How JustAnswer Works:

 
 
 
  • Ask an Expert
    Experts are full of valuable knowledge and are ready to help with any question. Credentials confirmed by a Fortune 500 verification firm.
  • Get a Professional Answer
    Via email, text message, or notification as you wait on our site.
    Ask follow up questions if you need to.
  • 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
    Rate the answer you receive.
 
 
 
Ask TAKPOWER Your Own Question
TAKPOWER, Licensed Electrician
Category: Electrical
Positive Feedback: 100 %
Satisfied Customers: 131
Experience: 14 years of residential electrical experience
Type Your Electrical Question Here...
TAKPOWER is online now
A new question is answered every 9 seconds

hi there, my name is XXXXX XXXXX the other day when installing

Customer Question

hi there, my name is XXXXX XXXXX the other day when installing a stove i just wanted to make sure my multimeter worked before starting and when i plugged it into a 110 outlet (on 10A unfused) about six oultlets in the house went dead. There were only about 7 that worked prior to me doing anything so now there is like two. Long story short i am now reading hot/ground reversed on my three plug circuit tester. I replaced the receptacle in question thinking that maybe it burnt it up but still no change. Please Help. Thank you for your time..

Submitted: 1 year ago.
Category: Electrical
Expert:  TAKPOWER replied 1 year ago.


TAKPOWER :

Hi. My name is XXX. X will be glad to assist you with your questions.

TAKPOWER :

are all the outlets reading reversed on one circuit?

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

on one breaker meaning? no two different breakers

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

this is an older model mobile home

TAKPOWER :

Do you have standard outlets with screws for connecting,or the type outlet that clamp on to the wire?

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

the original outlers were the clamp type when i replaced to make sure it wasnt the receptacle then i installed the screw type

TAKPOWER :

Did you connect the white wires to the silver screws and the black wires to the gold or brass screws?

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

when i touch the white wire and the bare wire i get 120 but nothing any other way

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

yes i had a friend put it in who does this type of work and he actually was telling ME where the wires are suppsed to go so im assuming he did

TAKPOWER :

it might be worth double checking this would be the easy fix and would cause your reverse reading,did the outlets in question work ok before you used the tester?

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

yes, i only replaced the outlet that i "shorted" or shunted or whatever but i know that three others including a light (overhead fixture) were workinging prior

TAKPOWER :

did you show reverse on old outlet then changed,or changed to new outlet and then the reverse reading showed up?

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

i didnt check it before testing the meter only after....

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

and didnt check the old outlet before i installed the new one

TAKPOWER :

my first thought is the new outlet is wired wrong,the blacks need to be on the gold screws,the whites need to be on the silver.and ground if you have ground wire on green screw

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

ok will double check that being correct, black would be hot white being ground and green being my neutral is that accurate?

TAKPOWER :

white is neutral ,green or bare wire is ground

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

ok, if those are swapped would that produce my problem?

TAKPOWER :

yes it will if not there then somwhere they are backwards more then likely there since it is the only one worked on

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

yes that was the only one worked on, one other thing, in the very beginning (when wanting to check multimeter) i did not get any reading when testing the two prongs only when tested the hole and one prong....

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

and there are outlets that were not working on that circuit before i did anything, i checked one of them today and IT read hot/ground reversed....but it did not work prior

TAKPOWER :

that is what will happen with hot ground reversed,so it could be reversed elsewhere then.the best place to check is,first turn off breaker and see which outlets are on that circuit,second turn back on the breaker and there should be one outlet showing correct and then the next one in line will be reversed that is more than likely the problem outlet

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

the one showing correct or the next >

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

i notice that the back bedroom is on that circuit cause when i kill power to the outlet in question those outlets and that light goes off too

TAKPOWER :

if someone wired one in reverse it is likely they did other if others where worked on,it could be in either of the two outlets last correct or first reversed outlet,Normally you can tell the path of circuit by the begining being nearest breaker box and the end of circuit being the farthest from breaker box

TAKPOWER :

is this a double wide?

