from source (breaker) is spliced: (one piggy goes to GFCI "Line" (hot) and the other one to light); the white wire is also spliced and one piggy goes to GFCI Line (neutral) and the other one to the light.
When I use my tester on GFCI, both red and yellow lights of the tester illuminate - indicating "hot reverse neutral" - same applies to the other 3 receptacles. Do you know what causes such? Or how do you recommend I correct such a problem? Thank you.
I am slightly confused. You said after you replaced the GFCI that it would still not reset. If this is the case, how are you getting any reading when you plug in your tester?
If you have the black wires connected to the gold screw and the white to the silver screw, then you have wired it correctly. If it is wired correctly, and you are getting a reverse polarity indication, then maybe the wires supplying the outlet are backwards somewhere upstream. Do you have a non-contact voltage detector so you can see if the black wires are truly hot and the white wires are not hot?
@@morganinspectionservices3840 No, he said he's getting a Hot & Neutral Reverse, on the receptacle tester.. Would u know the answer? I to am curious.
Thanks for the video. The outlets in my living room work fine and have for years. Until this afternoon. This morning they worked (the TV plugged into one of the outlets worked just fine) but then later this afternoon the TV wouldn't turn on when I tried. I tried the three-light outlet tester and it showed the "hot ground reverse" red/yellow lights. I tested all the outlets in the living room and they all had the same yellow/red light display but the rest of the house seems to be just fine. No circuit breaker is tripped and, as I mentioned, I'm puzzled because I don't know of anything that would have happened to have affected those outlets between this morning and this afternoon. If you have any ideas I'd be delighted to hear them. Thanks.
Sounds like that specific circuit has a bad neutral connection, meaning as all other circuits work just fine. Unscrew some faceplates and check neutrals on the outlet and other devices on that specific circuit.
@@jacobheater3496 I found it! One of the white pushed-in wires in the outlet had broken. Thanks a million for your video - it really helped me out!!!
Glad I could help.
I’m going through the same scenario right now. Every outlet in one of my rooms says hot and ground reverse. I’ll let you guys know if I’m able to fix it.
I was able to fix it thanks to this comment.
Perfect I needed this
Glad it was helpful.
should we remove all the plugged appliances and all lights turned off during testing in order to get accurate test readings using this outlet tester? many thanks in advance for your input.
Very good video! Totally helps !
What if someone upstream connected the white wire of the branch to the hot or black wire side of the upstream outlet? So the hot and the neutral side are both from the hot upstream. What would the indicator show?
If both the hot and neutral sides are connected to hot, the indicator would show that the receptacle is dead. This obviously could be quite dangerous because someone, thinking that there was no power to the receptacle, could potentially be shocked or electrocuted.
@@morganinspectionservices3840 , 9f course I think you are right I was just trying to imagine what would have caused this fault. ..
My situation was just as described with an open neutral.
I just didn't understand why it snowed a circuit between the neutral and ground when I really don't think anything was plugged in or connected after the open ground...
Thank you just the same, it really helped me find the "stab in the back" upstream outlet that caused my problems.
How do you find the neutral disconnect on a string of wall plugs? Is the disconnect always on the 1st wall plug and the last wall plug? Or could the neutral disconnect can occur in between the 1st and last wall plug.
The disconnected neutral can be anywhere in that string of electrical outlets. Here’s another video I made that shows how to locate it. I hope this helps. ruclips.net/video/BVcNnBKfC8Q/видео.html
Thank you soooo much. The very 1st wall mount closest to the breaker was the culprit. The entire circuit had a hot and ground reverse. Your link to the other video explained why. As soon as I jiggle the very 1st wall plug the entire string was back to normal. I check the 1st plug and all was good. I think it's the surge protector on the 1st wall plug tripped something up. That is most likely the culprit. I learned something new from this exercise. Big 😊 thanks
Thank you!!!!
You're welcome!
