any electricians around here?

[Syrinx]

I'm having a problem with a 240-volt receptacle and was wondering if anyone here could offer advice.

My electric range stopped working the other day. I checked the voltage in the receptacle, and I don't understand the results.

If I test either of the "hot" slots in combination with the neutral one, I get a reading of 125 volts, pretty much as expected, a little high, but okay. But if I put one multimeter lead in each of the "hot" slots, I get no voltage at all.

I don't have a clue what's going on. Anyone got a guess?

Thanks.

[krispos42]

1. The two 'hot' slots are each 120 volts, but in opposite phase

So the combined voltage between them should be 240 volts, if I'm remembering correctly.

If you're getting zero, then either they are dead or they are both on the same phase. Since they're not dead, that would seem to say they are somehow on same phase. As if one of the wires is now going to both slots instead of just one.

:shrug:

That's all I got.

[Syrinx]

2. that does seem to make a bit of sense

But there are definitely two separate wires going to the two slots. One is red and one is black. And the range worked for years, and only recently stopped.

I wonder if my double-pole breaker could be faulty. I did measure the voltage at the breaker box, and I'm getting 125 volts out of each pole (poll?).

It's a very odd problem, isn't it?

[krispos42]

3. Pole

:-)

It's an odd problem, all right. If the red and black were shorting, the ciruit breaker would have tripped. Or your house would be on fire right now. I'd like to think you'd notice that event. :-)

I guess the next thing would be to check the wires going into the breaker. When connected to neutral, they should each be 120 volts or so, but connected to each other they should be 240.

Or it might be time to call in an electrician before you taser yourself into a puddle of carbon. Which is notoriously difficult to get out of the carpet, I might add...

[Syrinx]

4. thanks for the healthy advice

You're probably right about that. I don't want to run up a carpet-cleaning bill on top of everything else.

:D

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. I'd do the same tests at the circuit breaker panel

test one "hot" bar against the neutral, then the other hot bar. again, both should be 125-ish. Then test one hot bar against the other hot bar, and the result should be 250. If it's zero (which I suspect it will be), then it's probably some bad work by some power company worker, and both your "hot" feeds to the house are coming from the same phase.

Do you know if anyone was doing electric work outside, about the time the stove quit?

[Syrinx]

6. not that I know of

But your prediction was accurate. Hot against hot gives me zero volts. Argh!

EDIT: I went back and tested another double breaker. The one that goes to the heater gives 249 volts. As does the one that feeds the water heater.

Do you think I just have a bad circuit breaker?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. The outside wiring is fine

Heater and water heater prove that the outside wiring is ok.

My next step would be to turn off and on the stove's circuit breaker a few times, in case it's something as simple as internal corrosion.

After that, I'd remove the stove's circuit breaker (after shutting the house breaker or pulling the house fuses). Then re-install, in case it was corrosion at the wire end or the power bar in the box.

If none of that works, I'd take the circuit breaker to an electric repair shop to see if it can be tested.

Very last resort, bring in an electrician or convert to natural gas. I'm not sure which would be cheaper. :)

[Syrinx]

8. thanks for the help!

If nothing else works, do you think it would be okay to use the 60-amp breaker from the heater to power the stove? The stove normally uses a 50-amp breaker. I don't want to start a fire!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

9. Good idea

Swapping breakers is a good idea for a test. It would let you know if the breaker is the bad link. But I'd make it a quick test, then if the stove worked with the heater's 60-watter, put the 60-watter back for the heater and go buy a 50-watt breaker for the stove.

The stove won't stress the 60-watt breaker, since it must pull less than 50 watts with the oven and all burners.

[Syrinx]

10. D'oh! I feel like an idiot!

I just realized that I had the breaker in wrong. I had both poles on the same phase! I moved the breaker up a half a slot, and now I'm getting 247 volts.

Is my face red? :)

Thanks to everyone for the help!

[Ptah]

11. Good job, safely done!

:thumbsup: