Open Neutral??

[JohnF]

Calling electrical gurus............the tester reads one green light and 2 not lit which it says means open neutral. Can someone tell me what that means and what conditions I need to look for to correct the problem. If it means the neutral is not connected I don't understand how the circuit would have power. I added a branch line using Romex. I connected the romex in the existing metal box with the existing BX cable if that adds any useful info. The BX cable is connected directly to the main panel. I don't know if this condition existed before I added the branch receptacle. Thanks for you usual good support. John

[RBM]

[JohnF]

Thanks for the input. I still don't understand how the circuit can have power in it if the neutral is not connected. Is there a tutorial somewhere anyone might know of that could explain these basics. Thanks again. Best to all in the new year.

[Chip C]

Thanks for

If real loads like lamps work, then you're right, the hot and neutral must both be basically ok.

If there's really no neutral then I agree that I don't understand how the tester "has power". Might it use the ground? Hmmm.

Anyhow, be aware that these LED testers can show random results if anything is plugged in to any other socket on the same circuit. Might this be the case?

Chip C Toronto

[Chris Lewis]

According to Chip C :

Those little LED testers are nothing more than three LED and series dropping resister pairs, connected between hot&ground, hot&neutral, and ground&neutral.

If your neutral wire is out, only the hot&ground light will go on.

It's supposed to have hot&ground and hot&neutral, but not neutral&ground come on.

If the neutral&ground comes on, your hot and neutral are probably reversed.

[Reversing hot and ground takes some doing.]

Only in extremely unusual circumstances that _also_ mean something's wrong with the circuit.

[RBM]

[ck]

Double check with a multimeter.

[toller]

Except for a multiwire circuit, which I presume this is not if you installed it, you must have a neutral for a circuit. But do you have a circuit? You did not say if the outlet works properly. Why were you testing it?