# Trouble shoot residential



## drewsserviceco (Aug 1, 2014)

Lost neutral somewhere along the way or if the a/c and oven are 240V, could've even lost a phase.


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## teufelhounden91 (Jul 8, 2012)

that sounds more like a lost phase then a lost neutral. Also an AC won't have a neutral.


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

Also, rooms that share walls might have mixed circuits. I have worked on receptacles the HO claimed just went out with the current problem when in fact it was a completely different circuit that was disconnected. HO can be a source of miss information.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

backstay said:


> Also, rooms that share walls might have mixed circuits. I have worked on receptacles the HO claimed just went out with the current problem when in fact it was a completely different circuit that was disconnected. HO can be a source of miss information.


Lets don't just limit this to homeowners. Yesterday I got a call from a moving /freight company about time clocks not working right. 4 of them. So I go look. 
All the timer pins had been removed. Didn't find them, nobody knew why. But Duhhhhh


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## Signal1 (Feb 10, 2016)

I vote lost phase.


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## teufelhounden91 (Jul 8, 2012)

backstay said:


> Also, rooms that share walls might have mixed circuits. I have worked on receptacles the HO claimed just went out with the current problem when in fact it was a completely different circuit that was disconnected. HO can be a source of miss information.




Amen to that one brother


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## Kr8nrg (Dec 24, 2013)

So when the phase is lost. That usually at the transformer, right? And if that's the case then it's the utility company that has to deal with that 


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Kr8nrg said:


> So when the phase is lost. That usually at the transformer, right? And if that's the case then it's the utility company that has to deal with that
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It's not always at the transformer. More often its the 2 pole main breaker at a residence or God forbid- the house is still served by fuses at the service- could be one of them.


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## PlugsAndLights (Jan 19, 2016)

Kr8nrg said:


> So when the phase is lost. That usually at the transformer, right? And if that's the case then it's the utility company that has to deal with that
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I've seen this 3 times. Twice the wire had burned through right next 
to compression butt joint at top of mast. 
Other was fuse in old main fused disconnect. 
Could be anywhere between the panel bus and the transformer. 
P&L


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## teufelhounden91 (Jul 8, 2012)

The electrician who originally wired the panel may not have tightened one of the lugs all the way and if it's aluminum wire it can just work itself loose overtime if they didn't put any nolux on it. I've seen it on the meter as well as at the weather head too. Guys get in too big of a hurry...


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Touch every branch circuit breaker with a NCVT. If every second one is dead, guess what?


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

99cents said:


> Touch every branch circuit breaker with a NCVT. If every second one is dead, guess what?


Be careful though. Can read false when going through inductive loads. Meters don't lie. Always meter.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Cl906um said:


> Be careful though. Can read false when going through inductive loads. Meters don't lie. Always meter.



Sure they do. The proven low impedance ones don't though. I have a T5-600 that lies to me constantly. Biggest liar I have ever met, but i can tell when it is lying now. The T-pro is way better about it, but the T- pro doesn't have the built in amprobe so it isn't near as handy to carry around with me. And my knopp is babied like a ice cream sandwich in a special drawer in my van


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

K&T carter 3w's , BX made on to it w/o shield grounding, RX made onto that w/o a grnd, 1/2 century or more of diy meddlings ....all in various states of dilapidation & decay ect ad nauseum .....nothing to resi diagnostics,_ right boys_? ~CS~:whistling2:


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## Cl906um (Jul 21, 2012)

macmikeman said:


> Sure they do. The proven low impedance ones don't though. I have a T5-600 that lies to me constantly. Biggest liar I have ever met, but i can tell when it is lying now. The T-pro is way better about it, but the T- pro doesn't have the built in amprobe so it isn't near as handy to carry around with me. And my knopp is babied like a ice cream sandwich in a special drawer in my van


Yeah. My fluke said I had 94 volts to grounded, and 120 to equip ground, so I knew it wasn't right. I hade an open down line on grounded, but recept looked perfect according to fluke non contact. Would be nice if the office furniture guys would have left a diagram for the cubicles telling me the combination for the black, red, blu, white, purple, gray pigtail. I assumed I had a network, and one iso ground circuit. Blu went with gray. I would have bet my right testicle that purple went with gray and green with yellow stripe was a plug circuit. Nope.


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## ElectricalArtist (Jul 2, 2014)

If u lost power to certain parts of the circuit I'd start at the panel, find the circuit and shut it off. Make sure everything in the panel is ok, check for tripped gfi, open up every outlet that has no power , check for splice boxes in basement or attic. Might even have a splice in the panel, make sure there aren't any panels hidden.


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## flyboy (Jun 13, 2011)

Back stabbed devices.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I think people who call outlets/receptacles "plugs" should be shot on sight. I'm sorry, I just do.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

HackWork said:


> I think people who call outlets/receptacles "plugs" should be shot on sight. I'm sorry, I just do.


Plug em!


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Majewski said:


> Plug em!


There you are ! ... I was just starting to wonder if someone closed the attic hatch on you somewhere :blink:


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