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Adam
Lv 5
Adam asked in Home & GardenMaintenance & Repairs · 1 decade ago

Hot-neutral reversed outlet?

In home-repair class, we're building "walls" using 4 studs and 2 2x2s. 3 boxes are mounted on the studs and right now it goes switch, outlet, lightbulb. We have two white wires connected with a yellow wire nut, a pigtail in a red wire nut, a bare wire in a green wire nut, and the end of the pigtail and another black wire connected to the switch as well as the bare wire. The outlet is just the black,white, and bare wires hooked to the screws, same with the light bulb. The tester showed that and the light didn't work since the outlet didn't and we don't know the problem. Could it have to do with too much casing taken off the wires connected to the outlet? All the wires are in white casing but the first one has a yellow plug on the end and they go through the holes in the stud to get to the next box.

Update:

I can't take the wall apart; not enough time. I want to be able to flick the switch and plug it in so that the outlet is live and the lightbulb in the third box comes on. The hot-neutral reverse reading is what we get when the wall was tested. The screws are in the right direction so I think it has to do with my pigtail in the red wire nut. Basically, what's the cause for getting a hot-neutral reverse reading?

Update 2:

its just a little wall..you can carry it around so its pretty basic.

6 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Get the white wire off the switch. The switch makes and breaks the black wire only. The white goes to the receptacle and the light only. Usually houses are wired - outlet, switch, light. Reversing the hot and neutral on the outlet or light, will still make things work. It simply will not be correct. White to silver, black to brass, ground to green.

    Bumper is all mixed up. And wrong.

    Source(s): I'm a real electrician
  • 1 decade ago

    Your run back wire is hot. Basically as I undertand it you want the switch to turn on and off the light but leaveing the outlet hot. First the bare wires your talking about are terminal grounds. they are always wired together at outlets and lights. The other end is grounded together to the main breaker box. If something shorts the outlet or light then the better ground is through the fixture back to the main box instead of the persons body. The black wire is hot in120volt circuits. So this should be the order, black line from main to outlet silver screw, leaving out the copper side to the silver screw of the light switch leaving out the copper screw of the light switch to the silver screw of the light. at the outlet and the light switch the white wires are bundled together, At the light the black is to the silver screw and the white goes to the copper.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    hi, What now and again occurs is a few the position alongside the way the wiring would were reversed contained in the breaker panel or at the same time as they put in the merchants. the biggest situation is that the merchants do no longer have a proper floor. So if for some reason a piece of electric powered kit shorts out the electricity might want to likely reason a hearth. So that is extreme situation. that is something that would want to be left as a lot because the experts to fix regardless of the truth that. The administration of your construction ought to cope with the challenge. in the adventure that they don't then take the mandatory moves to have it repaired. you may call 311 also to get more suitable info on what to do. i might want to certainly attempt to artwork with the administration first before going out aspect for help.

  • 1 decade ago

    Use a meter and meter out all the wires to make sure you don't have a short. Then disconnect everything and connect only one item at a time and get it to work independently. then get them to work together. If you want the outlet always hot then go from breaker to outlet then to switch and then to light. If you want the outlet to be hot only when the light is on. Wire from the breaker to the switch then split and wire from the switch to the light and outlet.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    black wire brass screw white wire silver screw bare wire green screw

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    i dont know but goodluck mate ! your brainyy!!!

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