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I know similar question had been asked before, I haven't seen a satisfying answer to the problem. I have two outside scounces on the same switch. One of them just went dead. I used the non contact voltage meter to test the wire and it shows the wire is hot. I tried to use other light fixtures as replacement and non of them works. I suspect it's the wire itself that has the issue. I used a simple voltage tester with two pins and it does NOT light up. But the other light on the same circuit or switch works just fine. What could be the problem? Any easy way to fix it besides replacing the whole wire? Thanks.

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The neutral has an open.

Check all the neutral connections start at the light that works. That light should have a working neutral and it is common for connections in wire nuts to become oxidised and posible break. It is uncommon for the neutral to be lost in a wall or attic unless a rodent chewed at it.

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    My parents have a string of light posts down the driveway. One day they all stopped working even as the non-contact tester happily indicated voltage. Methodical troubleshooting resulted in finding that the neutral wire nut at the first light post had, after nearly 50 years of temperature swings, decided to stop holding the wires together.
    – Jon Custer
    Commented Sep 12 at 19:26

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