Go Back  DoItYourself.com Community Forums > Electrical, AC & DC. Electronic Equipment and Computers > Electrical - AC & DC
Reload this Page >

Bizarre Wiring (Neutral to Hot Continuity) at my Grandparents House:

Bizarre Wiring (Neutral to Hot Continuity) at my Grandparents House:


  #1  
Old 12-12-16, 06:07 PM
J
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Exclamation Bizarre Wiring (Neutral to Hot Continuity) at my Grandparents House:

Hi Guys,

NOTE: This is Non-USA. This is at a Residential House in the Island of Puerto Rico at the Caribbean.


Found this Bizarre Wiring at my Grandparents' House today.

Ceiling light at their master stopped working. 0 Voltage at the Lampholder of the ceiling light in THEIR MASTER. Then checked the double switch and 0 Voltage in the Black Wire that is supposed to feed the switch. Verified all the Breakers at the main panel and all of them are working correctly. So then I started to track the Black Wire that goes to their master bedroom... I removed lampholder in another room that is next to their master. I turn off the breakers and proceed to separate the wires, noticed that extreme water damage basically has destroyed the entire octagonal electrical box, also three wires, one neutral (white), one red (hot), and one black (hot) were totally burned, those at least goes to circuit in the balcony that contains a few exterior light fixtures (that of course were not working either already), well, at least for that part is simple as those wires need to be removed, and replaced with new wires, HOWEVER...

... what is Bizarre to find is that a Neutral Wire in this box HAD CONTINUITY with the Black Hot Wire at the double switch in their master bedroom that wasn't powering the switch. A HOT WIRE IN THERE HAVING CONTINUITY WITH THIS NEUTRAL WIRE IN HERE.

Name:  thumbnail_IMG_20161212_141638.jpg
Views: 3860
Size:  45.4 KB

So now it's clear that now I will have to track that Neutral Wire in order to find if at some point from this bedroom is somehow incorrectly wired with the hot wire that goes to the double switch at the master bedroom.

What do you guys think is happening here?


*I did the Continuity Test, using long run of #12AWG wire connected to the black hot wire that is suppose to power the double switch at the master bedroom at one end, and the other end of the wire connected to one of my Klein Multimeter's probe, and used the other probe to touch the Wires at the lampholder in the second bedroom, with the result that the NEUTRAL WIRE here constantly beeps testing positive to Continuity with the black hot wire at the master. This was the only wire that had continuity with the hot wire at the master.*


Tomorrow I will continue doing more Continuity test from the black hot wire at the double switch to a bathroom single pole switch and another lampholder that is located inside the master bedroom. I will also make Continuity test from the Neutral Wire in question at the second bedroom to the lampholder at the bathroom of the master.

Let's see what I find tomorrow and I will let you know.
 
  #2  
Old 12-12-16, 06:18 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,816
Received 3,922 Upvotes on 3,518 Posts
... what is Bizarre to find is that a Neutral Wire in this box HAD CONTINUITY with the Black Hot
That is not bizarre. Anything (like a lamp) connected to hot and neutral will show you continuity.

Not sure if you can read the writing in your picture..... I can't.
 
  #3  
Old 12-12-16, 06:21 PM
J
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
In this case there was no lamp nor any other device in common connected between the two.

The Black Wire is the one that is supposed to feed a double switch (the wire was disconnected from the switch) therefore it doesn't go to any lamp at the moment of the continuity test; and the lamp in the second bedroom is removed. The Black wire showed continuity with the Neutral wire at this room when both were disconnected from any device and even from the switch. How will have continuity a hot wire to a neutral that aren't going to any lamp or any device but are disconnected at both ends of the circuit???
 
  #4  
Old 12-12-16, 06:31 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,816
Received 3,922 Upvotes on 3,518 Posts
If you're seeing continuity with nothing connected then the wires must be touching or are shorted together. At least with the wiring in pipe it's easy to replace.
 
  #5  
Old 12-13-16, 10:38 AM
E
Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 647
Received 5 Upvotes on 5 Posts
Are you sure that the black is hot and the neutral is white? Are any of the switches 3way switches.
 
  #6  
Old 12-13-16, 02:54 PM
J
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Puerto Rico
Posts: 27
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
None of the switches in question were 3 way switches. I am sure the Black is hot it was powering the double switch at the master without no problem for a long, long time. I am sure that white wire giving continuity was a Neutral.

...That bizarre Continuity between those specific Hot and Neutral at different rooms will remain as a mystery because I was unable to track that Neutral wire. I did remove all the switches, receptacles, ceiling lamps, etc. in both rooms, in the hall, and in the master bathroom and that Neutral wire wasn't reaching any of those other wires, except for the Hot Black Wire that was powering the double switch at the master bedroom (crazy!).

So Long story made short: I already fixed it.

So I decided to abandon both the black wire at the double switch and that neutral wire at the ceiling of the other room, therefore, I just disconnected and taped them inside the circuit, I made sure that I left them abandoned without power. So what I finally did to bring power back to the master bedroom's double switch, was to install a new electrical segment from one single pole switch located at the Hall, this switch was the closest device to the double switch at the master's bedroom entrance. I did use Romex 14/2 and an electrical guide rail rated for indoor use (don't know how to exactly call it), protecting the Romex. The segment was less than 5 feet long, I property fastened the rail to the concrete finished wall.

Well, now there is power back to the double switch at the master bedroom, the ceiling lamp light is again turning on/off by the master's bedroom switch; now everything is again working properly in both rooms.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: