problem with 20a electric outlet

Posted by mike.goodman_@gmail.com on July 17, 2006, 7:40 pm

Our oven hood recently stopped working. I tested the outlet and it was
showing an 'open neutral' on the tester.
I replaced the outlet but its showing the same error.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your time,
Mike

Posted by RBM on July 17, 2006, 7:49 pm

You need to find where the power to that outlet is originating, and check
the neutral connection. If its in a panel, check the neutral buss, or if it
was tapped from an outlet in the kitchen, check there
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Posted by mike.goodman_@gmail.com on July 17, 2006, 8:41 pm

I think it's on its own circuit. The breaker is actually labeled
'microwave' and nothing else tripped when I shut it off.
Looks like I'll have to get someone in to take a look at it.
Thanks for the response,
mike
RBM (remove this) wrote:
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Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on July 17, 2006, 9:58 pm

>I think it's on its own circuit. The breaker is actually labeled
> 'microwave' and nothing else tripped when I shut it off.
> Looks like I'll have to get someone in to take a look at it.
> Thanks for the response,
But the wire to the breaker is not the neutral. Find the other one and
check it. On second though, yes, maybe you should get someone to look at
it.

Posted by mm on July 17, 2006, 10:19 pm

On 17 Jul 2006 16:40:20 -0700, "mike.goodman_@gmail.com"
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That's because the neutral isn't IN the outlet, and it's not made by
the outlet. It's conceivable that the outlet could break, but the
neutral extends from the hole that the neutral prong of the plug goes
into, through the outlet, through the connection with the
usually-white wire, all the way to the breaker box, and from there to
the power company iirc. So there are a lot more places for the
neutral to get interrupted than just in the outlet. (But if you saved
the outlet you took out, you can use it when you know more and want to
put an added outlet in somewhere.)
Since the rest of your house works, I assume the problem is somewhere
between the connection at the outlet and the other end at the breaker
box. It may go through other outlets on the way, even if you have
nothing plugged into them.
My range hood is on the same circuit as the dining room ceiling light,
because the switch for that light is on the other side of the same
wall, about 4 feet away. I think other things are on the same
circuit, but I don't know what they are, because I"ve never needed to
know.
I think there would be more than a range hood which draws an amp or so
iirc, on a circuit that can provide 20 amps. Wait, you're saying the
microwaave is on the same circuit as the range hoood. Are they one
thing? If not do they use the same receptacle, outlet? Regardless,
the problem now is to fix the neutral, unrelated to the microwave or
the range hood.
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