Question about troubleshooting a phantom voltage on a 3-way switch loop

I spent nearly 4 hours yesterday chasing a 40-volt reading on a dead circuit in a 1978 split-level, only to find it was induced voltage from a parallel run in the same conduit. I kept thinking it was a bad neutral or a partial short, but my Fluke T+Pro kept picking it up. Has anyone else run into this with older cloth-wrapped wire, and what's your go-to method to confirm it's just induction before you start tearing into walls?

2 comments

2 Comments

blake3021mo ago

Ever wasted a day on phantom voltage?

-1

robin4891mo agoMost Upvoted

Phantom voltage's annoying but @blake302, a whole day seems like a lot. It's usually a quick check with the right tool. Maybe the problem was something else.