260V out of a 220V Outlet

[Clarence Martin]

Had the repairman over the other day to fix the electric dryer. Turned out is was a burned out heating element. Now, what was strange, was the voltage from the 220 outlet to the dryer. It first read 260V. About 20 minutes later, it went back down to 220 Volts. In the same room where the dryer is located, I got a light in the ceiling that occasionally will shut itself off. I flip the light switch on the wall to turn the light on , and the outside porch light that is tied into the light in laundry room, ( It's the back porch where the dryer is located,) the outside porch light turns on , but the ceiling light sometimes will not. Then sometimes it will go on.

It's shorting out somewhere, but where ???

[Chuck Wintle]

Had the repairman over the other day to fix the electric dryer. Turned out is was a burned out heating element. Now, what was strange, was the voltage from the 220 outlet to the dryer. It first read 260V. About 20 minutes later, it went back down to 220 Volts. In the same room where the dryer is located, I got a light in the ceiling that occasionally will shut itself off. I flip the light switch on the wall to turn the light on , and the outside porch light that is tied into the light in laundry room, ( It's the back porch where the dryer is located,) the outside porch light turns on , but the ceiling light sometimes will not. Then sometimes it will go on.

It's shorting out somewhere, but where ???

Does the fuse or circuit breaker let go when the light goes out? You mention the light is on the back porch? My guess is the light socket could be faulty. or the switch. If the door is opened and closed this vibration may affect the switch or light socket.

[Clarence Martin]

No, Circuit breaker is good. Switch is on the inside wall to right of the door knob. I flip the switch and the outside porch light turns on . That flood light has not burned out in the 18 years since I put it in . The light that is up in the ceiling sometimes turns on , sometimes does not turn on.

[Myk Rian]

You ought to call an electrician in before the place burns down.
It's impossible to troubleshoot it on a forum.

[Chuck Wintle]

No, Circuit breaker is good. Switch is on the inside wall to right of the door knob. I flip the switch and the outside porch light turns on . That flood light has not burned out in the 18 years since I put it in . The light that is up in the ceiling sometimes turns on , sometimes does not turn on.

I would replace the switch at this point.

[Scott Ticknor]

You ought to call an electrician in before the place burns down.
It's impossible to troubleshoot it on a forum.

Best advice your gonna get here IMO

[Steve Rozmiarek]

You aren't going to get a jump to 260v from a normal 220v line voltage. The max voltage will be whatever the incoming is. If it draws down to 220 from an in of 260, you have a potentially seriously dangerous situation and need to call the electrician. Worst case scenario, it could be a bad connection or a compromised conductor. Both cause lots of heat quick. Sounds to me like you have a short in a junction box caused by a loose wire nut that arced into another circuit possibly.

[Mike Wilkins]

Please get a licensed electrician to check out the system ASAP. I have handled lots of electrical house fire claims over the years, and electricity is nothing to play around with.

[Lee Schierer]

What brand and model volt meter are you using to measure the voltage and has it ever been calibrated? I have a cheap Harbor Freight voltmeter that I use to basically check to see if there is voltage present. It reads high most of the time as compared to better quality instruments.

With regard to your ceiling light and outdoor light, is it possible that someone tapped into the 240 wiring at some point between the circuit breaker and your outlet to supply a 120 volt circuit such as your lights? Turn off the breaker to the 240 circuit and see if either of the two lights in question still work. If they don't work, then you have an illegal and dangerous tap off a 240 circuit.

[Jim Koepke]

You ought to call an electrician in before the place burns down.
It's impossible to troubleshoot it on a forum.


Best advice your gonna get here IMO


Please get a licensed electrician to check out the system ASAP. I have handled lots of electrical house fire claims over the years, and electricity is nothing to play around with.

Good advice.

In my experience it is unwise, possibly even dangerous, to try to help others from afar with electrical problems when they are not clear on the difference between a short circuit and an open circuit.

jtk

[Ole Anderson]

If you are getting a spike to 260 v, I would call the power company too.

[Dan Hintz]

If the voltage was truly spiking up to 260V (and not a multi-meter issue), you need to call the power company immediately. My guess is they have a neutral starting to lift somewhere, and when that happens completely, about everything electrical tied to those lines will give up the ghost in short order... yours, neighbors, and everyone within a couple of blocks.

