Can you re-type this it makes no sense to me.
1) Non-switched (on at all times) outlet. Has correct polarity.
2) Plug in dishwasher - works? Y - N
3) Plug in disposer - works? Y - N
4) Plug in light - works? Y - N
Is there an electrician in the house?
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Can you re-type this it makes no sense to me.
1) Non-switched (on at all times) outlet. Has correct polarity.
2) Plug in dishwasher - works? Y - N
3) Plug in disposer - works? Y - N
4) Plug in light - works? Y - N
The outlet is miswired.
So is the garbage disposal.
You could miswire the dishwasher to match. But I couldn't recommend it.
So is the garbage disposal.
You could miswire the dishwasher to match. But I couldn't recommend it.
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So why doesn't the light work? (assuming incandescent and H and N reversed)
I think there's nothing connected to neutral on that outlet.
I also think neutral is connected to ground on that outlet.
And whomever hacked up the wiring for the disposal connected it's neutral to ground. Either intentionally or accidentally.
Remember, this person has 2-wire outlets in there house. Someone could have been mighty confused with three screws and only two wires....
I also think neutral is connected to ground on that outlet.
And whomever hacked up the wiring for the disposal connected it's neutral to ground. Either intentionally or accidentally.
Remember, this person has 2-wire outlets in there house. Someone could have been mighty confused with three screws and only two wires....
bri - that makes some level of sense. Merely flipping breaker/removing fuse and physically checking the outlet could easily solve this......
The little 120v outlet tester is a must. They are cheap and very handy. For a few dollars more you can get the version that tests a GFCI outlet as well.
Here is a random URL I pulled from Google:
Link to Tester
BTW, as mentioned you should not install a 3-prong grounded outlet if your house does not utilize a ground wire. As mentioned against code. You will pay more for the 2-prong outlet more then likely because they are hardly used anymore.
Here is a random URL I pulled from Google:
Link to Tester
BTW, as mentioned you should not install a 3-prong grounded outlet if your house does not utilize a ground wire. As mentioned against code. You will pay more for the 2-prong outlet more then likely because they are hardly used anymore.
You can **IF** it is a GFCI outlet (ground fault circuit interrupter). Then it is OK. I would strongly recommend this--the newer GFCIs are MUCH, MUCH better about not nuisance tripping with motor loads such as dishwashers and garbage disposals. The GFCI will provide a measure of safety that the missing ground wire cannot.
(A GFCI outlet will function correctly without a ground connection).
In fact, at my brother's house the dishwasher and garbage disposal are on a GFCI because I replaced the outlets in the kitchen with GFCIs and the way it is wired the dishwasher and garbage disposal are on that same circuit, downstream of the GFCI. (Ideally they should be on separate circuits but in 1974 they didn't do that here).
The GFCI has never, ever tripped due to the dishwasher or garbage disposal turning on.
Some of these older GFCIs in my house (built in 1995) would just about trip if I looked at them wrong..
you should be able to check for continuity between neutral and ground to see if there is a break in the neutral.
Hi JHZR2, I have a co-worker with an older house who used the plumbing as ground for various circuits. One day he was working on the plumbing and had to cut the line. He got a very nasty shock as he separated the pipe! Investigation revealed that a space heater had an internal fault and was driving a lot of current into the safety ground when it was on. After this, he carefully rewired everything exactly to code.
Another random thought - copper pipe is a good conductor with lots of current capacity, but I question if the solder joints are. I have soldered plumbing for many years and propose that in at least some joints there is a complete void between the copper pieces that the solder fills. Perhaps old soldered plumbing is not as good as the high-compression connections found in high-current electrical circuits, which is what is needed when there is a fault to ground.
Another random thought - copper pipe is a good conductor with lots of current capacity, but I question if the solder joints are. I have soldered plumbing for many years and propose that in at least some joints there is a complete void between the copper pieces that the solder fills. Perhaps old soldered plumbing is not as good as the high-compression connections found in high-current electrical circuits, which is what is needed when there is a fault to ground.
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