Found this gem today.
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I got the same Southwire tester. Hot / Ground reversed that’s pretty hard to do.
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I did not go through the link. I posted prematurely. I got a call and posted by mistake. Thanks for catching it. I will bury the post for now.
A good narrative might be able to do the dance.
Three prong illuminated electrical receptacle tester indicated a fault, hot neutral/reverse. Recommend further evaluation for corrections as needed by a qualified electrical contractor.
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Just to clarify, it appears to be indicating a hot and ground reversed (outer two lights lit). Since this would be pretty hard to accomplish (but not impossible), if I got this reading I would maybe consider opening the receptacle to confirm. If I didn’t like that idea (fairly likely), I would do as you say, indicate that the tester showed a fault reading and that a licensed electrical contractor should be consulted.
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Just out of curiosity did the test button work on the device?
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Ryan what does it mean under qualifications when is says that the wires “are both poor” or are “fairly good”?
Generally speaking, since the conductor itself is unlikely to be the issue, I would have to assume they mean the quality of the connections at either end.
For example, a poor neutral could be one where the screw is not torqued correctly at the neutral bus.
Could be but IMO that wording is terrible and not very helpful if you’re trying to diagnose a problem. In most case the connection either works or it doesn’t.
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From Ryan’s provided article:
The three lamps of a 3-hole outlet tester will light up for a range of voltages in the neighborhood of 120 volts, but sometimes a receptacle that is unable to run a table lamp can run this 3-hole outlet tester; that is, under a real load the voltage does not remain as high as it tests. So an outlet that doesn’t work might even read “correct wiring.” Here are some more details regarding outlet tester readings:
At times I do see this, either the light is intermittent or dim. Though I do not report the cause (such as poor connection) I do report my observation. Often, the receptacle is loose in the outlet box, so in my mind I cannot resist the idea the connection is “poor”. In which I case I am concerned because a “poor” connection often equates to heat.
Have I come to the wrong conclusion?
I would limit any “conclusions” with a three light tester to “properly wired” (correct wires connected to the correct terminals) or improperly wired. A loose outlet mounting is not the same as a “poor” electrical connection. A three light tester is a terrible analytic tool, It is simply “go / no go” but provides lousy information about anything else. If on the other hand the outlet does not provide a firm grip to the tester (loose) I flag the outlet.
Poor connections are the domain of ‘circuit analyzers’. These provide a simulated load and measure voltage drop. No voltage drop can occur without current flow (there must be a load - which three light testers don’t provide).
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Agreed, but a loose receptacle “mount” within a receptacle outlet box often indicates the 3 light tester anomalies addressed in the chart (dim) and sometimes I have observed an intermittent light.
I suspect the pulling and tugging on the loose receptacle over time has compromised the the connection. Which likely increases with old back-stabbed receptacles.
So true, which is why I am careful to report on the observation only, not the cause.
Oh, the GFCI receptacle still works at the built-in test button alright. If I remember correctly, the downstream receptacles on this kitchen circuit showed “correct wiring” and were able to be tripped with the 3-prong tester also. This was on a new construction a month ago.
Another interesting tidbit from the same house. Washing machine receptacle was showing “correct wiring” but when I pressed the test button on the 3-prong tester, no response at the GFCI. Okay simple, must be that washing machine receptacle is not wired on the load side of the GFCI receptacle. To double check, I then use the built-in test button on the GFCI receptacle. Turns out the GFCI actually tripped and the washing machine receptacle also lost power. WTF???!!! I reset the GFCI, then I plug in a sure test, and the GFCI receptacle also trips. Turns out it was neutral/ground reverse at the washing machine receptacle. The slight load from the suretest caused the GFCI to sense the leakage and tripped it. This was only caught because the GFCI tripped.
Is there a good way to identify neutral/ground reverse on a non-GFCI protected receptacle?
No, I just report what the tester reads and from there they can have an Electrician check and or fix it.
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No, the GFCI failed to trip both with my tester or using the test button on the devise.
Maybe a better way to look at it would be a high-resistance connection. The loose or poor connection may cause oxidation, which increases the resistance.
“A high-resistance connection (HRC ) is a hazard that results from loose or poor connections in traditional electrical accessories and switchgear which can cause heat to develop, capable of starting a fire.”
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It’s important to have some perspective about these HRCs. There is no heat until voltage drop which only occurs with current flow.
At that point an electrician is called and the connection is corrected.
