What is Live Earth Reverse? Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[ColinDeegan]

What is a live earth reverse?
I plugged my tester into a socket in my garage and it’s reading live earth reverse, what does this mean?
I’m getting 240v readings with my voltmeter from live to earth but not from my live to neutral?
Regards Colin

[Mr White]

Live to earth reverse means that the Live and Earth are reversed.
Or to put it another way,
Live and earth have been swapped round.

It is also why your volt meter shows no voltage difference between Live and Neutral because you are actually checking between Neutral and earth.

The question is, who swapped them round.

[ColinDeegan]

Believe or not I paid an electrician to fix my electrics as they kept tripping, he fixed it but after a few weeks it started tripping again, so bought a tester and that is what it’s reading, live earth reverse.
Regards Colin

[ericmark]

The plug in tester can only test three wires, we know earth and neutral must be within 50 volt of each other, we would hope a lot less, so all it can do is work out the odd one out, that should be line.

However any cable damage may mean the earth is connected to line, so we need to find a good reference point, or if that is not possible at least some load when taking the measurement. This is what a loop impedance meter does.

Step one is of course a visible inspection and see it you can see any crossed wires, however for anyone to do that is rare, so more likely to find rodent damage of similar.

[ColinDeegan]

Hi can you help?
I have now tested all the plug sockets in my garage and none of them are giving me a reading from neutral to earth, I am getting a 240v reading from live to earth. All sockets are reading live earth reverse when I use my LAP tester.
I have traced all the way back to the spare in my house which feeds the garage, and again I get no reading from the neutral to earth but 240v from live to earth, and yet if I use my LAP tester it’s reading all correct.
The mind boggles

Regards Colin

[Mr White]

You are confused? how do you think I feel?

First of all you said

All sockets are reading live earth reverse when I use my LAP tester.

Then you go on to say

if I use my LAP tester it’s reading all correct

Both statements can not be correct.

I am leaning towards the fact you should get a second opinion.