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

if wired in reverse would it still power on appliances , or on other outlets later in the circuit? surely not huh

TAKPOWER :

no only will work before the reversed outlet

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

no it is not a double wide but i think, from seeing whats happening, that there is a wire down each side of the mobile home and the problem is only on one side

JACUSTOMER-w09e8mef- :

ok well thank you for the answers i guess thats the best you can do with what little infrmation i know about it so i thank you for your time sir

TAKPOWER :

that wuold make sense

TAKPOWER :

you are welcome and good luck on the fix

JustAnswer in the News:

 
 
 
Ask-a-doc Web sites: If you've got a quick question, you can try to get an answer from sites that say they have various specialists on hand to give quick answers... Justanswer.com.
JustAnswer.com...has seen a spike since October in legal questions from readers about layoffs, unemployment and severance.
Web sites like justanswer.com/legal
...leave nothing to chance.
Traffic on JustAnswer rose 14 percent...and had nearly 400,000 page views in 30 days...inquiries related to stress, high blood pressure, drinking and heart pain jumped 33 percent.
Tory Johnson, GMA Workplace Contributor, discusses work-from-home jobs, such as JustAnswer in which verified Experts answer people’s questions.
I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.
 
 
 

What Customers are Saying:

 
 
 
  • You did one super job of explaining to me everything there is to know about this fridge. I'm looking forward to asking you questions in the future. Jimmy Bagley, IA
< Last | Next >
  • You did one super job of explaining to me everything there is to know about this fridge. I'm looking forward to asking you questions in the future. Jimmy Bagley, IA
  • Wonderful service, prompt, efficient, and accurate. Couldn't have asked for more. I cannot thank you enough for your help. Mary C. Freshfield, Liverpool, UK
  • This expert is wonderful. They truly know what they are talking about, and they actually care about you. They really helped put my nerves at ease. Thank you so much!!!! Alex Los Angeles, CA
  • Thank you for all your help. It is nice to know that this service is here for people like myself, who need answers fast and are not sure who to consult. GP Hesperia, CA
  • I couldn't be more satisfied! This is the site I will always come to when I need a second opinion. Justin Kernersville, NC
  • Just let me say that this encounter has been entirely professional and most helpful. I liked that I could ask additional questions and get answered in a very short turn around. Esther Woodstock, NY
  • Thank you so much for taking your time and knowledge to support my concerns. Not only did you answer my questions, you even took it a step further with replying with more pertinent information I needed to know. Robin Elkton, Maryland
 
 
 

Meet The Experts:

 
 
 
  • Mike's Avatar

    Mike

    Master Electrician

    Positive Feedback:

    99.8 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    1425
    Licensed Master Electrician - OnQ Certified Data Voice Audio Video Installer
< Last | Next >
  • http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/mikepettinato/2009-9-4_41145_DSC005132.jpg Mike's Avatar

    Mike

    Master Electrician

    Positive Feedback:

    99.8 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    1425
    Licensed Master Electrician - OnQ Certified Data Voice Audio Video Installer
  • http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/WI/WireitUp/2012-6-17_18212_Photo00006.64x64.jpg Jason's Avatar

    Jason

    Service Technician

    Positive Feedback:

    99.3 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    2922
    Over 15 years of experience in all types of installations, troubleshooting, and repairs.
  • http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/MI/MikeG2010/2012-6-7_192640_IMG01612.64x64.jpg Mike G.'s Avatar

    Mike G.

    Master Electrician

    Positive Feedback:

    96.7 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    4751
    Proven Professional 44 years Experience
  • http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/SI/sirsparks/2011-3-13_01226_VZ20092.64x64.jpg Sir Sparks's Avatar

    Sir Sparks

    President/Owner/ Master Electrician

    Positive Feedback:

    99.2 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    2519
    US State Certified & UK Electrical Contractor for all electrical fields/disciplines
  • http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/AS/AssuredElectrical/2011-9-13_221243_me.64x64.gif AssuredElectrical's Avatar

    AssuredElectrical

    Master Electrician

    Positive Feedback:

    98.5 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    1603
    Contractor-40 Years in the ElectricalTrade
  • http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/electrifier/2008-12-16_200429_headbob1.jpg electrifier's Avatar

    electrifier

    Master Electrician

    Positive Feedback:

    98.8 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    1400
    Electrical contractor and electrical inspector for over 23 years with phone and networking expertise
  • http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/rich03dungo/2010-3-17_101556_tshirt2.jpg Rich's Avatar

    Rich

    Master Electrician

    Positive Feedback:

    98.8 %

    Satisfied Customers:

    1100
    Over 35 years residential, commercial, industrial wiring, install, troubleshoot, service, maintain