[Tom M King]

Cheap digital voltmeter?

[Julie Moriarty]

First of all, your 220V dryer receptacle is actually 240V. Utility companies have variations they allow in the system voltage. Around here it's something like 8%. That would mean reading across the hots you could get as high as 259.2 volts and still be within the allowable variation. On the low end, it would be 220.8 volts.

The problems with your switching is probably not related to the spikes in utility line voltages. Offhand, I can't think of any situation where a wall switch would affect the voltage of a 240V outlet. But I've seen a lot of strange things in my time. Mixed up neutrals, line voltages crossed, you name it, it never ceases to amaze me how some of these fiascos ever worked in the first place. There's no way to predict what some inexperienced DIYer might have done. The problem needs to be traced out by a professional who knows what they are doing. And a license does not necessarily make a good electrician. I've been called in many times to fix the mess a so called professional left behind. So ask around and see who friends and neighbors recommend. But don't let this fester until something goes really bad. Poor installations that seem to work initially always fail over time and when they do it can be catastrophic.

[Art Mann]

I agree with Dan that you could be dealing with an open neutral. That condition will produce some really strange symptoms. Last year, I was examining the voltage under load in my shop and discovered quite by accident that the low voltage on the lighting circuit went up instead of down as one would expect when I turned on my table saw. It took me a few minutes to figure that one out. As it turned out, I have overhead wiring to the house and a squirrel had gnawed the bare neutral wire almost in two. The lineman who came and replaced the wire told me it happens all the time.

I agree that your best course of action is to call in an electrician. Based on your initial inquiry, this may be beyond your ability to figure it out on your own.

Nominal househod voltage is 120/240 VAC nationwide, as far as I know. My utility company will not guarantee better than +/- 10% of nominal, though it is usually much closer than that..

[Jim Koepke]

Had the repairman over the other day to fix the electric dryer. Turned out is was a burned out heating element. Now, what was strange, was the voltage from the 220 outlet to the dryer. It first read 260V. About 20 minutes later, it went back down to 220 Volts. In the same room where the dryer is located, I got a light in the ceiling that occasionally will shut itself off. I flip the light switch on the wall to turn the light on , and the outside porch light that is tied into the light in laundry room, ( It's the back porch where the dryer is located,) the outside porch light turns on , but the ceiling light sometimes will not. Then sometimes it will go on.

It's shorting out somewhere, but where ???

As Julie mentions, the voltage readings could be a normal fluctuation in your local power distribution.

When living in California the normal voltages there were anywhere from 110V-125V and 208V-240V depending on the local distribution system. It was all the same power company, just different loads and systems built up over the years.

It could also be the meter that was being used. Especially if it is not a quality meter with a certificate of calibration.

Two lights on a switch one comes on and one doesn't would not lead me to suspect the switch. A loose connection that possibly opens with heat would be more likely. BTW, a loose connection can generate heat.

Your local power company should be able to tell you if the voltage readings were normal.

Remember electricity can be deadly in many ways. As long as my memory goes back, electricity has been a part of my life. I can even remember getting shocked when I was about 4 years old. Electricity has bitten me many times since.

Hire someone who knows about these things and you will not run the risk of electrocuting yourself or burning down your house.

jtk

[Chuck Wintle]

As is mentioned numerous times you should have an electrician come in diagnose/repair the wiring in your home. Electricity is nothing to play around with.

[Jason Roehl]

Electricity is nothing to play around with.

Well, I don't care what you say, I'm still going to rub balloons on my head and stick them to the wall. And, someday, I hope to have grandkids I can teach to do this. ;)

[Chuck Wintle]

Well, I don't care what you say, I'm still going to rub balloons on my head and stick them to the wall. And, someday, I hope to have grandkids I can teach to do this. ;)

lol! nothing like a little static electricity for fun and games.

[Jim Becker]

If you are getting a spike to 260 v, I would call the power company too.


This. I had an over-voltage issue for awhile that was wreaking havoc with my sliding table saw. Turns out, that there was a flaky transformer out on the pole...

