Sometimes an interesting malfunction occurs in the electrical wiring, which puts an inexperienced electrician or a simple amateur in a difficult situation. Such a malfunction is the occurrence second phase in the socket, which is there in place of zero, which makes you think a lot.

In fact, the same phase is present on both sockets of the socket, since in a single-phase electrical network alternating voltage 220V is formed by one phase and one neutral conductors, and there cannot be a second phase there. But it is the understanding of this that causes some bewilderment when a phase is found in place of the standard zero.

If there really was a second phase in the outlet, then the voltage between both phases would be 380V and all Appliances I would have to take it to a repair shop.

A bit of theory.

Without going into technical details we can say that a single-phase electrical network is such a way of transmitting electric current when to a consumer (load) alternating current flows through one wire, and returns from the consumer through another wire.

Let's take, for example, closed an electrical circuit consisting of an alternating voltage source, two wires and an incandescent lamp. From the voltage source to the lamp, the current flows through one wire and, having passed through the filament of the lamp, heating it, the current returns to the voltage source through the other wire. So, the wire through which the current flows to the lamp is called phase or simply phase (L), and the wire through which the current returns from the lamp is called zero or simply zero (N).

If, for example, a phase wire breaks, the circuit opens, the current flow stops and the lamp goes out. In this case, the phase wire section from the voltage source to the break point will be under current or phase voltage(phase). The rest of the phase and neutral wires will be de-energized.

When the neutral wire breaks, the current flow will also stop, but now the phase wire, both lamp leads and part of the neutral wire extending from the lamp base to the place of the break will be under phase voltage.

You can make sure that there is a phase on both terminals of the lamp and on the neutral wire extending from the lamp with an indicator screwdriver. But if you measure the voltage on the same terminals and wire with a voltmeter, then it will not show anything, since in this part of the circuit there is one and the same phase, which cannot be measured relative to itself.

Conclusion: there is no voltage between the same phase. There is voltage only between the neutral and phase wires.

Advice. To determine the presence of a phase and voltage in the electrical network, it is necessary to use an indicator screwdriver and a voltmeter together. You can use it as a voltmeter.

And now let's move on to practice and consider some situations with zero that can be independently determined and, if possible, eliminated without involving the communal energy service:

1. Zero break in the input shield of a house or apartment;
2. Zero break at the input or inside the junction box;
3. Closure of the zero conductor to the phase conductor in case of mechanical damage to the insulation.

1. Zero break in the input shield of a house or apartment.

In the input panel of a house or apartment, the neutral wire may break at the introductory circuit breaker or on the neutral bus. As a rule, the screw connection is loosened, due to which the contact between the wire and the clamp is lost, or, in rare cases, the neutral wire breaks off at the clamp and hangs in the air.

Also, due to poor contact between the clamp and the wire, heating and burning of the wire occurs and, as a result, a large transition resistance is formed between them in the form soot, which gradually turns into a cliff.

In the absence of zero, all electrical devices will not work at home. But if at least one household appliance remains plugged into the outlet or the light switch remains on, the phase through power supply radio components household appliances or filament the lamp will pass unhindered to the zero bus, and from the bus to all the neutral wires of the electrical wiring. And as a result, there will be a phase on both sockets of sockets and contacts of switches. This is because all the neutral wires of the electrical wiring are connected together on the zero bus.

To determine such a malfunction, it is enough to disconnect all household appliances from the sockets and turn off all light switches or unscrew the light bulbs. After these steps, the second phase of the sockets and switch contacts will disappear. The malfunction is treated by restoring contacts on the terminals of the introductory machine or on the zero bus.

2. Zero break at the input or inside the junction box.

If the zero conductor breaks in front of the junction box or in the box itself, the problem with zero and the operation of electrical equipment will be in the very room of the house or apartment into which this box distributes voltage. At the same time, everything in the neighboring rooms will work as usual.

The figure above shows that in front of the left junction box there was a break in the neutral conductor of the wire, and the phase through the filament of the lamp (load) enters the socket zero.

When searching for such a malfunction, the problematic box is opened and the twist of the common zero is found (it is the thickest in the box). The twist strands are cut off, re-cut and twisted together again.

