Subject: From: Date:

Re: [ECS] Grounding and X-10 Gerry Duprey Mon, 29 Mar 1999 15:59:12 -0500 (EST)

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On Mon, 29 Mar 1999, Gianino, Glenn wrote:

> Ok, who's up for this one.  Any licensed electricians out there?
> 
> First, the details. 
> 
> Regular duplex outlet.  Line, neutral, and ground connector.
> 
> Using a voltmeter;
> 
> I connect from Line (blk) to neutral (wht)  and read 120v
> I connect from Line (blk) to ground (green) and read 77vac
> I turn on the hall light, which is downstream from the outlet, and it reads
> 53vac.
> 
> Call me crazy, but its only 2 outlets in the house that have this problem
> and X10 modules don't like being plugged in. (Sporadic on/off) 
> 
> The house is new, I mean, its only 4 months old. I seem to have lost the
> ground in an outlet and the outlets downstream. (Broken wire in wall?)
> 
> I'm thinking I should run a wire straight from the panel to the outlet and
> give it a real ground. 
> Any suggestions? 

Sounds like either a weak grounding line to these outlets (like the
junction to the grounding bar for them is corroded), an open group (plug
one of those Rat Shack outlet testers in) or worse, somehow the ground
line has has been indirectly connected to neutral, perhaps through some
miswiring or a X10 switch that requires load and neutral.

Those are things to check - I'd probably put some money on a bad ground
and what you are seeing is the ground lead "floating" (acting like an
antena - this is AC - and picking up a small amount of current).  

Gerry Duprey                     EMAIL: gerry@msage.com 
Micro Sage Software Systems      VOICE: (734) 663-0444
130 South First Street             WWW: http://www.msage.com/~gerry
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA

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