Pete M Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 doesn't sound especially safe... :doh: found it when trying to replace the light fixture in the bathroom. my voltage detector was going haywire around the light fixture even though the switch was off. thought that the old owners may have been switching the neutral instead of hot, but found this gem instead. yay. :( this should be fun to track down. :fs1: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87manche1 Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Something back feed to ground? But only 50v that's weird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Clean your ground connection and make sure it's tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Go back to the service box and locate the fuse/circuit breaker that feeds that fixture. Measure the voltage between that fuse/circuit breaker and neutral in the box. This will tell you if the voltage out of the box is correct or if the problem is downstream. Also make sure the fuse/circuit breaker wire terminal connections for that circuit are clean and tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Considering that ground and neutral are supposed to be tied together in the fuse/breaker box, for a ground circuit to have 50 volts on it the wiring must be really messed up. The question I have is, what is the impedance of the 50v signal? Wire a light bulb between that ground and neutral and see if it lights. If so there is a HUGE problem somewhere. If not, measure the voltage across the bulb. If it reads 0 now that means that ground wire is simply not hooked up and you're seeing the magnetic inductance between the ground and the hot wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbyrambler Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Is power to the switch coming from the fixture? One of only a few in residential where a white lead will carry power - used to be required to have those ends painted black but hard telling when up against some DIYs & to rely on "white is ground the world around" is asking to get a tingle when reworking a PO's efforts - - Anyway, how many lamps in the fixture? - you can get 50v as well as other voltages from a 110 feed - center tap inna fixture wi bulbs wired in series for inst - - Kill the circuit - Disco the fixture from + & - then activate the circuit & ck voltage with ends still unconnected - should not see anything other'n 110 unless there's an ac transformer somewhere before the fixture - - - 50v AC almost gotta be multi lamp/fixture prob :hmm: afterthought: Also - - Need a little more info - Shoulda asked 1st - - Is a GFI part of the circuit? GF switch or outlet? Do you know if fixture is at end of the run or somewhere inna middle? Zoomed right by the bathroom location - - Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 it will not light up an incandescent bulb. not even a little. everything checks out as good in the breaker box so there must be a disconnect in the ground wire somewhere along the line. I look more into it tomorrow. thanks guys :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 it will not light up an incandescent bulb. not even a little. everything checks out as good in the breaker box so there must be a disconnect in the ground wire somewhere along the line. I look more into it tomorrow. thanks guys :D How old is the system? Is there an outlet on the same circuit that you can plug a wiring fault indicator into? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 22, 2013 Author Share Posted December 22, 2013 house was built in the 80s. the bath outlets are on a separate gfi circuit, but the bedroom outlets should be the same as this switch. I'll see of my brother in law has one. mine is in michigan :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 house was built in the 80s. the bath outlets are on a separate gfi circuit, but the bedroom outlets should be the same as this switch. I'll see of my brother in law has one. mine is in michigan :( If he doesn't have one, he should. They aren't expensive. Lowe's and Home Depot both stock them, with or without a button to test GFI function. If there's a Harbor Freight store nearby, they also carry them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbyrambler Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 OK - Check outlets/anything passing power b4 the switch for open/loose ground - Getting closer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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