Why is my outlet measure 87V, not 120V? how do i find out what is wrong with it..??
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Answers:
87 volts is a problem all ac equipment is rated at + or minus 10% ie 108v or equipment dont work right. it is is more then one outlet could very wel be the power company has a transformer problem in your area.
For 1 go the panel box to start with and check the temperature of the breakers a overly warm breaker to the touch can indicate a bad breaker contact reducing voltage.
obviously you can use a volt meter - you can read your incoming voltage by removing the top cover of your panel box and reading from the incoming line to ground. each leg should read between 108 and 132 volts with 118 being norm.
If 1 leg is low it is a power company issue call them.
If all is normal find the breaker that feeds that outlet and test its output to the Neutral (white wire) of the same wire.
120v each leg into box less then 120 at breaker to neutral bad breaker.
final is with breaker off remove the suspect outlet from wall inspect the wire connections for tightness burnin etc. if all looks good, with outlet still out turn on the breaker and carefully test the voltage where the wires connect to the outlet. 120 here but not thru front indicates a bad recepticle.
If 120 is not at back of outlet but is between breaker and neutral you have a problem with the wire or there has been a load put on the same circuit that is interfearing or not tyed into the circuit correctly
Hope this gives you some idea's
nothing wrong with it
the 120 volts is the max for the outlet not how much it will be
B.
How are you measuring this to get 87V? 120V is the RMS AC measurement. If you have a cheap meter, it will not measure "true RMS" but some approximation. If you have a decent meter, you can expect a reasonably accurate reading. So the first thing to determine is if you have a problem, or a bad reading. If you have a problem, I'd first contact the power company, They are responsible for ensuring that the proper voltage reaches your home. Internally to your house it's your responsibility, but if it's no good coming in, it isn't getting any better running around your house. The power company should do this for no charge. 87V is definately below spec, if it's a good RMS value reading.
Is this a new outlet you just installed? Or has anything been modified on this circuit? Is the length of the power feed run extraordinarily long? There is no way that a proper installation would result in a voltage drop like that. I can see it going down to 100v+ on an especially long run, but anything lower can actually damage any electronics you plug in.
Your meter is faulty.
Call the power company to test your voltage coming into the house .if it is okay call an electriction .You may have a wiring problem .bad beaker or loose ground wire. you can;t repair it yourself
call a qualified electrician, your problem is more then likely a loose connection (bad wiring) which will probably cause a fire. Don't listen to the people telling you its the power company they don't let their voltage drop that much
USA Ms Bowbow has it right. If there is only one affected receptacle, it is not a utility (power company) problem.
87 volts is way to low outlet is prob bad but check the power on all breakers on each branch ckts and make sure you have at least 110 on less
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