Low Voltage Outlet

I have an outside outlet that that is used to power lights and two pond filters. I've only been in this place a month or so and noticed the pond filters aren't working but the landscaping lights are. No regular 110 V device I plug into it works. I know the pond filters worked at some point in the recent past. I also tried removing the outlet (which was a bit rusted) and checking directly at the wires and didn't get enought to light up the 110 V light on my meter checker doohicky. So, my question is, what could happen to a circuit to lower the voltage like that?

 

Seems as if the nuetral is is bad somewhere. I hope this thread sparks some deep conversation about electrical wiring.

 

Who told you that?

 

I read it. That's what it was, sort of. The outdoor outlet was connected to the bathrooms GFCI circuit. The outlet in the bath's GFCI had been tripped so the circuit was broken befor it got to it. However, there is still enough voltage running through it via the ground to power the low voltage landscaping lights. I assume a GFCI breaks the neutral creating the same situation I read about with the faulty neutral at some point in the circuit.

 

Good to know. I'd never have thought about the neutral. You'd still have to rewire tho, right; you can't replace just the neutral?

 

Well it could need to be rewired or hopefully in that situation it's just a bad connection with the nuetral at some outlet or light or whatever.

 

You reckon it could be a ground and just not properly screwed/grounded somewhere? That'd be easier to fix.

Don't mean to put you on the spot, just conversing.

 

It could be anything, but you check the connections first becuase that's what you can fix without rewiring.

I was about to call an electrician when I called my friend (who's house I rent) and he said it was on the bathroom circuit and it dawned on me to check the gfci in there. I'm glad I didn't call an electrician for that but I had checked nearly everything else.

 

Dig it.

I took one wiring course, learned just enough for me to stay the hell away from electricity as much as possible.

Have you seen/got the Stanley Complete Wiring book? Lots of helpful instructions in it.