Hack for neutral wire on ungrounded outlet.

Submitted by Nonamanadus t3_122n7bm in DIY

I was replacing a old light fixture in the living room, and with no surprise it had two black wires (for fan motors & light bulbs this is not an issue). Well I wanted to determine hot and neutral but the box was not grounded (surprise surprise). So I tried out the ground on an extention cord with my multimeter using a kitchen outlet, worked perfectly.

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crashorbit t1_jdqx9gn wrote

Ceiling box? What kind of wiring is it? standard romex style bundles? Chances are the lazy electrician never hooked up the ground and just left it dangling. If this is older construction then getting a ground there will be, um, harder.

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Matt-Mathews t1_jdqyaum wrote

So, you just leave the extension cord forever?

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anode_cathode t1_jdqz062 wrote

Nice trick! If you can get the wires far apart enough you can use a non-contact tester too.

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Diligent_Nature t1_jdr3kqw wrote

>for fan motors & light bulbs this is not an issue

Proper neutral is important for light bulbs with an Edison (screw) base. The threads must be neutral to reduce the risk of shock when changing bulbs.

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Ravvik t1_jdr8gpx wrote

Replying to Matt-Mathews (#2,370,707)

OP is just using the extension cord to determine which wire is Hot and which is Neutral. Since the box was not grounded, he used the ground in the extension cord to make the measurement.

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davethompson413 t1_jdrlyjg wrote

45 years ago, I learned how to find the hot wire, using a neon-light circuit tester, and my finger. If the wire was the neutral, nothing. If it was hot, a dim glow. Hold one of the test leads to a wire, the other to my finger.

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