Bizarre household electic

Dec 09, 2003 0 Replies

Hi Steve!



S > I went by my mother's house for dinner and she asked me to check out a S > florescent closet light that wasn't working. She already installed a new S > bulb and that didn't solve the problem.



Don't-cha hate it when you have to work for your meals?!


S > I removed the cover at the fixture and connected my VOM and found 120v. S > When I shut off the light switch, I had 2 volts.



Normal -- as another responder indicated, this is due to the stray capacitances -- digital read-out, right?



As far as the fixture not working, probably cheaper to buy a new one than replacing parts. First, be sure the bulb was installed correctly. If it's the two-prongs at each end type quite possible to insert the prongs into the holders incorrectly, especially in a dark closet. The switch probably has a momentary contact -- push to start, release; push other end to turn off. Again probably cheaper to buy a whole new fixture (which usually includes a bulb) than get the replacement part.


S > Mom's house is 20 years old and has two electrical panels (and 4 S > heating/cooling zones, but that's an entirely different story). One panel S > is in the first floor laundry room, and the other panel is in the basement.



Would guess the panel in the laundry room is a sub-panel.


S > Every circuit on the basement panel I tested had somewhere between .5v and S > 5v with the breaker off. The main panel circuits had 0v.



Antenna affect again. Normal with your type of measuring device.


S > I'm no expert on household electricals. I'm really curious where this S > volt or two could be coming from. I'm not sure if it's normal either - I



Don't feel too bad: we all had to learn! :)


- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®



  • Too Much Coffee: you stand still only during an earthquake.

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