Advice. If the wire is copper, then it is advisable to solder the twist.

When zero breaks in front of the junction box, as shown in the upper figure, in order to find a break, it is often necessary to open a strobe with this wire in the wall to find the fault.

When searching for such a malfunction, first a twist with a common zero is found in the box and untwisted into separate cores. Then each zero core is called up to sockets and up to the ceiling. A core that does not ring out and will be the incoming wire to the box.

Next, this wire is pulled through and the plaster in the wall is opened to find the place of damage to the wire. However, such a malfunction belongs to the category of difficult ones, because few people undertake to pick a wall - it is easier to lay a new track.

3. Closing of the zero conductor to the phase conductor in case of mechanical damage to the insulation.

A situation may arise when drilling a hole, screwing in a self-tapping screw, or driving a nail into the wall breaks the electrical wiring. In addition to this, damage to the wiring is accompanied by a short circuit, due to which the wire is completely or partially damaged. Such a malfunction is treated by opening the place of damage and restoring the damaged section of the wire.

Sometimes with such a malfunction, you can also observe two phases in the outlet.
At the moment of closing, the phase and neutral conductors are welded together, and therefore the phase freely enters the zero conductor. Moreover, even when the electrical equipment is turned off from the sockets and the lighting switches are turned off, the phase will be present on those sockets and switches that are energized from this wire.

The malfunction is treated by restoring the damaged section of the wiring.

If you still have questions, then in addition to the article, watch the video, which also covers the topic of zero break.

In this article, we examined only the most common malfunctions that occur in a single-phase electrical network when the neutral conductor of the wire is damaged. Now if you have two phases will appear in the socket, You can easily identify and fix such a malfunction.
Good luck!

It is quite unpleasant to encounter a problem when suddenly the outlet is out of order. There are two main types of malfunctions, but there are much more variations, as well as ways to fix them.

These include:

The tension is completely gone;

The outlet has two phases.

Let's see why all the sockets or one of them stopped working. But first, familiarize yourself with the design of the outlet.

What is a socket made of?

First you need to find out the socket device itself. First of all, you see the front panel fixed in the frame. They are screwed to the main part through 1, less often 2 screws. After removing the front part, we see the main part, which is fixed in the socket with two spreading paws, and they are fixed with 1 screw each. When you tighten the screws, the legs straighten and lock, and when you loosen, the legs drop and you can remove the socket from the wall.

If the socket is single, you see two holes for the plug located horizontally in the center, they lead to conductive tires. There may not be any holes, then the tire will immediately appear in front of you, as in the photo below.

The wire to the socket is connected through the clamping screw to the terminal block. Be careful there is tension on the screws, do not grab the tip of the screwdriver when you unscrew them.

One socket in the room does not work, but the rest are normal

You plugged in an electrical appliance, but it showed no signs of life. It is necessary to check the presence of a phase, if there is one phase and it is present, then there are problems with the neutral wire, if there is no phase, check for the presence of zero - this can be done by ringing the outlet connector with zero to a similar one in another outlet, after making sure where the phase is on it and where the zero is (most often an indicator screwdriver is found) or to the ground terminal, depending on the type of wiring and grounding in a particular room or installation.

If it turned out that there is only a phase, or if it does not exist in a place with zero, then the contact has disappeared somewhere due to oxides, soot, or the wire has burned out. First of all, you need to disassemble the socket, for this you need to unscrew 1 or 2 fastening screws to remove the front panel.

All operations must be carried out with a tool with dielectric handles, with the introductory machine or outlet group machine turned off.

Next, you will see the socket itself, its conductive tires and frame. To remove from the socket, you need to loosen the fastening screws, after which the mounting brackets will loosen. Next, inspect the connection of wires to the outlet. If they burn out, clean and reconnect. Inspect the terminal blocks to which they are connected. If they are in place and have not burned out, then they need to be cleaned to a shine with sandpaper or a fine file.

If the housing near the terminal blocks has melted, it is better to replace the socket. Sometimes current can flow through the soot, this will cause further problems.

To reconnect the wire, unscrew the screw from the terminal block, insert the wire and tighten it. Be careful, the wire must be stripped just enough so that the bare part is completely hidden in the terminal in order to avoid short circuits. Sometimes it may not work due to the fact that the place where the plug is inserted is covered with a layer of soot or oxide, try to clean it.

