Reversed Polarity: Electrical mistakes and improper wiring
This happens when the hot and neutral wires get flipped around at an outlet. Reversed polarity creates a potential shock hazard, but it's usually an easy repair.
A brief definition of Hot and Neutral wires: On a standard outlet, which is technically called a duplex receptacle, there are two wires that carry electricity. One of these wires is connected to the earth, or ‘grounded', and this wire is called the grounded conductor. This wire is commonly referred to as the neutral wire, and it should always be white (unless it's an old home with cloth covered wires). The other wire doesn't get connected to the earth, and it's called the ungrounded conductor, or hot wire. This wire can be any color besides white or green, but it's usually black. Because the hot wire completes a circuit by coming in contact with the earth, if you touch a hot wire and you're in contact with the earth (which is pretty much always), you'll become part of the circuit. In other words, you'll get shocked.
Damage to electronic components: I've heard that reversed polarity can cause damage to some electronic equipment, such as computers. I researched that theory for this blog and I couldn't find any evidence to support it. Why would electronic equipment care which wire is connected to the earth? It doesn't. Reversed polarity is a shock hazard only. Electronic equipment will still function fine.
How to fix: Get an electrician. The electrician will check the color of the wires feeding to the outlet. If the white wire is connected to the smaller slot on the outlet, then the outlet was wired backwards. The fix is as simple as swapping the wires around on the outlet. If the wiring appears correct at the outlet, this means the white wire is now the hot, and a problem exists somewhere upstream from the outlet. This will take more investigation to determine exactly where the wiring went wrong. Simply swapping the wires at the outlet would not be an acceptable fix.
The bottom line is that reversed polarity at outlets is a shock hazard. Electronic equipment plugged in to an outlet with reversed polarity will still function properly. You can test for reversed polarity at your outlets with an inexpensive outlet tester. If you have outlets with reversed polarity, have this condition corrected by an electrician.
http://www.atexinspects.com
Showing posts with label home electrical inspection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home electrical inspection. Show all posts
Monday, July 26, 2010
Home Handyman Electricians
Home Handyman Electricians – Normally A Bad Idea
During one of our daily home and commercial property inspections, we have seen quite a few home handyman electrical wiring jobs. This recent one tops our current list of "What were they thinking, or as we say in the South, “ Who da thunk it?"
I had started to inspect the main electrical panel and had found some circuit breakers missing in the panel along with open holes in the panel where the breakers use to be. This is an unsafe, but common problem found in older homes because it allows direct access to the interior of the main panel where lots of volts and amps reside. OK, there are missing breakers and the interior panel has an open hole in it at about head height for a child. Very unsafe, very accessible and very dumb!
Later while inspecting the garage, this is what I found.
There is one of the missing breakers. We never recommend wiring a breaker into a mess of wires and just suspending it in mid-air but that is what our home handyman did. That is very unsafe. The image of it in my mind still gives me chills! I still wonder from time-to-time where that second breaker went... Of course there were numerous other wiring mistakes found throughout the home to include improper wire splices, loose wiring, loose outlets hanging out of the wall and light bulbs hanging from the ceiling by the electrical sockets. It was a wiring nightmare to say the least.
If you need electrical or complete home inspections, please contact us at 281-216-1171.
Visit our web site for more home inspection information at: www.atexinspects.com
Posted by Robert Welch, ATEX Inspects – Houston Home Inspector on June 13, 2010
During one of our daily home and commercial property inspections, we have seen quite a few home handyman electrical wiring jobs. This recent one tops our current list of "What were they thinking, or as we say in the South, “ Who da thunk it?"
I had started to inspect the main electrical panel and had found some circuit breakers missing in the panel along with open holes in the panel where the breakers use to be. This is an unsafe, but common problem found in older homes because it allows direct access to the interior of the main panel where lots of volts and amps reside. OK, there are missing breakers and the interior panel has an open hole in it at about head height for a child. Very unsafe, very accessible and very dumb!
Later while inspecting the garage, this is what I found.
There is one of the missing breakers. We never recommend wiring a breaker into a mess of wires and just suspending it in mid-air but that is what our home handyman did. That is very unsafe. The image of it in my mind still gives me chills! I still wonder from time-to-time where that second breaker went... Of course there were numerous other wiring mistakes found throughout the home to include improper wire splices, loose wiring, loose outlets hanging out of the wall and light bulbs hanging from the ceiling by the electrical sockets. It was a wiring nightmare to say the least.
If you need electrical or complete home inspections, please contact us at 281-216-1171.
Visit our web site for more home inspection information at: www.atexinspects.com
Posted by Robert Welch, ATEX Inspects – Houston Home Inspector on June 13, 2010
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