A retired lineman in Topeka told me to always check the neutral first on a no-power call

He said, 'The hot wire gets all the attention, but a bad neutral will ruin your whole day.' I've found three bad main neutrals in the last month alone by starting there. Do you guys have a specific order you run through for basic troubleshooting?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_hayes801mo ago

Yeah, that old timer gave you solid gold advice. I always hit the neutral first at the meter and then the main panel. You'd be surprised how many times it's just a loose lug on the neutral bus bar, you know? Saves you from chasing ghosts in the house for an hour.

the_mia1mo ago

Guess we're all just ghostbusters with voltage testers now.

rowanj2119d ago

Tbh chasing those house ghosts is the worst part of the job. You can spend forever checking every outlet when it was just a bad connection at the street the whole time. Ngl, that old timer probably saved you a whole afternoon of cussing at the walls.