All electrical connections and contact points must be well cleaned and shiny, then the contact will heat up less and last longer.

There is no voltage in the outlet, but the wires are connected to it

Voltage can reach the outlet, but disappear in it if the tires are cracked or burned out. To check if there is voltage on the cable, you do not need to turn it off - just touch the caps of the mounting screws with the probes of the measuring device or indicator.

If the device shows "zero", remove the socket and wires from it. Re-measure when you make sure that the cables are de-energized, start searching for a break or loss of contact.

Types of socket connections: loop or star

To deal with this malfunction, you need to know how the connections were made in your case. There are two types of connection:

2. Star.

The loop is more common: the cable is connected to the first outlet and from it to the next ones. The benefits are clear: low copper consumption and less . And the disadvantages are: if the cable from one of the sockets burns out, all connected after it also stop working.

In addition, when a high-power load is connected to the last of the sockets, the load falls on 1 cable, and the rest of the sockets can no longer be loaded. This is equivalent to a situation when you have 1 outlet and a bunch of tees and extension cords are inserted into it.

The connection of sockets according to the star scheme is as follows: each of the sockets of the apartment is connected with a separate cable to the introductory machine or junction box of the room.

Troubleshooting

Regardless of how the outlets are connected, the first step is to find the nearest junction box and open it. Next, you need to inspect the connections for burnouts, melting of the insulation.

If the sockets are connected by a loop, the situation is simplified. Junction boxes are often covered with wallpaper or even worse - plastered or covered with drywall. Then you need to open the sockets throughout the room and check if the cables are burned out from them.

When during the inspection you did not reveal any malfunctions, then the cable is damaged in the wall. Then the repair becomes much more complicated and you need to gouge the walls in search of a place where the wires are damaged.

If the sockets are connected by a star, inspect the apartment electrical panel, the wire may have burnt out from the terminal. The machine needs to be replaced and the connections restored.

All sockets stopped working

Repair in a situation when not a single outlet in the room or in the entire apartment is working is similar. If the connection of the sockets is made by a loop, then start checking the connections in the sockets. In this case, special attention should be paid to the first outlet in the circuit - all the rest are powered from it. If there are no problems in the loop, inspect the junction box.

When connected with a star, the automatic outlet group was most likely knocked out or out of order. If the whole apartment is powered by one machine, then look at the switch box first after the shield - it must have a socket connection.

Why are there two phases in sockets and how to restore their work?

The answer is simple and short - a break in the neutral wire. The fact is that in an open circuit, even if the neutral wire breaks, the end on the side of the supply phase will be under potential. That is, both wires will be energized.

Current flows only in a closed circuit. But the voltage at zero appears through the load if you turn off all consumers (lamps, heaters, household appliances) the second phase in the outlet will disappear, and this will not help the case.

You need to look for such a malfunction as close as possible to the beginning of the wiring - a meter or electrical panel. If there are no problems in the apartment - look outside. Check the connection in the driveway switchboard. When you restore zero, everything will return to its place.

Conclusion

The main problem of power failure is a cable break or burnout, the restoration of this problem can take minutes, or maybe several days, while the price of such a restoration will be repairs in the apartment, since the walls will have to be hammered.

The main thing is to observe safety precautions and turn off the introductory machine to an apartment or room. Don't work wet hands, on wet floors and walls, use insulated tools if possible. Despite the simplicity of the operations, do not try to perform them if you have not had a relationship with electricity - this is very dangerous.

A small reminder-algorithm: "What to do if the light is turned off." Advice from a professional electrician, from simple to complex. How to solve a problem without tools and skills on your own in order to save yourself from extra costs to call an electrician (as soon as the tongue turned to write this? =)

What to do if the light is turned off, the electricity is gone?

First of all, do not panic, if you are not connected to an artificial respiration or heartbeat apparatus, then nothing seems to threaten you. People have always lived without light and have not become impudent. If you still need the light, make sure that it is turned off only in you, and not in the whole house! If the lights in the whole house turned off, then you yourself are unlikely to solve this issue, you need to cooperate with your neighbors and take action.

