Should there be continuity between neutral and hot?

You should have continuity between neutral (white insulated wire) and ground because they bond together at the panel, you should not have continuity between hot (black) and ground at any time regardless of breaker position.

Should there be continuity between neutral and ground?





Once the outlet is connected to the wires in the wall (or plugged in in the OP’s case) there will be continuity between ground and neutral because they are connected in your main breaker panel, but if the GFCI (or any other outlet) is just sitting on a table, they should not have continuity.

Why would a neutral and hot be tied together?

While true, home wiring is done in parallel, so that each device is given a clear path to and from the source (panel). By connecting hot and neutral together, you’re closing the electrical path without a load. This results in very large current flow, and the breaker will trip.

What happens if hot and neutral wires touch?

A short circuit happens when a “hot” wire (black) touches another hot wire or touches a “neutral” wire (white) in one of your outlets. When these two wires touch, a large amount of current flows, creating more heat than the circuit can handle, so it shuts off.

Should there be continuity between positive and negative?

For those interested, the answer to my original question is NO – there should not be any continuity between the positive and negative battery terminals when the battery is unplugged (as this would indicate a short circuit!).

Should there be voltage between hot and ground?





To check if neutral and ground are switched, measure hot-neutral and hot-ground under load. Hot-ground should be greater than hot-neutral. The greater the load, the more the difference. If hot-neutral voltage, measured with load on the circuit, is greater than hot-ground, then the neutral and ground are switched.

Why do I have voltage between neutral and ground?

Neutral-to-earth voltage can be caused by a number of factors, both in and around the farm. The amounts of minerals and moisture in the soil, subsoil and rock strata, and the varying water table level can affect any grounding system and change N-E voltages.

How do you check continuity on neutral?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: And you're testing between the line wire there and the projector conductor. You should have continuity. If you don't then it means that the wire the light switch is actually in neutral.

What happens if neutral touches ground?

In Short if neutral wire touches a earth wire,



An earth wire carrying load current is a risk of electric shock because a person touching this earth may present an alternative path for the load current and thus the risk of electric shock.

Can you get shocked by touching the neutral wire?



Now, we know that neutral is always connected to the ground or earth. So when touching the neutral wire standing on the ground there is no voltage applied to our body, therefore no current flow through our body and we do not get the electric shock.

What happens if neutral touches metal?

So, under normal conditions, if the neutral wire touches the appliance metal housing it would not constitute a shock hazard. The problem occurs if there is an open circuit in the grounded circuit conductor between the appliance and service panel.

Can I leave neutral wire unconnected?

Yes. If you’re getting rid of the receptacle, you should cap off the grounded (neutral) conductor in the switch box. Just make sure there’s no exposed wire sticking out of the connector, and you use a twist-on wire connector rated for a single wire.

Why is there 2 neutral wires?



There are two black and two white wires in an outlet box because the outlet is in the middle of a series circuit, accepting power from another source and sending it on. Two cables are hot wires, bringing the power in and carrying it onward to the next. Two cables are neutral and do the same.

Can you connect 2 neutral wires together?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Just go ahead and strip off the edge of the neutral wires just leave a little bit of wiring wiring exposed just enough to sort of connect them together twist them together and connect them okay.

What happens if two live wires touch?

You will receive a shock if you touch two wires at different voltages at the same time. You will receive a shock if you touch a live wire and are grounded at the same time. When a circuit, electrical component, or equipment is energized, a potential shock hazard is present.

Why would a neutral wire spark?

So why the sparks? Between the two neutrals, it’s because there are downline loads being served by that neutral. When you sever a neutral, you cut off current flow, and the downline load “lifts” the neutral wire to 120V.

Can an outlet have two hot wires?



The reason for multiple hot/neutral wires for one outlet is that the outlets are daisy-chained together. This means hot/neutral is only coming from one of the wires and it is being sent to the other wire.

Why are both white and black wires hot?

Here’s a rundown of electrical wires: The black wire is the “hot” wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the “neutral” wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.

Does a neutral wire carry voltage?

Voltage is carried by the live conductor, but a neutral conductor is also necessary for two important functions: Serving as a zero voltage reference point.

Why would a black and white wire be connected?

Why are black and white wires connected together in the switch outlet? If you see both sides connected together, it means it’s a switch loop. The white wire that’s connected to the black wire carries power to the switch. And the black wire that’s in the same cable carries back that switched power to the outlet.