Electrical – Surge Protector shows ‘L’ & ‘N’ reverse and ‘N’ open

electricalwiring

I just shifted to new house and I plugged in the surge protector that I use for my PC into one of the sockets.

The socket switch was off, while the main circuit was on (main power). And the surge protector shows three lights – indicating L and N reverse; and Open Neutral.

Then I plugged the surge protector in all sockets in my house and all shows the same status. This indicator shows the same status irrespective is the socket switch whether OFF or ON

Is it normal?
Should I avoid using appliances? (until corrected)

Best Answer

If you really had an open neutral, that outlet would not work.

My theory is that the surge suppressor is a surge suppressor, not an outlet tester, and it is a terrible outlet tester. Otherwise, this means some lunkhead wired every single outlet in your house backwards. Can you try it at a friend's house (in a different housing tract) or at the office?

Is it possible one of the lights is dim, i.e. the light is not actually on but light is bleeding over from an adjacent bulb?

Even a "proper" outlet tester is not a particularly high quality device, and can give flawed readings, but I'd trust it a bit more. The right tool is a quality DVM. (digital voltmeter, if you want to buy a good one for life, Fluke.)