To begin with, it is best to understand what initially preceded the power outage. The most common option: turned on the switch, turned on the appliance, inserted something into the outlet, spilled water, something stank for a long time or started to stink. If this is the case, then first turn off the lights or appliances, eliminate the leak, turn off what caused the shutdown, find the source of the smell. Then look for machines.

Option number 1

Check circuit breakers. Circuit breakers are protective shutdown devices (automatic devices, traffic jams, RCDs, Diff.automatic devices, knife switches) that are located in the electrical panel in your apartment or entrance, and they turn off under certain conditions (overloads, leaks, short circuits). There are several types of slot machines and it is sometimes difficult for an inexperienced user to understand them. If you do not know what they look like and where they are, look at the pictures!

You found the machines, what to do next? How to understand where yours is, where not yours, whether it is on or off. With modern machines or RCDs, everything is clear - the toggle switch falls down on them (there are cases when the machines are installed upside down, carefully look at the inscriptions). Here you can easily calculate your machine in the shield. Gently, with one hand, without touching other wires and parts of the electrical panel, turn on the machine. Things are good? You can stop reading and like and repost the article.

How to properly turn on the machines. It is necessary to turn off all the machines (do not touch the neighbors), and turn them on in turn starting from the most important one, so you can calculate the problem line, leaving the problem machine turned off until the causes are eliminated. Leaving the light on other lines.
Option number 2: You have old black machine guns, how to understand where yours are? Usually, the machines in such shields are lined up in numerical order, in groups of two or three for each apartment. Old Soviet-style automata do not give out their "off" in any way, they must be overloaded, that is, turned off and on. Calculate where yours are, and safely turn off and on again! Problem solved? Likes, reposts, applause..

Option number 2.1

You have old black machines, turn off / on - nothing happens. Before turning off neighbor machines, make sure that the main switch is not turned off (see pictures). It must be turned clockwise by 90 degrees (Knife 1) or press the red button (Knife 2). Also, carefully, with one hand, without touching other elements in the shield. Has the issue been resolved? Know what to do

Option number 2.2

Turned off the neighbors. Don't be scared! Try to politely explain the situation and apologize. In most cases this helps. Click other machines and switches until the problem is solved, or other neighbors come out.

Option number 3.1

You are knocked out by a differential machine. On some diff. vending machines (see pictures) have a small button that must be pressed before turning on the device. Did it help? You are almost an electrician.

Option number 3.2

The RCD or the machine does not turn on (the toggle switch does not move to the “up” position). If cotton occurs, then this is characteristic of a short circuit. In the case of an RCD (current leakage), the diagnosis becomes more complicated several times. There is a possibility of failure of the RCD itself, replacing the device will solve your problem. And before you despair and invite an experienced electrician to your place, use advice #2.

Unplug all electrical appliances from outlets. Turn off all light switches, check the bulbs in the sockets, unscrew them. Inspect all outlets for water or burning, make sure you are not flooded from above. If you smell burning or smoke, look for the problem. Inspect the shield for burnt wires or melted circuit breakers. In cases of burning of insulation, automatic machines, smell from under the wallpaper, walls - it is better not to touch anything and wait for an electrician.

Option 5

Electrical wiring is a fairly complex system with important features and nuances. Sometimes it gets seriously damaged. Two phases in an outlet is a good example. Consider what constitutes a malfunction, for what reasons it occurs, and how it is eliminated.

general information

The appearance of two phases is determined using special devices - voltage indicators and voltmeters.

In most apartments / houses, the wiring is hidden. As practice has shown, it is more vulnerable than the established open way. The latter will not be broken by accident if it is necessary to hang a picture or a carpet. Hidden wiring is more difficult. It is difficult to determine its location, because builders usually do not leave diagrams, and a device for such work is expensive.

Damage is different. Often, an apartment / house or some separate room is left without electricity. In cases where circuit breakers are installed that quickly eliminate short circuits, this is imperceptible. In their absence, the malfunction will manifest itself in the appearance of sparks and smoke.

If such damage can be prevented, from breakdowns in junction box cannot be defended. There are several reasons for their appearance:

1. Poorly executed work on the connection of wires.
2. The junction oxidized and collapsed.
3. A combination of aluminum and copper wire. Under the influence of moisture, the wires oxidize, as a result of which a break occurs.

