Lindy Mayfield wrote:

> I was installing ceiling lights in the new house and wanted to be "smart"
> and double check to see if the exposed wires were hot or not.  So I
> connected my multimeter first just in case.  I grew up in the US so I am
> not very familiar with connecting things here in Europe and I wanted to
> be careful. 
> 
> I was a little surprised when my meter showed first around 118 or so
> volts AC and then when the switch was flipped it jumped up to about 230.
>  This kind of made me nervous, so of course I made the shorts test with
> what I thought was the off position before proceeding.  (The shorts test
> is when I touch the wires together and then check my shorts for signs of
> electrocution.) 
> 
> Needless to say I survived, but I was wondering why I was getting a ~120
> volt reading when the light switch was off? 

Could that be induction? BTW, I'm not that familiar with international
wiring and voltage standards, but I'm pretty sure you can't speak of
"European" home wiring; every country has its own standards.

Gerhard

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