16
Burnt my hand on a hot ground wire and found a simple fix for loose connections
Was working on a 3-way switch in a 1950s house in Portland last Tuesday, and the damn ground wire heated up bad when I tested the circuit. Almost dropped my whole setup. Turns out the problem was a loose screw on the neutral bar in the panel - I always check connections now after that. Really saved me from a bigger mess on a dimmer install for a client later that week. Anyone else deal with a hot wire that was just a loose connection?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
olivia_wilson16d ago
Did you check the actual wire for heat damage after that? I read somewhere that a loose neutral can cause arcing that actually melts the insulation over time if you don't catch it. That burn sounds nasty though, hot ground wires are NO joke in old houses. I always keep a non-contact voltage tester handy just for that reason, it saves my skin literally.
6