Such malfunctions are easily detected by the smell of burnt insulation.

Break of the neutral conductor

If there is a zero break, electrical appliances connected to the outlet will not work. Perhaps the voltage will disappear in other outlets.

If the breakdown occurred for this reason, then the solution is quite simple. It is enough to turn off the equipment from the network. What to do next:

1. Identify sockets without voltage. At this stage, a voltmeter, test load or indicator screwdriver will come in handy. Do not use a single-pole indicator - it is useless. It is forbidden to use an incandescent lamp as an indicator. If a voltage of 380 V is encountered, it may explode and cause injury.
2. Next you need to find the damaged part of the wiring.

If you cannot do the work yourself, you should contact an electrician.

Breakage of the neutral conductor with a short circuit to the phase

In the event of a break in the neutral wire with a short to phase, it is not enough just to turn off electrical appliances. The appearance of two phases will not eliminate this.

To correct the situation, you need to find the place where the wire was damaged. Using the indicator, you need to touch the metal parts in the walls. Search for a malfunction should be in the place where the phase is found.

Phase conductor break

If the indicator does not show anything in the outlet, a break in the so-called phase has occurred. It is easy to determine its location. It is necessary to check the presence of a phase in the junction boxes located between the electrical panel and the damaged socket.

Protection apparatus

Despite the presence of protective elements (RCD, circuit breakers), fuses are installed in many homes. If the fuse that is at “zero” has failed, the second phase will go to the sockets.

Correcting the situation is easy if you find the place of the circuit. It is necessary to turn off the light, unplug the appliances and install a new fuse. If it breaks, the breakage concerns the wiring. Otherwise, when the fuse is in order, the fault should be sought in the technique.

Now, instead of fuses, two-pole circuit breakers are installed. Two phases may also appear with them, but only if the device malfunctions or is installed incorrectly.

Mains faults

Another reason for the appearance of two phases in the outlet is a network breakdown. Most often this is a break in the neutral wire. It can break off anywhere, starting with a substation, ending with a shield in a multi-storey building. At the same time, electricity in the apartments will not disappear. In particularly difficult cases, the voltage will rise to 380 V, which will disable household appliances.

Two phases in the outlet also arise due to the short circuit of the phase / zero on the power line. This is a dangerous malfunction, because even RCDs do not always have time to respond. The result is a fire.

Only electricians should search for and eliminate faults in the supply network.

An overvoltage has occurred

Two phases also appear due to power surges (increase or decrease) in the network. This manifests itself in the blinking of light, too bright or, conversely, the dim glow of light bulbs. An increase is especially dangerous, because the equipment cannot work fully or burns out.

How to proceed:

1. Turn off the power supply for the apartment / house.
2. Disable technology.
3. Turn off the light (set the switches to the “off” position).
4. Call the electricians.

Why can't you act on your own? Firstly, the slightest inaccuracy in the work can lead to tragic consequences. Secondly, electricity is connected only after drawing up a malfunction report.

raw walls

Often two phases are a consequence of excess moisture. Damp walls can lead to short circuits. The neutral wire will either fall off or stick to the phase.

To eliminate the breakdown, it is necessary to find the location of the short circuit. Then you have to change the wires from the outlet to the switchboard. It is also important to get rid of dampness and prevent its further occurrence.

Induced current

This is a phenomenon that occurs when a high-voltage power line passes nearby. The sockets work fine, but the indicator detects two phases.

In such a situation, an experienced specialist may be confused, because the indicator will determine the voltage, even if there is no current in the sockets. A voltmeter or multimeter will show the real picture.

How many phases should be in the outlet? One, and if there are more, the reasons may be wiring faults (room and substation), high humidity walls, induced current. Regardless of the cause, a specialist should fix the problem.

Imagine that you came home and turned on the light - the lamp did not light up, after that you found that there was no voltage in the outlet, while the machines or plugs were intact and turned on. Further inspection may show that a phase or zero in the circuit has disappeared. In this article, we will look at why this can happen and what to do if there is no phase on the switch, socket or chandelier.

