Great explanation. I think I finally understand how this lost neutral thing works.
@tedlahm5740 Жыл бұрын
Absolutely fantastic animation and demonstration.
@JunkyardDigs7 ай бұрын
This happened last night during a wind storm, I was confused as hell, since half the light worked, and the other half were bright as hell. Can't believe we didn't blow any bulbs or anything after 12 hours. Thanks for the explanation!
@morganinspectionservices38407 ай бұрын
Wow! So you didn’t lose any electrical equipment in your home? If not, you were very lucky!!😊😊
@franklofarojr.296922 күн бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 Cell phone and laptop chargers connected would like not only survive, but work normally during the overvoltage if they were (as they usually are - but not all are) rated for 100-240V for world use. So they'd run happily on 120, 170, 212 or even 240V or down to 100V. So something surviving and even working doesn't necessarily mean it is getting 120V. So you could plug a laptop charger in and have it work, then plug in a hair dryer and have it explode, and mistakenly not blame the power because ("the computer still worked").
@donpretlow10 ай бұрын
I’ve had that happen at my house during a hurricane. A tree fell on the drop to the house separating the neutral. As soon as the lights went bright I knew what happened and ran to secure the breaker. It took out the refrigerator, microwave, oven, dishwasher and clothes dryer. Completely fried three surge protecting power strips and burned out a bunch of light bulbs.
@morganinspectionservices384010 ай бұрын
Yes, it can be very destructive to electronic equipment. Good thing you knew enough to recognize what was happening and shut off the power as quickly as possible.
@franklofarojr.296922 күн бұрын
Damaged the dryer? Wow. They use 240V usually, but some use 120 also to run some circuits, if that side goes high it could do damage. If it goes low, not so likely.
@donpretlow21 күн бұрын
@@franklofarojr.2969 It fried the circuit board. I replaced it with an old 1980s dryer that has been refurbished. No electronics works better than any new dryer I have had.
@marshallstephens73562 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for posting this video! We had a big wind storm roll through yesterday and knocked out the neutral wire to our home. I wasn't sure why our lights were acting strange; but now I know. Thank you!
@morganinspectionservices38402 ай бұрын
I am glad the video was helpful. Thanks for watching and thanks for the feedback.
@dmf37207Ай бұрын
Thank you, great information. Neutral for dummies.
@morganinspectionservices3840Ай бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@user-id6ne8on3u7 ай бұрын
I think I finally understand this. Thank you.
@morganinspectionservices38407 ай бұрын
I’m glad it was helpful.
@user-rp1ot7ci9x Жыл бұрын
Great animation!!
@donpretlow21 күн бұрын
Just had another issue with the neutral line going to the transformer on the pole. I had some strange power fluctuations again but not as drastic. So I put my clamp meter on one leg going into my panel. Then I turned every other breaker off putting a larger load on one leg. It showed a voltage delta of about 15 volts. I called FPL and they sent a service truck out. He pulled the meter and put a device on it to check and it showed it was just over the allowed difference. After inspecting the ground cable he saw where my neighbors tree was chafing the wire. It was warn down to a single strand. They replaced the neutral drop and it is now fixed.
@morganinspectionservices384020 күн бұрын
Good thing you caught that and followed through on it. I really appreciate you sharing that. I and my viewers learn from everybody else’s experiences.
@Sparky-ww5re6 ай бұрын
Worst case scenario from a floating neutral at the service drop could be electrocution from energized water pipes and metal case appliances with 3 prong plugs, because until I believe the 1978 NEC, a cold water pipe could serve as the sole grounding electrode if at least 10 feet was in contact with the earth, and the connection to the grounding electrode conductor is made within 5 feet where it enters the building, and plastic pipe could have been used to replace a section of corroded metal pipe. Because the neutral and ground are bonded at the main service panel, a double loss of ground and neutral could have lethal consequences. To combat this, a water pipe used as a grounding electrode must be supplemented by grounding electrodes in contact with 8 feet of earth with a resistance not to exceed 25 ohms.
@morganinspectionservices38405 ай бұрын
Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.
@TheBry_Guy4 ай бұрын
great demo. thanks!
@morganinspectionservices38404 ай бұрын
You’re welcome
@okaro65957 ай бұрын
Not only that. As the neutral is bonded to the ground wire the voltage on the neutral gets to any grounded equipment case. This could in worst case kill. Here the instruction is to get out and call the power company and not to return until it is fixed but we have higher voltage.
@morganinspectionservices38407 ай бұрын
You are correct. Thank you for clarifying that.
@syitiger9072 Жыл бұрын
Lost neutral situation can happen also on 240volt circuits or anything sharing the neutral like 12/3 circuits
@user-wu9dw8cd2e Жыл бұрын
Thank you. Great video.
