New apartment, electrical outlet blew out 3 fans.

Posted by dpb on July 4, 2009, 9:00 am

flips333 wrote:
...

> Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... the neutral is
> receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
> go in it. Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
> with those baby proof socket fillers.

...

What you mean by "the neutral is receiving power", kemo sabe?

If it was just reversed hot/neutral that wouldn't make any difference;
think unpolarized cord plugs. (It ain't right and should be corrected,
but that won't cause the problem described).

If neutral _AND_ hot are hot and not same supply side, that's a 240V
circuit and that certainly _WILL_ blow a 110V appliance.

Sounds like the same "handyman", maybe???? :)

--

Posted by JIMMIE on July 4, 2009, 10:24 am

> > RBM wrote:

...

> > >> So I just moved into thisnewplace and I have a problematicoutlet.
> > >> I have pluged threefansinto it and all three are busted. =A0...

> > ...

> > > Your fix it guy could start by testing theoutletvoltage with somethin=

> > > other than appliances, possibly a volt meter

> > ...
> > Think???? :)
> > LOL...
> > --

> Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... =A0the neutral is
> receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
> go in it. =A0Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
> with those baby proof socket fillers.
> Thanks again you all rock.- Hide quoted text -
> - Show quoted text -

Posted by Stormin Mormon on July 4, 2009, 5:01 pm

I have been suspecting that kind of thing is at work, here.
A qualified person should test the outlet with a VOM, and
see if it's 120 VAC or 240 VAC.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

news:ed5fa504-1029-4ed8-893e-

When my friend lived in base housing there was a dedicated
120 VAC 20
amp circuit beneath a window so you could install a window
AC unit.
Someone connected the neutral to the to the hot bus so they
would have
240 for a larger unit. His wife found out about it when she
plugged in
a christmas tree.

Jimmie

Posted by RBM on July 4, 2009, 5:21 pm

> > RBM wrote:

> > >> So I just moved into thisnewplace and I have a problematicoutlet.
> > >> I have pluged threefansinto it and all three are busted. ...

> > ...

> > > Your fix it guy could start by testing theoutletvoltage with something
> > > other than appliances, possibly a volt meter

> > ...
> > Think???? :)
> > LOL...
> > --

When my friend lived in base housing there was a dedicated 120 VAC 20
amp circuit beneath a window so you could install a window AC unit.
Someone connected the neutral to the to the hot bus so they would have
240 for a larger unit. His wife found out about it when she plugged in
a christmas tree.

Jimmie

Whoever reconnected the wiring for 240 volts, should have replaced the
receptacle, as no 240 volt appliance will fit in a 120 volt receptacle. This
is very possibly the same scenario as the OP

Posted by Don Klipstein on July 4, 2009, 7:54 pm

JIMMIE wrote:

>> > RBM wrote:

>> Thanks to all who helped and here's the answer... the neutral is
>> receiving power. Thus it blows out any and all normal appliances that
>> go in it. Until I can get someone to fix it I'm just gonna fill it
>> with those baby proof socket fillers.
>> Thanks again you all rock.- Hide quoted text -
>> - Show quoted text -

>When my friend lived in base housing there was a dedicated 120 VAC 20
>amp circuit beneath a window so you could install a window AC unit.
>Someone connected the neutral to the to the hot bus so they would have
>240 for a larger unit. His wife found out about it when she plugged in
>a christmas tree.

That does not sound to me like a "dedicated 120 VAC" circuit, but a
240V one for 240V air conditioners. Better hope the outlet is one
designed for 240V and made to accept plugs of 240V window air conditioners
and to reject plugs of 120V applicances.

In a "USA-usual" 240V circuit, the two conductors other than the
"grounding conductor" are both "hot" and both "live" to extent of 120
volts.

A USA-usual 120V circuit differs from the 240V one by having between the
2 conductors other than "grounding conductor",
one is "hot" ("ungrounded conductor") and the other is "neutral"
("grounded conductor").

You should know the mutual concepts of "hot-neutral-ground",
"ungrounded-grounded-grounding", "black-white-green/bare" as well as
preferably good multimeter/voltmeter usage practice for USA-usual 120V
circuits and occaisional (all-too-common) errors therein.

This is what you should know, along with what various various-amp-rating
120V and 240V residental outlets look like and should have looked like
30-50 years ago, along with some knowledge of existence of both 120V and
240V residential window air conditioning units and the cords and plugs
that they had and the receptacles that they plugged into.

- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)

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New apartment, electrical outlet blew out 3 fans. - Page 4