Re: Power out hack

Article: 7535 of alt.hackers
From: russotto@wanda.pond.com (Matthew Russotto)
Newsgroups: alt.hackers
Subject: Re: Power out hack
Date: 23 Mar 1995 13:58:11 -0500
Organization: FishNet
Lines: 41
Approved: Dyslexic Dogs of kalamazoo
Message-ID: 3ksgc3$oun@wanda.pond.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: wanda.pond.com
Status: RO

In article <3kr23v$bgg@fullfeed.msn.fullfeed.com>,
Greg Corey <gregc@fullfeed.com> wrote:
}
}
}In article <Pine.SUN.3.91.950319131413.24763C-100000@kelly.teleport.com>
on
}Sun, 19 Mar 1995 13:21:14 -0800, rootbeer@teleport.com (Tom Phoenix) wrote:

}>ObHack: I'm getting some work done on my house. I came home last week to
}>find that the outlets and lights didn't work, but I had power at my
}>furnace. A little checking showed that each outlet had two hot wires, and
}>no neutral, so I decided to leave those alone until the contractor came
}>back, but I rigged an extension cord to let me use my refrigerator, TV,
}>and alarm clock overnight. Still don't know what the contractor could
}>have done to give me two hot wires, though...

}Actually, that's easy.  In a WELL wired house, neutral isn't tied to ground.
} If nothing was plugged in (or if nothing grounded the neutral line) you
}could plug a HOT line into a NEUTRAL line and not blow the fuse.

Not so.  If nothing was plugged in which grounded the neutral line,
you could plug hot into neutral without affecting any GFCI-- but the
breaker would trip immediately.  That's a textbook short circuit.

}In fact, that's almost certainly what he did, he hooked a HOT wire (black)
}and a NEUTRAL wire (white) into the same side of an electrical outlet or
}something he was wiring.  Not tough to do... but hard not to NOTICE!

More likely at some point he tied the neutral to the hot (white) when
continuing the circuit, and left the neutral coming in hanging loose.
I think you've got the colors backwards, BTW.

}Tell your contractor to get a wiring checker.  $3 at the local hardware
}store.  Actually, tell your contractor to take a hike!

A wiring checker shows hot<->neutral, hot<->ground, and
neutral<->ground.
Normally, the first two are on.   In the situation the poster
described, you'd see all three on, and the breaker would trip as soon
as you plugged most 3-pronged equipment into it.

Obhack: just about anything I've done at work lately, but there's not
room here for context.

Child Child

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