I bought a house a few months ago and ever since then a couple of outlets in an upstairs bedroom don't work. They weren't working prior to moving in either. I plugged in a tester and it said there was an open neutral. From what little I understand that means that somewhere along the circuit the white neutral wires have come apart, most likely at a receptical. I checked the recepticals up in the room and they all appear to have their wires firmly attached. I checked the breaker box and everything seems to be well attached also. Beyond that I'm at a loss at what else to look for. I'm trying to avoid calling an electrician because they are outrageously expensive. Any help would be extremely appreciated.
2006-09-12 20:10:05 · 14 answers · asked by Jamie W 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
is the breaker for that circuit working? turn the breaker all the way off, then back on again. maybe it tripped.
2006-09-12 20:19:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Well, again calling an electrician is the best, but if you tried all the connections at the receptacles as well as the breaker and everything is secure, then here are your remaining items.
1. Either there is a junction box where your neutrals came apart, possibly in one of the boxes that has an outlet, so with the (all) power off, check in each box to see if there are wirenuts. Make sure they all have a good connection.
2. A wire has been damaged. Depending on if your home is conduit or romex, this can be easy or difficult to repair.
3. On the side of the receptacle, there is a small tab on either side. If the tab on the neutral side is broken, then the neutral would stop at that outlet. This doesn't just "happen" but it would cause your problem. It might be that one of the outlets in that room work off a switch. If someone crossed the wires, then this would be the result, but like I said, this just doesn't happen.
Neutrals can be more dangerous than the hot line, so be careful. Some electricians will often share 1 neutral between 2 circuits 'out of phase', which means that even if you turn the breakers off for that room, there still might be current flowing through the neutrals and if there is a load, you WILL get zapped. Be extremely careful.
2006-09-13 13:12:50 · answer #2 · answered by The Auto Evaluator™ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ill start off saying im an electrician.
check all the oulets on that floor for an open new. wire (white)
sometimes when im wiring a house there will be times when youll be able to do 2 rooms on one circuit.
I have also worked on houses with some really crazy wires in them so if you cant track down the circuits exactly i really suggest the electrician even though i know they are not cheap at all...
edit, this is not a circuit breaker problem, or all the outlets would be off...theres some on and theres an open white on the line somewhere. I HIGHLY suggest staying out of your main panel. thers so many dangers in there that its not even funny. Anything electrical is dangerous...even the outlets your doing so be sure to be safe and only work on dead circuits.
it could be that there was a staple put on the wire just a tad too tight when the house was built and so over the years of the house wood moving the staple could have ripped the wire in half...or part way... I have seen this one too. Once again, an electrician is the only one who can get that working if its the case
2006-09-12 20:31:31 · answer #3 · answered by D S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
many good answers here and I agree with many, myself also a master electrician for over 30 yrs. number one is obvious. the nuetral wire somewhere, somehow is broken, damaged, or missing. Obviously you are not qualified to fix this. there for call someowho does know how....my best advice for them is find the circuit breaker or fuses for these outlets and shut them off. If you can find where the wires go up to the outlets and check the junction box and do a test to see if the wires are uncut from that box to your outlet. if they arent your problem is somewhere in between these points. if not, then its from that box to your panel...
either way may be easier to simply remove the old wires and run new ones...but many times you cant. its up to the qualified person to make that choice
2006-09-15 09:15:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let me see, You bought a house, you knew had electrical problems? Is that correct?
People when you buy a house, always have a home inspection done BEFORE THE CLOSING. It can save you thousands of $$$$$$$.
Do not avoid calling an electrician. Electrical fires are very common, and trust me that will be more expensive than the electrician.
2006-09-12 22:56:16 · answer #5 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had an old house in Saint Paul, MN where the switch going up to the attic controled other outlets in bedrooms upstairs. Investigate!
2006-09-13 07:53:25 · answer #6 · answered by fibreglasscar 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. Don't mess around. Get a certified, bonded electrician to fix the problem.
2. It will well be worth the money.
3. The last thing you need is an electrical fire.
2006-09-12 20:14:32 · answer #7 · answered by mitch 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
An open neutral is dangerous. the ground on the receptacle is completing the circuit. you may have to have a new neutral wire installed, or trace it to the break. this is not a DIY job. seek a pro.
2006-09-12 20:22:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
One of my instructors, years ago, told me, "People will call a plumber to fix their toilet but everybody's an electrician. Which one will burn your house down?" Call an electrician!!!!!!!!!!
2006-09-13 03:23:12 · answer #9 · answered by Uncle Joe 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't do this yourself, you could be putting yourself in danger. Call an electrician. Your life is more valuable.
2006-09-12 20:13:04 · answer #10 · answered by ginger13 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