Hi there, thank you for your video. I seem to be having this exact situation of having hot/grd rev on the tester. Mind you this is after I have slammed a gate onto an extension cord and shorted the power. I'm not an electrician but I'd like to give it a try to see if I can fix this. Can you provide some guidance as to where I should lookfor this problem?
I'm thinking I should just replace the outlet that perhaps I have fried the neutral wire?
So the outlet that is showing hot/ground reverse is the outlet where the extension cord is plugged in? Have you checked other outlets that may be on the circuit, and are you getting the same reading there or only on that one outlet?
@@morganinspectionservices3840 I found the problem! I fried the gfi outlet up the stream and had to pull the whole thing out to see that's partly melted on the back. Got a new one and replaced it and everything works now! Thanks again for a good inspiration video.
Job well done
thanks
So I have half a dozen or more outlets that say the exact same thing and to my understanding from your explanation (that was very good I might add) is that if something is a hot ground reverse it would have had to been that way the whole time it is literally impossible for outlets to work and then all of a sudden a hot ground reverse happen, because it would have to be that way in the first place , am I correct , thanks for your time
That’s not exactly what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that a “hot/ground“ reverse will almost never ever happen in reality. Although the tester shows that that is the problem, the problem is actually an open neutral, which can basically happen at any time. It can happen on outlets that were working yesterday, but not today. You need to watch my video “How to find an open neutral.“ That will show you how to track down the location of the open neutral so that you can fix it and get these half a dozen outlets working again. I will be very interested to hear back from you to hear what happened and how you were able to find it and fix it.
ruclips.net/video/BVcNnBKfC8Q/видео.htmlsi=HcUFL6sOhP3wBKLz
I installed GFCI outlets in my new house, and my no contact tester was beeping in the downstream plug at all the terminals and in the plug itself. When I plugged in my tester the main light came on and the next yellow light was not as bright and was flickering, and the red light was flickering faintly as well. Is it a loose neutral wire somewwhere in the circuit. The GFCI will still trip when I push the button on the tester, so will it still be ok ?
If the GFCI-test button on your tester trips the GFCI outlet, then that outlet will provide the proper protection. If you can plug things into those outlets and they work, then the problem is not a disconnected or loose neutral. There have been a few instances where I have tested outlets with my tester and multiple lights come on, but some of them very dimly. I have not discovered exactly what causes this, but I think it is because there is some low-voltage on the neutral for some reason.
I have a GFCI in my bathroom and when I plug in a GFCI tester it indicates open ground, then when I press the test button on the GFCI tester it indicates Hot/Neutral reversed and the GFCI outlet doesn't trip. I checked the wires and there is a grounding, bare copper wire, on the grounding green screw on the outlet, the black hot goes to the gold screw terminal on the outlet, and the white neutral goes to the silver screw terminal, so they are NOT reversed. Furthermore, I can't have an open neutral because all devices work in the GFCI outlet. I think the GFCI tester is really telling me I have an open ground. Please advise. Thank you.
Yes, it certainly sounds like you have an open ground. A GFCI tester will not trip an ungrounded outlet. You should disregard any reading you get on the tester when the test button is depressed. If you have a ground wire connected to the receptacle/outlet, then the ground wire is apparently not connected somewhere upstream of that outlet.
Thank you master
I got that reading from a similar tester when I touched the mounting screw to the box.
There is no ground wire.
Before touching the mounting screw to the box, I merely got "open ground" (which I expected).
Hopefully, it will be safe to use.
