How does an AC electric circuit work?

Question

110vac; neutral is hot when circuit is loaded, neutral & ground on same bus; how does this not trip breaker??

In the distribution panel, the hot (typically black) is connected to the breaker; the neutral (typically white and aslo referred to as 'common') is connected to a bus bar. When a circuit is completed (loaded) the neutral becomes hot - the neutral and the ground are typically connected to the same bus (if connected to different bus bars there is normally a jumper from 1 to the other). Why, then, when the circuit is loaded and the neutral becomes hot, and the neutral and ground are connected, does this not trip the breaker??? Is this plain enough dmb???

Answer 1

First, to the basics...

AC is Alternating Current. This means that the current moves in one direction and then the other, changing at a frequency of 60 time per second, its unit of measurement being Hertz (Hz). The generator produces this current at very high voltages which are sent down the transmission wires to local substations, where the voltages are reduced to the familiar 110 volts which appears in your electrical panel. At the transformer of the substation, the transmission lines to your house are isolated from the ground and "float". This means that there is no path for the current to flow from either wire to the ground or to each other. Now, in order to use the power (which is a product of the voltage times the current) the current must flow through a load, which is any energy using device from a light-bulb to a toaster to the pump on you washing machine. Since both sides of the wire (both the black (hot) wire and the white (neutral) wire) are isolated from ground to begin with, attaching the neutral to the ground does not provide a path for current flow. Only if a path is made from the black to the white wire will there be current flow. If we connect a lightbulb between the black and white wires, we will complete this circuit. Remember that power (measured in Watts) is the product of Voltage (measured in Volts) and current (measured in Amps). If we know the amount of Voltage (110V) and the power used (say 100W in a light bulb), we can figure that the amps used are 100W / 110V = ~.91 Amps. If the circuit breaker is rated for 15 amps, it would require at least 17 of those bulbs to exceed the capacity of the breaker and cause it to trip. I hope this clears things up for you...

Answer 2

Isn't it live, neutral and ground. Although after doing some rewiring the ground hasn't seemed to be hooked up to much I've looked at. The black and white are your live, neutral, ground is either bare copper, green/yellow,green. If the ground was connected this would definitely trip the circuit breaker

Answer 3

The neutral carries current but not voltage. The neutral is connected to ground in the box. The ground is a safety device that would prevent the box or what ever is plugged in from becoming 'hot' in the event of a failure.

Answer 4

When the switch is closed the neutral does not become hot if it is connected to ground. Put a meter on the ground and the neutral if it reads 110 then the neutral is not effectively grounded. The neutral is not hot if it reads zero to ground

Answer 5

Your question is very poorly worded making it difficult, if not impossible, to understand.

Explain more fully please.

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The neutral wire is also connected to "ground" at the generator.

Have you actually measured voltage between the neutral wire and the ground wire, and do you know that the ground wire really does have a good connection to earth?

If you have made measurements, what are the figures?

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If, as jpricefam1 asserts, the supply was floating, there would be no point whatsoever in connecting the neutral to earth at the point of consumption and no point whatsoever in installing ground-fault interrupters.