# Outlet measures 140 volts



## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

It is not safe to hook up electronics and many appliances to 140 volts.

Most likely there is a loose neutral somewhere. Unplug all electronics and do voltage tests using incandescent lights moved to different locations (and a hair dryer, if you have one, on low setting). Do you observe the lights dimming and brightening as you turn on and off other lights elsewhere in the house? All circuits or just some?

While you are at it, tighten up all the screws and setscrews in the breaker panel. (Turn off each breaker before touching its screw) Leave the big setscrews for the fat wires up top for an expert to do.


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## Kyle_in_rure (Feb 1, 2013)

Are you sure the light switch doesn't control this circuit you're working on? (Or any other outlet for that matter)


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Are you sure it was not 240 volts? That would make sense. The white wire is not a neutral. The cable was for a 240 volt device like an AC or a heater. Was it a double breaker that killed the power? How many volts from the white to the ground?


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## dmxtothemax (Oct 26, 2010)

Are you real sure it's suppossed to be a 120v line ?
If so - then you have a high resistance neutral joint
it could be your panel or even a POCO problem.
Do your neighbours have high voltage as well ?

It could also be just a lightly loaded tranny
causing higher than usual voltage.

Get an electricain to check your panel
and especially your neutral connecttions !

If all checks ok !
Call poco to check there equipment !


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## Toller (Jan 2, 2013)

The only way you can have 140v on one outlet with 124v on the others is on somesort of screwed up 240v circuit. You might have opened up a junction box going to a 240v appliance and are now in series with something, or it is a multiwire circuit with a bad neutral. Without seeing it it is hard to say what, but it has to be something like that.
You better get this sorted out quickly; it could be something serious.

124v is technically within acceptable tolerances; but I would still complain to your utility and get them to lower it to 120v.


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## dmxtothemax (Oct 26, 2010)

The reason why the voltage on the Black to green
is 124v, as compaired to the 140v across black to white
is because the path via the earth system is better
(lower resistance) then the path via the neutral 
conductor line.

The earth is usually bonded to the neutral
at the substation/tranny.
So if the neutral line is faulty the current 
will usually find a path via the earth line instead. 

Have you checked the voltages at your panel ?


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