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Wired new shed and only getting .005 amps

5K views 35 replies 12 participants last post by  jbfan 
#1 ·
My husband recently wired my new shed, he has built a barn and another storage shed before and had no problems. Cannot get this one to work right. He has 12/2 underground wire feeding power to shed. Has power coming in same amperage as from original source. He has 124 volts running to all outlets, but when I plug up a drill or a light to outlet, nothing happens. Why is this? He has tried to figure this out for two weeks and even changed out the NEW box. Cannot figure it out. Why does he have 124 volts to outlets and they will not work? Any advice would be appreciated, especially by me. He had a stroke back in January and he is really getting frustrated with himself. He has always been able to rewire and have no problems, but cannot seem to figure this one out.:(
 
#3 ·
"He has always been able to rewire and have no problems, but cannot seem to figure this one out".

This statement worries me as to the integrity of the installation. Take a a few pictures of the panel (OPEN) and how the receptacles are connected. Sounds like you need professional help to me.
 
#4 ·
Thank you so much for responding. The building is 85 feet from the original power source. He ran Encore Wire 12/2 UFWG. It is a grey wire that can be buried, he intends on running it through PVC conduit. We live in Bainbridge, GA on Lake Seminole so the soil is sandy. He used a multimeter to check the amperage on the outlets, the box, the main line coming in and got all the same readings. He had originally put in a 100AMP long box inside the building. We just moved so he had the one from his other storage building and he took it and put it in this building because he knows it works. He got the same results. He cannot figure out how he has 124 volts running to the outlets, but they will not work anything.:)
 
#5 ·
Here is a test. On one of the duplex outlets, connect the multimeter between the two straight slots on top. Then plug in a lamp or trouble light that is known to work into the bottom connection. Read the meter, then turn on the lamp and read the meter.
Tell us the results.
 
#10 ·
We are working with DIYer that have a limited selection of tools and in this case they have a meter. I have worked in the electronics field for years and have never needed or heard of a wiggins meter. It may have a place in troubleshooting just as an oscilloscope does but right now all we need is a meter. Properly used, it will find our problem.
 
#16 ·
Getting 120V but nothing works is indicative of a loose connection... enough contact to register on a meter, but not good enough to conduct any significant current. Check all connections, starting at the shed feeder connection at the house.
 
#21 ·
Might as well give my 2 cents on the wiggy. Mine is a square d but they have one issue that you need to be careful about in residential. They will trip out gfci's if testing a protected outlet or the gfci itself. Not once in a while but nearly everytime. So I would not recommend it to DIY or they will be popping gfci's right and left.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Rather than use wiggies (tm?) and clampons I would start by using short wires with alligator clips, and/or a cheater cord ("extension cord" with plug and at the other end, nothing or a socket into which alligator clips can be inserted).

Measure voltage between hot and neutral, between hot and ground, and between neutral and ground, with an incandescent light of at least 50 watts connected across the same two places where you put the voltmeter probes. Measure both with the light "turned on" and with the light "turned off". These connections are for test purposes only, lasting at most a few minutes. Hot to ground should also light the lamp to full brightness and measure nearly the full 120 volts. These are the same tests that the little plug-in reverse-neutral-hot tester performs except by loading down the circuit with the incandescent light you can better identify loose connections in the circuit.

If the voltage drops significantly when you turn on the light, you definitely have a problem.

However do not connect a light between hot and hot of a 120/240 volt circuit (MWBC; multiwire branch circuit) unless you have two incandescent lamps (bulbs) of the same wattage in series (more alligator clip wire handiwork).
 
#26 ·
I think we lost the OP:(
It happens quite frequently where thread gets highjacked and taken off track. Page two is mostly about wiggy, wiggins meters and since the OP doesn't have one, why bring this into the picture. I think I gave the OP a pretty good test that matched their compliment of tools and skills.
basscatdad
Please update us. We'd like to help you through this.
 
#27 ·
Yeah I was hoping she would get back to us on your test. My guess is they found the problem and just haven't decided to return to let us know. I do agree that getting off track can cause a poster to not return but even so she said she would get back to us after doing your test (post #6). You really never know.

As for using a wiggy in residential I did use it when inside the meter enclosure or in the main panel. We used it all the time in industrial and commercial years ago testing fuse banks for motor circuits and mains voltages. For residential it is way down on my list these days as better testers are available for all aspects of residential wiring and connected equipment.

My last comment about testers..... Nothing beats the fluke brand ...:)
 
#33 ·
Yes, my point as you probably know is that if you put a 'wiggy' in the hands of a homeowner they will be tripping gfci's because they WILL test hot to ground even if you tell them not to......:)
 
#35 · (Edited)
and if they can't figure that one out, they are probably in over their heads in the first place
Really ... how many homeowners you ever see that owns a wiggy?? How many do you think sticking a wiggy in an outside outlet and trips the gfci in the bathroom would figure that out.....right away...???

And im done arguing about the name of a wiggy. Yes i agree everyone calls them a wiggy, including myself
Hey you gave your opinion that's no problem. What I find and try to avoid is overwhelming the homeowner with testers and drawn out test instructions. It is often better, if a good simple test is suggested, to wait and see how it comes out before 10 other people (me included) start suggesting other methods.

Craig gave a very simple test that was going to lead us to a solution. I wish the OP would return with those results.
 
#36 ·
Really ... how many homeowners you ever see that owns a wiggy?? How may do you think sticking a wiggy in an outside outlet and trips the gfci in the bathroom would figure that out.....right away...???
.

How many have the same question without using a wiggy.
I have made a few dollars reseting gfci's located in the garage of a 3 story house when the receptacles in the bath don;t work.:thumbup:
 
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