LOOSE NEUTRAL OR WHAT..... I AM SO CONFUSED

Forums: Electrical, Wiring, Electrical Receptacle, Electrical Circuit
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I am trying to wire a small wall I added as a room divider. this is what started the issue. Heres the scenario. I removed a receptacle so I could extend the circuit down this new wall. I wired the circuit and began having problems so I unwired the new circuit and just wire nut capped the ends.
now the circuit is not functioning properly. the ceiling light and fan do not function but when I plug a small light into a receptacle in that circuit the fans will spin slowly and the light comes on but just barely. it seems to me that the light is somehow completing the circuit and allowing some power to reach the rest of the circuit.

I am not an electrician but I do have the most basic knowledge of an electrical circuit.

This is beyond my scope and I need some help. I am about to call an electrician but before I spend several hundred dollars I was looking for a checklist of some things I might check that would resolve my issue.

I thought maybe I have a bad breaker?

Please help

Joe

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@joesmtoy,

Did you record how the outlet you removed was wired? That might be a clue. See if you can trace the wiring from the fan back to the breaker. It is possible that they wired the breaker to the outlet, then the outlet to the fan. When you pulled the outlet, you also disconnected the fan. If there are two sets of wires in the box, that is a clue.

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@engineer,

there are 2 sets of wires... I have put a meter on the neutral and the ground and seem to be recording power on that leg.

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@joesmtoy,

Golly Pete, Joe, but this result can be accounted for by number of different miswirings. What you need is an inexpensive multimeter, preferably of the old-fashioned mechanical kind, for reasons a bit too complex to explain here. Then learn to use it, becoming familiar with various conditions such as voltage differences, current flow, resistance, etc, being sure power is off when you entail the last

Unexpectedly low current can be accounted for by a phenom referred to as capacitance, a very tricky and misleading possibility with which you might also have to become familiar

It's a long road....

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@joesmtoy,

Joe - I posted a response at EC&M Talk ...

Simple 3 step solution -

1) Before doing any additional damage and putting your family & property at risk - you need to stop troubleshooting this problem;
2) Turn off the breaker or breakers for the receptacle, ceiling fan and light;
3) Stop playing Electrician and call in a Licensed & Insured Electrician.

If what you have done results in an electrical fire - you won't collect a dime from you insurance company.

Joe

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LOOSE NEUTRAL OR WHAT..... I AM SO CONFUSED

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