Put a gcfi on that receptacle, or change the breaker to a gcfi/acfi breaker
Thank you for this. Question - Garage Sub panel, 60amp 2 pull feeding from main inside house. No GFI's in garage will allow you to reset, every plug reads reversed hot/ground. Checked sub's neutrals, all good there, checked main's neutrals, all good there. What in the world is going on here. Gonna read voltage tomorrow when I can grab my meter, but am I missing something..... thanks
This is a tough one. Before I think too hard, I want to ask if you have found out anything new in the week since you commented. If fix, please let me know what the problem was. If not fix, let me know any new info, and I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks,
@@morganinspectionservices3840 Unplugged other garage door opener on one circuit and tester showed open neutral. metered it at 60-70volts at sub. Main pnl and breaker was good so I figured a line was cut somewhere. Dug 4 holes 3.5ft down finally found it under my dad's deck where he auger'd the pole/cement holes. 1 hot and the neutral severed. And yes I slapped him.
Underground splice kits are a gift from God.
@@trevhummer9580 Interesting. Good job figuring that out. Sounds like it took quite a bit of work.
what would the indication be if you had moved the tester to the other outlet?
The other outlet would’ve tested as properly wired, since the open neutral was downstream of this outlet. The open neutral does not affect upstream outlets whatsoever.
This is awesome. I have plugged in a vacuum and the vaccum "blew a fuse". I just switched outlets. Later went to reset the circuit breaker and nothing tripped. Bedroom circuit tho. Ceiling fan in bed room and bathroom light switch stopped working but all other outlets except two are working. Can't figure where the problem is. Any ideas?
Do you have an outlet tester, and are you getting the hot/ground reverse indication? If so, and even if not, the problem is going to be between the first outlet/light that is having a problem and the last outlet/light on the circuit that is working properly. Without knowing the set up of your home, I cannot tell you much more than that.
Thank you sir you just save me!!!
Half the power in my grandmother's manufactured home went out a while back, and I just bought one of these testers to try and diagnose the problem. It happened during those really heavy storms in california two years ago. Is it possible something somewhere got shaken loose? I'd like to get power working back in her house without spending a fortune if I can
If she literally lost half the power, it almost sounds like she lost one leg of her electricity, so she may not have any 240 V power. Personally, I would start at the panel and see if you have 240 V. I would check the voltage at the outlet for the dryer and see if you’ve got 240 V. If not, then she’s lost one leg of her power. If you’ve got 240 V, then, yes, it could easily be a disconnected neutral somewhere. If you do some checking and tell me what you find, I will give you my thoughts about what the next step is.
@@morganinspectionservices3840 much appreciated, I'll check after work
Thank you!
You're welcome. Hope it helped!
I have a hot Ground Rev. showing on my tester. My charger for my car is not working on any outlet in that correct. How can I fix that? Is it just a bad outlet?
It definitely sounds like you have a disconnected neutral. I wouldn’t think that it is simply a bad outlet. Try watching my video on how to locate or find a disconnected neutral and see if that helps you. ruclips.net/video/BVcNnBKfC8Q/видео.htmlsi=UMbfhM_MqydIRtnR
@@morganinspectionservices3840 thanks!!! You have been a big help. Fortunately my issue is in a detached garage. So all the wires are visible. I’m going to get a new GFCI that’s on the exterior. That’s the second outlet in the row. The first outlet is inside and a gfci too but the chain leaving the first outlet has two wires one going outside the outlet showing the fault and the other continuing inside for the rest of the outlets. Would it be good to get some new wire and eliminate the split from the first outlet and put it all on one chain? Thanks again.
Using a multimeter, I get no voltage reading when probes touch hot and neutral. However, my multimeter registers 120v when probes touch hot and ground. What does this mean?
It definitely sounds like your neutral is disconnected somewhere upstream of where you are testing it.
I have a small vintage travel trailer and I replaced a cheap wall lamp with something nicer looking. Had no switch so I installed one on the lamp. Didn't realize that the insulation was brittle, and it shorted out against the new mounting bracket. Took it apart, electric taped the wires and reinstalled it. The lamp now works with the switch, but the receptacle downline shows a "PWR/GND REV" and isn't providing power.
You said this can be dangerous. I'm living in this thing. Any suggestions? I replaced the original receptacle with a GFI receptacle, still reads PWR/GND REV.