Light bulbs on our kitchen lighting circuit need frequent replacing (lasting only a few months.) All other circuits in the house behave normally. There are three switch legs on this circuit:
- 6 recessed lights, on a 3-way switch, with LED bulbs. Distance from switch to first light is ~10'. Each can is ~3' from the next.
- 5 pendant lights, on a single dimmer, incandescent bulbs. Distance from switch to first light is ~15'. Pendants are ~3' apart and ~5.5' long.
- Chandelier with 5 light sockets, on a single dimmer, incandescent bulbs. Distance from switch to light fixture is ~15'. Light sockets are ~6' from ceiling.
An electrician came out and discovered that the voltage at each switch is 120v, yet each light socket only reads 113v. The electrician checked in the attic and didn't see anything odd; the wires looked fine, no extraneous junction boxes, no damage, etc… The advice was to try out bulbs rated for 110v instead of 120v or re-run the switch legs.
What could cause such a voltage drop over short runs and three distinct switch legs? Do I have any other options besides the two offered by the electrician?
Best Answer
It's a floating neutral.
But it's only the one circuit.
Find, re-strip, re-splice, and tighten down all of that circuit's neutral connections. If it goes directly through an outlet, pigtail it.