Light went off in the upstairs bathroom. Power is to the light, then to the switch, with white wire at the light box taped black for hot. Strange voltage measurements:
hot to ground -122
neutral to ground – 16 (should be around 0)
hot to neutral – 80 (should be 122)
The odd values are both at the light and switch ends.
I cannot figure this out but it seems as if the neutral line is faulty. But how?
Very grateful for any help — I haven’t been on Breaktime for years. I thought I was done!
Replies
The "odd" voltages are normal for wires that are not connected to anything. This is known as "phantom voltage" and is caused by capacitive coupling between the wires. It sounds like your "neutral" is disconnected. Depending on how it's wired (and what "neutral" means in your description), it may simply be that the light is burned out, or the switch is switched off.
Dan --- you were absolutely right. The light was burned out (the fixture) and I spent hours trying to figure out mysterious voltage readings, rather than checking the obvious fault first. It was a textbook case of bad trouble-shooting. "Phantom voltage" - a new idea for me. My son is an electrician and understands these things; I just bumble around. Thanks.
Be sure you are not measuring voltage across a resistance, like a light bulb.