@Sparky-ww5re Жыл бұрын
A few years back went on a service call where the homeowner had smoked up a flat-screen, DVR, and stereo system after a 1500 watt electric fireplace had been running for about an hour. It was a lost neutral on a MWBC feeding the master bed & living room with backstab connected receptacles. A backstab connection upstream burned out on the neutral. Home was built sometime in the 1970s if memory serves me right. This expensive ordeal would have been avoided had the receptacles been installed in accordance with 300.13 (B) which states the neutral of a MWBC cannot be interrupted by removing a wiring device.
@morganinspectionservices3840 Жыл бұрын
Great info/example. Thanks.
@morganinspectionservices38407 ай бұрын
Great video and animation.
@morganinspectionservices38406 ай бұрын
Thank you for the feedback
@tedlahm5740 Жыл бұрын
The three (3) bulbs on either leg are wired in parallel. (Although the two (2) legs are now in series to each other with the lost neutral.) When one bulb is turned off, the Resistance goes up and the Current goes down (in that leg) because they are in parallel. Naturally the leg with the highest resistance (series circuit) has the highest voltage drop.
@hewking2 ай бұрын
"When one bulb is turned off, the Resistance goes up and the Current goes down (in that leg) " - i understand that resistance goes up if we swich off 1 light in the circuit because its parallel so it is as if we closed 1 of the 3 roads for the current - so more resistance. More resistance means less current in that leg but both legs are in series so the current is the same. So if the same current is flowing while the voltage is much higher means that a lot more energy is on the side when 1 light is off. Does it make sense the way i rephrased it?
@vmax45756 ай бұрын
Excellent explanation/demonstration. Congrats and thank you.
@morganinspectionservices38406 ай бұрын
Thank you
@ecospider5Ай бұрын
I had a shared neutral on 6 plugs in my garage. A wire nut failed and I had a lost neutral in my house but just on 4 plugs. It destroyed a charger before I noticed the problem.
@morganinspectionservices3840Ай бұрын
If a neutral becomes disconnected inside the home, then that’s actually a different situation than what this “lost neutral“ video discusses. We typically call your situation an open or disconnected neutral. I have a separate video on that. Sounds like you were already able to solve the problem. However, if you need it, here is a link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIfGf6F4gMt2brMsi=7Gb7tGew_n87GCKy Temperature
@ecospider5Ай бұрын
@morganinspectionservices3840 That video did a good job describing a lost neural on a 120v circuit. I’m referring to a shared neural. Which acts more like this video. So imagine this. You install a 240v circuit breaker. Then you take a 14-3 from the circuit breaker box to an electrical box with 2 receptacles in it. So going into that box you have red, leg1; black, leg2; white, which is a neutral shared between the black and red; then green, your ground. Red goes to a 120v plug on the right. Black goes to 120v plug on the left. Both plugs have a pigtail going to the single shared white wire. Now disconnect that white wire inside the electrical panel. Plug a lightbulb into both 120v sockets. The energy follows this path. Black wire Light bulb White pig tail Second white pigtail going to the other plug Second lightbulb Red wire So you have 240v going through 2 120v lightbulbs. Being protected by a single 240v breaker. Now you have your demonstration but inside a house. Fun fun watching things smoke. 😁
@heatingairservices870819 күн бұрын
Thank you for this great tutorial bc I used experienced what turned out to be an broken Neutral wire from the Power pole it wasn't discover completely till my cable guy came & got lit up off the cables ground & came in & cked power outlets & smelt smoke but the outlets all had 199 volts so i quickly killed my main breaker & called the power co & did loose an brand new Window unit but hopefully thaT WAS all Lost
@morganinspectionservices384019 күн бұрын
Wow! Sounds like you were fortunate in only losing a window unit.
@heatingairservices870819 күн бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 yes Thanks absolutely but sine I wrote this i discovered the window unit still works but the smell I experienced came from The ac circuit breaker so that wire was replaced & now all seems to be OK ..I hope
@randychapman2309 Жыл бұрын
An open or high resistance neutral conn in the panel or meter can will also cause this. Not always upstream. I've been on many trouble calls where the nipple between the two was glowing because of a loose neutral in the panel. Some were never actually tightened by the original installing electrician.
@morganinspectionservices3840 Жыл бұрын
Great info. I guess when I said upstream of the panel, I actually intended prior to any of the branch circuits, so yes the neutral lug on the panel would certainly qualify. Thanks for the clarification.
@randychapman2309 Жыл бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 You are correct though. Probably 90 percent of my trouble calls were due to homeowners allowing trees to grow up into the service wire and either breaking the neutral, or rubbing it in two midspan on the drop. People don't understand that the power company isn't responsible for their negligence.
