Hey all,
My team was looking around the web and found an interesting article about neutral wiring. I am no electrician, but I thought some of the Gurus here can provide some insight on it.
Here is it:
I recognize some people are obviously confusing a ground wire with a neutral wire. All homes are wired with neutral wires. Older homes, usually built before 1970, often do not have ground wires going to outlets and fixtures. The ground wire is either colored green or is bare copper. It was added as a wiring requirement in most jurisdictions before 1970. It provides a means of safely grounding the case of appliances to prevent shock in the event there is a breakdown of the insulation within the appliance.
All homes have neutral wires. The Neutral is the return path for the current going to a light or appliance. It is normally colored white. It will always be present at the appliance or the light fixture. It is usually present at the switch, but not always. The electrician wiring a house can run the neutral through the switch box, but he can also wire the circuit with a "switch leg" configuration where the neutral is not present at the switch box. If he uses the switch leg method, electronic switches that require a neutral can not be used. Approximately 80 percent of the time, electricians will include a neutral in the switch box.
The way to tell if you have a neutral in your switch box is to remove the cover plate and inspect the wiring. If you have a pair of wires entering the box (one black and the other white), and another pair exiting the box (again one black and one white), and the white wires are connected together, the white wires are the neutral. The black wires will each be connected to separate connectors on the switch. If instead you find there is only one pair of wires entering your switch box and those wires a connected to the switch, you have a switch leg configuration and do not have a neutral in the switch box.
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Topic: Neutral Wire Issue (Read 8928 times)