electrical testing

19 years ago

I was replacing a broken wall gang box when the group of white wires that was secured together with a cap sparked a little when screwing on the wire cap. There was loads at some of the wires at their ends,like lights on,etc. I had turned power back on after all the blacks were finished. I have a fluke meter and out of 6 wires that was tied together 3 showed 110 volts feeding back. It was very low amperage that you could touch the wire and feel nothing but still showed 110. Electrical friends said that all the white wires being neutral should read zero. One of these wires is going to a wall outlet (outside) that has 2 extension cords plugged into it and 4 sets of christmas lights on it. I ran a new hot lead from the fuse block to this gang box and only tied in the new hot black to the black lead going to the outside wall outlet and ground to ground. Now when I try and put the 2 whites together,will I get a spark. Before I ties these 2 whites together I read 110 on the wire going to the wall outlet and 0 on the white wire coming from the fuse panel. Having the live 110 black hooked up and ground also, will that push a 110 low amps back thru the white at the white outlet wire till you hook it up with the box lead white wire. these electrical guys say all whites will be zero with a load hooked up. This is very confusing. thanks for any input

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Comments (3)

tom_o
19 years ago
If there was any load at all on any black & white pair downstream from the box, opening the neutrals would result in you being able to measure 120 volts neutral to ground or neutral with a load to the neutral that goes back to the panel.

BTW, don't assume that you cannot be electrocuted by a white wire, if you complete the the open neutral circuit you will become a conductor.

You should also consider purchasing a book on basic electrical wiring.
bus_driver
19 years ago
Perhaps you were rather well insulated when you touched those disconnected neutrals. Perhaps carpet over wooden floor, above grade. The potential for electrocution was real and present. It was your lucky day. Don't push the luck!
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genr8rs
19 years ago
To jimijet,
first of all, what amount of amperage and voltage going out on the black , the same amount is wanting to come back on the white. The black is refered as hot, the white is refered to as neutral and the ground is something altogether different. Please dont be confused when refering to ground. The neutral conductor is grounded at the panel ( reaching ground potential,and should not be grounded anyplace else in the circuit). Electricity wants to go to ground and controling the path that it takes is critical. When you break the neutral path you have interupted the circuit. Now if you become the path to ground, a less resistive path, you will get shocked. The white can have as much bite as the black. I have broken the neutral on a circuit feeding a fridgerator. The frig wanted to run and I had a hold of the neutral and became the least resistive path to ground, talk about a whack. I got bit because I completed the circuit to ground and there was a capicitor in the fig controls. You want it going back on the neutral conductor.
The ground (green or bare only) is used to provide a short cut to ground blowing a breaker of fuse providing protection and controling leaking voltage not going on the path intended. The ground wire is to protect you from making contact with a frame or metal current carrying componet creating a shock hazard to you. Think of an ecectrical circuit as a garden hose in a loop. What goes out (hot) has to come back(white) in the same amount. If you have a leak and water is getting out( current going to ground)then the flow is stoped turning off the valve. Because of the leak and the volume going out is different than the volume coming back, this principle is what makes a GFCI receptical work. It measures the difference. It senses that some of the current is going somewhere else. Thats why GFCI are critical for outdoor recepticals. Being on the yard you can become the least resistive path to ground if current is getting out. I hope this makes sense. Cant discuss theory with you well this way.