@pauldow16489 күн бұрын
Call the power company as the problem is their neutral. If you call a electrician you will be stuck for service call $ , and they don't work on power company lines.. This could be over $100 for a minimum call The power company will service and fix the neutral connection.no charge. These electrical neutral problem s are dangerous and eerie. Our aluminum framed screen porch was measuring 40 to 70 volts. My dog yipped as she went outside because the aluminum frame and door was electrified. I put my fluke black lead into the nearby ground (soil) and the red lead on some aluminum - ac voltages were all over the place. I think the electricity found a ground but also found a ground that energized the aluminum frame which was also grounded. 😮😮
@morganinspectionservices38409 күн бұрын
Good point. Thank you.
@robertstonebreaker83947 ай бұрын
Good information thank you .
@morganinspectionservices38406 ай бұрын
You’re welcome
@michaelcostello699111 сағат бұрын
Great
@morganinspectionservices38404 сағат бұрын
Thanks
@bobskie32119 күн бұрын
I think that problem only happens in countries using 120 volts because they have three cables going to their house from the transformer (+120v, 0v, -120v). In countries using 240 volts that's not a problem because they only have two cables going to their house from the transformer. If they lose one of the cables the light won't turn on.
@morganinspectionservices384019 күн бұрын
Yes, you are correct. It only happens in countries where the voltage is split at the transformer, so countries that only use 220 or 240 V do not encounter this same problem.
@loriAlessiroberts1188 ай бұрын
I keep losing neutral on power company side but the lineman wont come out until ive paid an electrician to check its not on my side!! Its always on the utility pole and its costing me a fortune!
@morganinspectionservices38407 ай бұрын
That is crazy that you’re having to pay a service call each time. It’s also crazy that it “keeps” happening. It does not make sense that it would happen multiple times.
@loriAlessiroberts1187 ай бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 They came out to me last week because their equipment made my earth rod live and everything in my house including water pipes! The box on the pole was replaced and the cable down the pole to my boundary. The supervisors came next day only to tell me the lineman had left me with a live neutral! I am quite literally waiting to be electrocuted! They said the neutral is also reading too high.
@okaro65957 ай бұрын
Sue them. They should be responsible for anything they demand you to do if it is their fault.
@franklofarojr.296922 күн бұрын
When devices do get overvoltaged, what have people seem happen? I have heard of everything from explode, to still work fine (global/universal devices rated 100-240 for example). I had a friend who had some lights go real bright and a frig smoke with a terrible smell as parts burned (not a full fire thankfully)
@morganinspectionservices384022 күн бұрын
I just helped a friend diagnose that he had a lost neutral at his home. He was measuring voltages upwards of 200 V. He that somethings stopped working completely while his home had the lost neutral, but once the lost neutral was corrected, everything worked perfectly. I cannot say that that will be the case every time, but at least in his situation it was.
@scottcates7 ай бұрын
thank you
@morganinspectionservices38407 ай бұрын
You’re welcome
@BobP3PE5 ай бұрын
Nice job Mike!!!
@morganinspectionservices38405 ай бұрын
Thank you
@nhitc68322 ай бұрын
tho it's still the same concept, the direction of the current is inaccurate before the loss of neutral. However, after the loss of neutral, the animation is accurate. But here is where you're wrong. Current don't reverse direction because of the loss of neutral. so it's more like this (--> -->, ,
@morganinspectionservices38402 ай бұрын
I totally agree with you. I was not necessarily trying to show the actual direction of current flow with these animations. I was more trying to show that current flows from the transformer, through the loads, and back to the transformer via the neutral. You are 100% correct that the direction of the electricity does not change when the neutral is lost, but for illustration/animation/explanation purposes, that was the easiest way to animate and explain it. I certainly appreciate you watching and appreciate the feedback.
@tedlahm5740 Жыл бұрын
Show us why WE GET A SHOCK at the open neutral (at the side toward the house)
@morganinspectionservices3840 Жыл бұрын
I will make a second video showing that. Thanks for the suggestion.
@chintakpatel5053 ай бұрын
Thanks for video. I have a follow up question. Does bonded grounding and Neutral at service panel help to mitigate serious consequences laid out?
@morganinspectionservices38403 ай бұрын
No. When your service loses a neutral, nothing done at the panel that I can think of will change the fact that you will have the two legs in series on a 240-volt service.
@TheOmengodАй бұрын
How do you test for loss of neutral?
@f-j-Services3 ай бұрын
This explains why 90v will be applied to half the panel and other half gets 120v from backfeesing thru panel from a 120 source the illegal way.
@morganinspectionservices38403 ай бұрын
I’m not fully following you.
