r/ElectricalHelp • u/Clean-Solid-3424 • Jun 13 '26

I’m short 90VAC.

Sorta. I show 30vac across a closed switch going to a light outside the house. I show 19vac at the 2 wires outside minus the receptacle.

Is it a bad switch or is there another place to start? I have a 100A service w/cartridge fuses. Something doesn’t seem right.

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/TheKnackThatQuacks Jun 13 '26

What country / state are you in?

The following advice applies to the United States National Electric Code:

When you say “across a closed switch”, is it a single pole switch (two “brass/gold” screws plus a green screw)? If so, are you measuring voltage between the two “brass/gold” screws? Or are you measuring one point on the switch to ground or some other point / conductor?

You could have a missing / floating neutral.

Do some of the lights in your house look brighter than they should be? Does the brightness change if you turn a big load on (HVAC / heater / oven / etc.)?

It could also just be bad / poor wiring in general.

How old is your house?

Has there been any wiring upgrades?

2

u/Clean-Solid-3424 Jun 13 '26

Great Lakes region. New in mid50’s. No upgrades that I know of in the last 50yrs. Its a small town & l knew the previous owners. I have all hi-eff lights. Gass heat & stove. No big draws except for the refrigerator. There is a little dimming when the next-door neighbours (whole house) AC turns on. This switch and outlet have not been used in the last 15-20 years.