Do not throw out the old receptacle just yet. The black wire should be connected to the gold ones and the white wire to the silver screws. The receptacle will always have different colored screws. Keep in mind which side the black and white wires go before you detach them from the old receptacle. Now that you know that it is the receptacle that is causing the issue, all you have to do is replace it with a new one. If it records a significant voltage, then it means that your receptacle needs to be replaced. To test it, you can use your voltage meter again to see if you would get any reading. Since there is no visible disconnection in the wires, you may want to check if it is the receptacle that is malfunctioning. In that event, continue with the following steps: 8. It gets tricky if there is no disconnection in the wire. Once done, just put back the receptacle and screw back the outlet cover and you are done. When you get hold of the neutral wire and see any disconnection, all you need to do is to reconnect the white wire. Pick the neutral or the white wire, and see if there are any cuts or disconnections in it. Pulling out the receptacle will expose the wires underneath. Unscrew them and slowly pull out the receptacle. With the outlet uncovered, you should have a full view on the receptacle. The voltage tester should read 0 indicating that the circuit is dead. Ensure That There Is No More Voltage In The Circuitīefore you proceed, get a voltage tester first to ensure that you are not subjecting yourself to any threat of electrocution. The number of screws will vary but to have a better look at the wires, you need to completely remove the cover. With your screwdriver, remove the screws holding the outlet cover in place. This will make the task safer for you once you start on working on the wires. Just like any other electricity fixing, make sure that you switch the power off first. Now that you are aware of the issue to fix, you can now start on solving the problem. Getting a reading of 120 on your neutral wire indicates that you have an open neutral problem. If everything is well, your neutral wire should read 0 and your hot wire will have a 120 voltage reading. Using your multimeter, get the voltage reading from your hot wire and neutral wire. Otherwise, if you know enough and are just looking to expand your knowledge, here is how you can fix an open wire by yourself. If you don’t know anything about wirings and this is the first time that you would want to try it, please abort and hire a licensed electrician to get the job done. It is highly dangerous and potentially fatal. How To Fix An Open Neutralīefore you proceed, let me just reiterate that electricity is not something for amateurs. The imbalance of current between the wires causes your lights to go dimmer or brighter. While the electricity can still flow through the hot wire, the open neutral forbids the flow to return to the panel. When a disconnect in the neutral wire happens, the circuit will not work properly. One is black which is known as the hot wire and the other is white which is the neutral wire. In every 120-volt circuit, you will find two wires that complete it. What Happens When There Is An Open Neutral So while you may find steps in this article on how to do it yourself, only follow it if you know what you are doing. In fact, even as low as 42 volts can cause a lethal strike on an adult. However, you should handle the problem with utmost caution as electricity is not something you would want to toy with. If you have basic knowledge of how electricity flows on wires and the fundamentals of how transformers work, you may actually even be able to fix the issue yourself. If the circuit problem is outside your house, it is highly likely that your power company will even shoulder the costs. An open circuit issue will likely only cost an hour or two with a professional electrician. That being said, it is important that you get your circuits checked at the early signs of the problem. Likewise, if you leave the problem unattended, it can also cause your lights to go busted or burned out. If the lights tend to go brighter than they should, it can cause the lights to pop and it can cause minor accidents to the people around when it happens. Observing an unusual behavior with the lights at home is a problem that you should not shrug your shoulders on. All you’ll need to get it fixed is a multi-meter, a screwdriver, and some knowledge of electricity. So put down the holy water and salt for now, you might only be dealing with an open neutral problem. Are the lights in your home flickering and you can’t tell what’s going on? Or are they going dimmer one moment and then suddenly gets brighter than usual? If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry just yet, your house is not haunted.
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