Why do I have 120 volts on my neutral?

If you have a neutral wire

neutral wire

Neutral is a circuit conductor that normally completes the circuit back to the source. Neutral is usually connected to ground (earth) at the main electrical panel, street drop, or meter, and also at the final step-down transformer of the supply.

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Ground and neutral - Wikipedia

removed from the neutral bus bar in your panel it is possible to see 120VAC on that wire if the circuit breaker for that circuit is turned on and there is a load connected to the circuit and load device is also turned on.

Should there be 120V on neutral?

In a normal situation with the neutral path intact, you would have 120 volts measured from across the light bulb or the receptacle. In this case, both sides of the light (hot and neutral) are the same, thus no potential difference (voltage), and the bulb does not light up.

What would cause a neutral wire to have voltage?

When the wire length from the breaker panel to the service outlet is long and the connected equipment is pulling a large amount of current, the resistance in the wire will cause a voltage drop along the NEUTRAL wire.

Why do I have 120V on my neutral-to-ground?

If the neutral-to-ground is 120V and the hot-to-ground is a few volts or less, then the hot and neutral wires are reversed (Fig. 1). Neutral-to-ground connection. Some neutral-to-ground voltage should be present under load conditions, typically 2V or less.

Should there be voltage on neutral?

This is a common question that one would think should have a simple answer, but that is not actually the case. The neutral wire is often said to have zero voltage on it.

Understanding an Open or Loaded Neutral

Why would my neutral wire be hot?

If the neutral is disconnected anywhere between the light bulb and the panel, then the neutral from the light to the point of the break in the neutral will become hot (and the device will be unpowered, because no current will be flowing through it). Look for a disconnected neutral.

Does neutral wire carry power?

Neutral wire carries the circuit back to the original power source. More specifically, neutral wire brings the circuit to a ground or busbar usually connected at the electrical panel. This gives currents circulation through your electrical system, which allows electricity to be fully utilized.

What happens when there is current in neutral?

In other words the magnitude of the current in the neutral equals that of the other two wires. In a three-phase linear circuit with three identical resistive or reactive loads, the neutral carries no current. The neutral carries current if the loads on each phase are not identical.

Can the neutral wire shock you?

If you touch the neutral wire in a live circuit, whether it be a lamp, an appliance or something else, it is the same as touching the active wire. It is only "safe" to touch the neutral wire when there is no current flowing, just as it is "safe" to touch the earth wire (when one exists). That is, "safe" is relative.

Can you read current on neutral wire?

You cannot measure power from one wire going to a load. You can measure current on one wire and it will be the same on either wire assuming no leakage to earth.

What does a hot neutral mean?

This wire is commonly referred to as the neutral wire, and it should always be white. That's what the larger slot on your outlet is for. The other wire doesn't get connected to the earth, and it's called the ungrounded conductor, or hot wire.

What happens if neutral wire touches ground?

In Short if neutral wire touches a earth wire,

An earth wire carrying load current is a risk of electric shock because a person touching this earth may present an alternative path for the load current and thus the risk of electric shock.

Can neutral and ground be on the same bus bar?

The answer is never. Grounds and neutrals should only be connected at the last point of disconnect. This would be at main panels only.

Why would a neutral wire spark?

So why the sparks? Between the two neutrals, it's because there are downline loads being served by that neutral. When you sever a neutral, you cut off current flow, and the downline load "lifts" the neutral wire to 120V.

Can you tie neutral and ground together?

No, the neutral and ground should never be wired together. This is wrong, and potentially dangerous. When you plug in something in the outlet, the neutral will be live, as it closes the circuit. If the ground is wired to the neutral, the ground of the applicance will also be live.

What happens if hot and neutral wires touch?

A short circuit happens when a “hot” wire (black) touches another hot wire or touches a “neutral” wire (white) in one of your outlets. When these two wires touch, a large amount of current flows, creating more heat than the circuit can handle, so it shuts off.