Reasons for the absence of a phase

It should be said right away that the phase disappears for one single reason - there is no contact. It does not matter if the cable is broken or the disconnector at the transformer substation is open. At the same time, everything is said for both a three-phase and a single-phase network.

Also, not everyone knows that a single-phase 220V network is one of the phases of a three-phase network with a linear voltage of 380V, and in this case 220V is obtained between phase and zero. Let's look at what to do if a phase is missing using the example of different situations.

Lighting not working

If there is no light, but sockets work, first of all check for voltage in the cartridge on the chandelier. At the same time, you can check the presence of a phase with an indicator screwdriver, but be careful - there is a high probability of making a short circuit. About that, we told in a separate article.

If there is nothing there, there may be a problem in connecting the wires to the cartridge, if everything is in order with this, then, most likely, the phase in the switch or junction box has disappeared.

This often happens when the switch contacts seem to close, but there is no connection between them, and also if the wires were not clamped well in the switch terminal block. To check the switch, you need to remove it from the wall and ring to see if the contacts close when the switch is closed, at the same time check whether the voltage comes to it.

If there is no voltage at the switch, the problem is in the junction box or in the wiring between it and the switch. If the phase disappears when the light is turned on - in your cartridge, lamp, or on the line from the switch to the lamp.

Socket not working

Outlets may also lose phase. This is easy to check if you remove the non-working outlet and inspect the quality of the connections to the wires. If the connections are good, then you need to know how the sockets are powered. In total, there are two connection schemes:

1. Train.
2. Star.

A loop is when each next outlet is connected to the previous one in parallel, and a star is when a separate line goes from each outlet to the electrical panel or junction box.

Then, in the first case, you need to check the condition of the terminal blocks and contacts in the previous working outlet in the circuit, and in the second case, inspect the junction box.

In one room

If there is no phase in one of the rooms, pay attention to the electrical panel. If each room is turned on by a separate machine, it is possible that the machine was knocked out for this room, or it is out of order. In the first case, look for problems in the wiring of the room, and in the second, replace the machine.

If all rooms are powered from the same circuit breaker, then the problem is in the junction box from which this room is powered.

No light in apartment building

If you find that not only you, but also all your neighbors in the riser have problems with the supply of electricity, then there has been a break in one of the three phases either in the input electrical panel of the house, or in one of the access panels. This happens at and when, due to overvoltages, the load and its currents are unevenly distributed among consumers. As a result, the contacts of some of the connections do not withstand and burn out.

In this case, you cannot fix the malfunction yourself, you need to contact the management company or the supply organization so that they send a team of electricians on duty.

Less often there are cases when two phases disappear. In this case, as in the previous ones, you need to check the condition of the terminals of the circuit breakers on your apartment board and, if in it all the contacts and terminals of the machines are externally serviceable, call a team of electricians.

Self-troubleshooting in access electrical panels is dangerous because you cannot fully shut down all lines and hang out prohibition posters.

In a private house

If you find that there is no voltage in the network, look at the introductory machine, if it is knocked out, turn it on. If, after turning on the machine, the voltage does not appear, the problem is in entering the house. It is also possible to lose contacts on the machine. And if, when the machine is turned on, it immediately knocks it out, there is definitely a short circuit either in the wiring or in one of the connected devices.

Consequences

For an electric motor, the operation mode on two phases out of three is emergency and highly undesirable. Also, in three-phase networks, due to the loss of one of the phases, the uniformity of the load of transformers and the network as a whole is disturbed. For a three-phase electric stove, this mode of operation is not so dangerous - some burners simply will not work for you. All this leads to an increased current in the neutral wire, its possible burnout and further development of emergency situations.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the solution to the problem of a lack of voltage in an apartment or on a specific line, in essence, consists in checking all the connections and switching equipment of this line. There are only two reasons for it - either phase imbalance, or conductor burnout due to poor contact or increased load. We strongly recommend: when working in electrical wiring, turn off the power and, if possible, work in attorneys. Do not interfere with access panels and electrical networks - it is better that electricians from the organization on whose balance sheet this network lies do this.

Now you know the reasons why a situation arises when there is no phase on the light switch, outlet, or on the chandelier itself. We hope the tips we provided helped solve your problem!

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