Discuss single phase 120/240 volt residential voltage problem in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

Welcome to ElectriciansForums.net - The American Electrical Advice Forum
Head straight to the main forums to chat by click here:   American Electrical Advice Forum

D

Duaneb

I have a unique problem I have 120 volts to ground coming into panel on each phase and 240 across both. if I run a dedicated line to a outlet plug in a light or battery charger what ver I saw he voltage go to 70-94 volts and even 170 volts if i turn other breakers! what you all think I am stumped
 
Sounds like you have a high-resistance connection in the supply neutral. As soon as you put any load on the panel the voltage developed across the faulty connection causes the panel neutral voltage to move towards whichever hot has the most load, reducing the apparent voltage of that leg and increasing the other.

This can be a dangerous situation, as you have found, because excess voltage can be supplied to the outlets. Have it checked by a licensed electrician before attempting further use.

Incidentally, this is a UK forum - we don't have 120/240 power distribution here and most of our electricians will be unfamiliar with it.
 
Open neutral. Look to see where the break is. You may need to contact the poco since it could be on there side. If your lucky it will be on your side.
 
Lucien, is spot on with his diagnosis, seen this quite a few times over the years. This isn't too rare to find this type of fault in the States and in other countries that use the 3 wire single phase supply system. As Lucien quite rightly states, this is a potentially dangerous situation that needs sorting out on an urgent basis!!
 
I have a unique problem I have 120 volts to ground coming into panel on each phase and 240 across both. if I run a dedicated line to a outlet plug in a light or battery charger what ver I saw he voltage go to 70-94 volts and even 170 volts if i turn other breakers! what you all think I am stumped
Duaneb it sounds to me like there is circuits sharing neutral. When you have the multiple circuits and you cut one breaker off and take the neutral loose you can cause the voltage on the other circuits voltage will fluctuate. Having read what you are saying and you are reading 170vac on a circuits which causes a dangerous situation. If you are reading 240vac phase to phase and 120vac to ground I don’t think it’s the power company problem. Back many years ago you was allowed to share neutrals but now if you have found this it needs to be corrected because it is a code violation. 170vac to ground can fry clocks, microwaves etc, anything that is supposed to be 120vac can be damaged beyond repair. Maybe you need to hire a more experienced electrician.
 

Reply to single phase 120/240 volt residential voltage problem in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc

Electrical Forum

Welcome to the Electrical Forum at ElectriciansForums.net. The friendliest electrical forum online. General electrical questions and answers can be found in the electrical forum.
This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock