[mx13]

After replacing a switch on another circuit, I was poking around my house with an outlet tester and found one with a hot-neutral reversed indication (other outlets on that circuit are OK). Not a frequently used outlet: there's a night-light in it now and we used to use it regularly for vacuuming, but recently got a cordless vacuum.

How scary is this? It's been like that for many years, obviously, since we bought the house, and I just never checked it. I'll put it on my to-do list, but probably not at the top.

 

[CodeMatters]

After replacing a switch on another circuit, I was poking around my house with an outlet tester and found one with a hot-neutral reversed indication (other outlets on that circuit are OK). Not a frequently used outlet: there's a night-light in it now and we used to use it regularly for vacuuming, but recently got a cordless vacuum.

How scary is this? It's been like that for many years, obviously, since we bought the house, and I just never checked it. I'll put it on my to-do list, but probably not at the top.

That's appropriate.

 

[surferdude2]

You should turn off the power and fix it. It's not a huge deal but now that you know it, it would be negligent to let it slide.

Put the black wire on the brass screw and the white wire on the plated screw. If it's already that way, you will have to find what other receptacle it is fed from and correct it there. Sometimes when "back stabbing" receptacles the polarity gets wrongly inserted.

edit: If it's back stabbed, change that while you're at it.

 

[MTN REMODEL LLC]

Probably not a material issue......but probably eassily corrected.

Your polarity is probably reversed at the receptical. Open the recep and your white wire is probaly on the gold screws and the black probably on silver screws.

I would correct it, as lights and some appliances are insulated ("protected") on the hot side and you just have your polarity reversed.