[Jim Koepke]

lol! nothing like a little static electricity for fun and games.

Ben Franklin had a set of Leyden Jars for "fun and games" with static electricity.

He lived near a pub. To solve one of his problems he put a strip of metal around his residence and attached it to what may have been this bank of Leyden Jars:

309148

Problem solved.

jtk

[Dan Hintz]

He lived near a pub. To solve one of his problems he put a strip of metal around his residence and attached it to what may have been this bank of Leyden Jars:

I think my boys just shrank up an inch or two thinking about that...

[Jim Koepke]

I think my boys just shrank up an inch or two thinking about that...

My thoughts were of ol' Ben awaking in the wee hours (literally) to a loud scream and profuse cursing and going back to sleep with a smile of smug satisfaction.

jtk

[Julie Moriarty]

Two lights on a switch one comes on and one doesn't would not lead me to suspect the switch. A loose connection that possibly opens with heat would be more likely. BTW, a loose connection can generate heat.

Poor terminations can make your lighting act like it belongs in a haunted house. Back in the "olden days" they used to dip twisted wires in hot solder and then tape the terminations with rubber tape. I've seen terminations older than me that were just as good as they day they were made.

One of the issues with tracing out electrical problems is trying to get into the mind of the previous installer(s). Knowing how the wiring was done can shorten the troubleshooting process and if installation standards were followed, it's usually not a big deal. But sometimes, there is no logic because the installer had little or no knowledge as to how to do a proper installation. Then your only option is to start opening up boxes in close proximity, trace out where the wires go, open more boxes and trace out those wires until you find the problem. You pretty much have to undo everything along the way until you find it and hope you don't run into the hidden box nightmare. That's one of the reasons I like working with conduit systems. You can send in a fish tape and, when it stops, you know how far away the mystery is.

[Mike Lassiter]

Some time back our refrigerator interior light started acting crazy. sometimes it burned normally, other times very dim. It took several days (weeks perhaps) before I realized there was a problem. On the kitchen counter my wife keeps the Kitchen Aid mixer beside the refrigerator and it stayed plugged into the outlet about a foot from the refrigerator. I checked to see if the refrigerator was on a circuit breaker by itself (it wasn't) so I started turning off the breakers for the kitchen outlets one by one and then I discovered just how close to our house burning down this had become.

The mixer sat in front of the outlet it was plugged into. The picture below shows the cord to the mixer and the outlet it was plugged into. The Burnt spot was where the wires going to the refrigerator which was the last receptacle on the circuit where connected to the one the mixer plugged into. There was NO indication of trouble because the mixer plug was blocking the view as well as the mixer itself. The mixer is rarely used, so this came as a big surprise when it was discovered.

The problem doesn't always occur where it seems to be.


DO NOT take this lightly! It could be just about to get dangerous!

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[Pat Barry]

Its weird to have an outside light and an inside light that both operate off the same switch but if that's what you got then so be it. The fact that the switch is in the house and the outside light operates as expected makes me think its a problem isolated to the ceiling light. That ceiling light sounds like a bad connection and most likely place to look is right there, so, if it were me, I would remove the ceiling light fixture so that i could verify the connections to it were good.

Note - this is likely to have zero relevance to the 220V circuit.

If in fact you do get 260V on the 220V circuit, that could result in a higher likelihood of a heating element burning out. Line fluctuations may be within the range of acceptability though.

[Jim Koepke]

Its weird to have an outside light and an inside light that both operate off the same switch but if that's what you got then so be it. The fact that the switch is in the house and the outside light operates as expected makes me think its a problem isolated to the ceiling light. That ceiling light sounds like a bad connection and most likely place to look is right there, so, if it were me, I would remove the ceiling light fixture so that i could verify the connections to it were good.

Actually this is not as uncommon as you may think depending on when the house was built or when the wiring was done. My previous residence had a set up like this. Though the outside light had a switch that would only turn the outside lamp on if the inside lamp was also turned on.

If you do open the ceiling light fixture or any junction box, make sure the power is off.

It could be both fixtures come together in the switch's box. The loose connection could be there.

Also, if the inside porch light was run from the outside porch light the problem could be in its junction box.

jtk