# Not getting full power to my outlets in my Home



## elork (Sep 29, 2011)

So this all started when my brother tried to plug a "pigtail" (cord from dryer) into the outlet, but he did not have it connected to the dryer. He was simply trying to see if he had the right plug. He got a nice big spark singed the floor, lucky he didnt have the connectors touching him anywhere.

Anyway that's what started my problem. Every electronical device in my house is not functioning properly. For example, My computers will not turn on. My wall fan will be plugged in and on High speed, but is only blowing at low speed(prolly slower). My alarm clock is on but the lights are feint and can barely make them out. So all in all im getting some power but not enough for anything to work properly.

I had my landlords electrician come over the day after, and he ended up changing out a fuse and it worked great, for about a day, and went back to doing the same thing. Since then have changed the fuse a couple times and the problem consists.

any ideas?


thanks in advance.


----------



## jp1203 (Jul 21, 2005)

elork said:


> So this all started when my brother tried to plug a "pigtail" (cord from dryer) into the outlet, but he did not have it connected to the dryer. He was simply trying to see if he had the right plug. He got a nice big spark singed the floor, lucky he didnt have the connectors touching him anywhere.
> 
> Anyway that's what started my problem. Every electronical device in my house is not functioning properly. For example, My computers will not turn on. My wall fan will be plugged in and on High speed, but is only blowing at low speed(prolly slower). My alarm clock is on but the lights are feint and can barely make them out. So all in all im getting some power but not enough for anything to work properly.
> 
> ...


Fuse? Yikes! How old is the electrical system in the house? I'm no electrician, but I'd hazard a guess that a 220V (conventional clothes dryer voltage) spark could have spelled devastation to old wiring! Odd that it will work for a while and go back to how it was before...if it blows a fuse I wouldn't think you'd get any power. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in here.


----------



## wowzer (Dec 28, 2009)

elork said:


> He was simply trying to see if he had the right plug.


He couldn't tell by looking, and you trusted him to do this? 

What's your location?

Sounds to me like one phase out on a two phase setup.

Has anyone looked at the main fuse/fuses?


----------



## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

Are any of the connections in the fuse box getting hot?

The only thing I can think of that would cause your symptoms is a bad connection someplace. When your brother created the arc you saw, there was an arc someplace inside the fuse box that you didn't see, which burned a connection that wasn't good to begin with, and now is a high resistance joint.

If this is right, then you will have a fire soon. Hopefully, the metal of your fusebox (or meter socket...could be there too) will prevent the fire from spreading. But maybe it won't.

If you are (a) not the owner and (b) not qualified to diagnose the problem yourself, then I suggest you get your landlord's electrician back out posthaste. If the landlord's electrician is merely a maintenance man, then I suggest you contact the landlord and tell him you need the services of a qualified electrician immediately.


----------



## Koot (Nov 25, 2007)

Sounds like you most likely have an open Neutral somewhere. Since nothing in the house is working correctly, my guess is that the open Neutral is located upstream - probably around your panel (load center) or the watt-hour meter enclosure.

Your real low voltage at some receptacles is due to various devices that are plugged in to the electrical system producing a feedback of sorts onto the neutral wiring within some (or all) parts of the house wiring...yet you have lost THE Neutral that comes from your service [provider's] entrance [cable]. You still have one or both hot legs, but no 'real' Neutral...because it's open.

I would highly suggest having a qualified electrician troubleshoot the problem. $10 says he'll find the problem at your service entrance equipment.


----------



## jiml8 (Jul 3, 2005)

Open neutral will give no current path to operate devices, unless the device has an internal pathway between neutral and ground.

Open neutral is the most dangerous condition because, should a specific device lack a dedicated ground connection, then that device can charge up to line voltage - which is how people get badly shocked by touching, for instance, a lamp frame.

Low voltage almost certainly means bad connection - either hot or neutral - on that circuit. If all circuits are affected, it has to be in the panel or upstream of the panel.


----------

