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Vent: wasted 2 weeks on a multimeter for dryer issues when the $8 outlet tester told me in 5 seconds
Kept chasing a no-heat complaint on a Kenmore and my meter kept reading 240V at the terminal block, so I ordered a heating element and a thermal fuse I did not need. Borrowed my buddy's $8 Klein outlet tester at a job in Mesa, it showed an open neutral right at the wall, and the dryer was never the problem. Now I check the receptacle first before I touch the machine, has anyone else been burned by trusting a meter reading at the block over the outlet itself?
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ninas7019d ago
Read your post twice because I did almost the exact same thing last spring on a Whirlpool. What gets me is how a meter can show a solid 240 between the two hots and still fool you, since the neutral is a separate path and the heating element does not even use it. So the drum spins and the timer runs but you get no heat, and you stand there scratching your head with good voltage right in front of you. Here is my real question though. Did you ever figure out why the neutral opened up at that wall box in the first place? Loose backstab, burned wire nut, or a bad receptacle that finally gave out? I ask because if it is the wiring behind the wall and not the outlet itself, swapping the receptacle will just hide the problem until it comes back on the next call.
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