How dangerous are reversed electrical wires on a switch?

Question

I am trying to install a GFI in my bathroom but it keeps popping. I have narrowed the problem down to the high hats. I think the switch for the high hats is installed on the neutral, but I am not sure. When I hook up the wires for the high hats, the gfi pops. I have checked all the outlets for reversed wires. I can not get to the wires on the high hats. Is this dangerous?

Answer 1

Generally all switches should be wired to interrupt the hot lead, but you message indicates you already know this.

I can think of two things that are happening. One could be that you already have and existing ground fault on the high hats. The other is that some load in the house is using the same neutral line and thus the GFI is detecting an imbalance between the high hat hot wire and the returning neutral.

You might try measuring the voltage potential between ground and the neutral on the high hats when they are energize. It should be zero. If it's not, then something else is using the same neutral....you may have heard this referred to as a "common nuetral". This is a common mistake and as you probably know, it can put 110 volt potential on the ground side of a second electrical device.

Answer 2

It's not dangerous providing the GFI, or circuit breaker pops off.

But seriously.

If the switch is connected to the neutral wire (white wire) instead of the hot wire (black wire) it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't be wired correctly, but there would not be an adverse effect on the circuit. I don't know how much wiring you've done, but a common mistake when wiring a switch is connecting a black wire to one terminal and connecting a white wire to the other terminal. Then again it's possible that you wired everything correctly, and that there's something else wrong, like the high hats, or moisture somehow found its way into the circuit.

Answer 3

If I were you, I would call an electrician, seriously.

Answer 4

it could kill you . do you think that is dangerous ?