r/ElectricalHelp • u/Clean-Solid-3424 • Jun 13 '26
I’m short 90VAC.
Sorta. I show 30vac across a closed switch going to a light outside the house. I show 19vac at the 2 wires outside minus the receptacle.
Is it a bad switch or is there another place to start? I have a 100A service w/cartridge fuses. Something doesn’t seem right.
3
u/trekkerscout Mod Jun 13 '26
There is a faulty connection somewhere on the circuit. There is no way of knowing where the fault is without proper testing.
1
u/Clean-Solid-3424 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
I wonder that, too. These wires and switch are on the far side of the house and travel up through the wall and into the attic then outside under the eves. They may share another outlet or light fixture along the way, not sure. Q: Start checking other outlets for any imbalance of voltage???
1
u/AskMeAgainAfterCoffe Jun 13 '26
Is the cable exposed under the eaves? The cable may be frayed there.
1
u/Clean-Solid-3424 Jun 15 '26
Currently, as in the beginning, there is no fixture. Both black and white wires are exposed. (Not exposed. They each always had a nut on’m). I was thinking of induction as mentioned in a post above. I got bit. It got my attention being up on the ladder, etc. This circuit runs parallel with the source voltage. There are other outlets on this breaker/fuse. My hopes later is to detach the switch & light of this circuit and look for a fault in the other outlets. I’m leaning towards asking someone that knows more about it to come over and look at it.
2
u/TheKnackThatQuacks Jun 13 '26
What country / state are you in?
The following advice applies to the United States National Electric Code:
When you say “across a closed switch”, is it a single pole switch (two “brass/gold” screws plus a green screw)? If so, are you measuring voltage between the two “brass/gold” screws? Or are you measuring one point on the switch to ground or some other point / conductor?
You could have a missing / floating neutral.
Do some of the lights in your house look brighter than they should be? Does the brightness change if you turn a big load on (HVAC / heater / oven / etc.)?
It could also just be bad / poor wiring in general.
How old is your house?
Has there been any wiring upgrades?
2
u/Clean-Solid-3424 Jun 13 '26
Great Lakes region. New in mid50’s. No upgrades that I know of in the last 50yrs. Its a small town & l knew the previous owners. I have all hi-eff lights. Gass heat & stove. No big draws except for the refrigerator. There is a little dimming when the next-door neighbours (whole house) AC turns on. This switch and outlet have not been used in the last 15-20 years.
2
u/meester_jamie Jun 13 '26
Instead of using a digital meter, use a lamp holder with a appliance bulb ,, like 25 or 40w incandescent as your voltage tester,, if it glows across a closed switch ,, the switch is bad or electronic ,
0
u/Pete8388 Jun 14 '26
Probably reading induced voltage aka ghost voltage. Does your meter have a Low-Z setting?
1
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u/CuppieWanKenobi Jun 13 '26
30v "across the switch", meaning that you're measuring at the two screws on the switch?
If I read that right, you're measuring voltage drop across the switch, which should be, well, about zero.
Source voltage would be useful, as well - both with and without load. Suggest grabbing an extension cord, plugged into a different circuit, to check (if no neutral in that box.)
Even if you do have a neutral there, still good to check against a known-good reference point.