@f-j-Services3 ай бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 I have a main panel, and then a double pole breaker as the "main" for a subpanel, and a duplicate subpanel is in another location (in the barn/shop) and I have a 20 amp 120v single pole breaker outlet there and have backfed power from generator from that outlet after disconnecting the true MAIN breaker and on outlets and lights on one side of the main panel in the home I only get ~90 volt, while the other side is a full 120 volt. It is odd to me, the more I think about it I don't think it is from a lost neutral now as it should change/have same affect on both sides of panel. You got any ideas on it? I know its despised and most of the time illegal, but it just makes me wonder the cause. I no longer use it that way anyhow as I am in process of making a legit transfer circuit.
@TheOmengodАй бұрын
Are there any simple uncomplicated tests that I can do in my house to determine whether I have a lost neutral or not? How do I determine if it's on my end or the power companies end? All the receptacles I've tested so far are reading around 120 (120 in and out) but my refrigerator won't run. I've plugged the refrigerator into different outlets and it's the same. Tried plugging my Skillet into different outlets around the house and it won't work. Thank you!
@morganinspectionservices3840Ай бұрын
This is a test that I would do in my house, but I will caution you that you must be very careful. I don’t want anyone getting electrocuted. If it were my house, I would remove the cover from the electric panel and measure the voltages at each main lug. Test between one lug and the neutral, and between the other lug and the neutral. See if you have 120 V on both legs of your electrical system. And make sure you have 240 V between the two lugs. If those tests are good, but you do not have 120 V at the outlets in your house, then I would say the problem is inside your house. If you do not have 120 V when measured as described above, then the problem is likely with the power company.
@younglavernable5 ай бұрын
What is that device you have wired to the lights that is showing voltage.
@morganinspectionservices38405 ай бұрын
It is a SureTest circuit analyzer. It’s made to plug into a receptacle and measure voltage, voltage drop, and to tell if the circuit is wired properly.
@TheOmengodАй бұрын
I have a pole behind my house with a breaker box and a meter box above it. Two wires run from the pole behind my house out to the main pole on road with the transformer. Am I responsible for everything on the pole behind my house? Thank you!
@morganinspectionservices3840Ай бұрын
Typically, the homeowner is responsible for everything after where the wires connect to the weather head just before the electric meter. The electric company is responsible for everything just before the connection at or near your electric meter.
@TheOmengodАй бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 what about the meter box itself? And the wires that run up the pole from the meter? Ty.
@emilioescobedo30248 ай бұрын
How does it work on 120v residential lost neutral?
@morganinspectionservices38408 ай бұрын
This demonstration shows exactly how it works on a 120 V residential. Essentially all residentials have two phases of 120V, so what you see in the video is how it works on a typical residential electrical system.
@hewking2 ай бұрын
interesting video! does it mean that UK system is intrinsically safer than US? loosing neutral does not cause this sort of issues - please help me to understand
@morganinspectionservices38402 ай бұрын
In the UK, they use 230 volt, single-phase electricity in residential wiring. In this case a lost neutral results in an open circuit where no electricity can flow, so in that sense, you could say that UK wiring is safer than US wiring. However, in another sense US wiring is safer because in the US most circuits are only 120-volt circuits, while all circuits in a home in the UK are 230 volts. 120 volts (which can certainly electrocute someone) should be only about half as likely as 230 volts is to cause an electrocution. This is because current (amps) is what causes the electrocution, and current flow is proportional to the voltage. Current = Voltage/Resistance. This equation shows that for a given resistance of a human body, you will have about twice the current flow with 230 volts as you will with 120 volts.
@hewking2 ай бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 thanks for your kind reply and videos
@hewking2 ай бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 can i say that uk system if it fails it fails safely why us lost of neutral does not fail safely because instead of 120 v suddently 240 appears which could burn or damage something?
@Shermanbay Жыл бұрын
Did you ever think that using green on your schematic to represent the neutral line wasn't a good idea? Green is standard wiring code for non-current-carrying ground, not neutral!
@morganinspectionservices3840 Жыл бұрын
And white is normally the neutral, but white would not have shown up, so I chose green. Yes, I understand that green wire is the non-current carrying ground. How often have you seen blue current flowing through a wire? It’s just an animation, and I hope it serves its purpose.
@Shermanbay Жыл бұрын
Got it! An alternate solution might be to use a different color background so white would stand out, or larger wire size. Good video, though!
@vigalway11 ай бұрын
A bit !complicated for non electricians
@morganinspectionservices38409 ай бұрын
I simplified it as much as I could, and used the simulations to help explain things.
@robertwagner85963 ай бұрын
@@morganinspectionservices3840 you did good bud
@thaiexodus29165 күн бұрын
??? What is a lost neutral??? If a person has to ask, call an electrician. The person is definitely not qualified to do wiring. Lights flicker? Lost neutral! Or someone with an arc welder in the neighborhood.