Surely all the 'live' going into something is used up by that thing?
burnt out connector
- Thread starter rhinosaw
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Screwdriver testers are unreliable because they use YOU as a neutral. Get a two probe multimeter.
The load is current which is present in the whole circuit.
You are just thinking about voltage which is merely a difference in potential so it needs two points to determine it.
Only because it is connected to earth, therefore no potential difference between the neutral conductor and the earth.
If you disconnect it from earth it will become 230V with reference to earth and 0V with reference to the supply live.
Think of electric current as a stream of water flowing through the wheel of a water mill. The mill gets mechanical power from the water, no water is lost as it passes through or over the wheel. The difference is that the water leaves the wheel at a lower height than it entered the wheel. The drop in height is the same as the drop in potential from Live to Neutral.
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That's a worry then.
Throw the screwdriver away!
You need some serious better understanding of domestic electric supplies. But I will try and help you, a bit (not a lot).
Arriving at your house you have how many wires, three. They are called live (or line), neutral and earth.
Since the age of 11, did you never wonder how they relate to each other.
OK. Lets forget about glow sticks. They lie to you and can't be trusted. A bit like the first Mrs TTC.
Lets use a voltage test meter.
Measure the voltage between the L and N and what do you get? 230v AC (nominal voltages, before a pedant jumps in)
Measure the voltage between the L and Earth and what do you get? Ooh look, its 230v Ac there too.
Measure the voltage between the Earth and N and what do you get? Oh, zero volts. But if you measure the resistance between Earth and N you will find they are connected together. Yes, shock horror. Connected together (either at your incoming supply head, or at the substation.)
So, when you ask why the tester doesn't light up on the neutral, it is because it is at ground, earth potential. Zero volts, nada, zip.
This video will/may help you undersatnd a bit more.
Assuming you are connected to earth then you will get a shock from the live but not the neutral.
Of course, if you were NOT connected to earth - hovering (hovering not Hoovering
), then you would not get a shock from the live either; does that mean it is no longer live even though the light is still on?Ok thanks for that info, I must say I found the video rather boring, bloke kept on about earths TT, TN etc. don't know how he managed it for 17 mins.
But from what impudence has said my thoughts about the neutral are correct and thanks to Bernard and his waterwheel which I think explains it perfectly. I presume that Bernard has a waterwheel outside his thatched cottage.
But from what impudence has said my thoughts about the neutral are correct and thanks to Bernard and his waterwheel which I think explains it perfectly. I presume that Bernard has a waterwheel outside his thatched cottage.
You are just confusing current and voltage.
Then pens, while useless, detect votage, not current(load).
Then pens, while useless, detect votage, not current(load).
Sadly no, but came very close to it at the previous house, built the wier and the mill race but never got round to solving the problem of the flash floods. It needed a mechanism to lift the wheel clear of the stream to prevent it being washed away after heavy rain.
This was the flood while building the house
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I strongly advise never doing any electrical work ever again if that is your attitude.
It's not really clear (to me, at least) what your thoughts about it actually are, but I'm inclined to think they are not correct, or at the very least that they are full of holes.
- http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=electrical+circuits+101
- http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/House_Wiring_for_Beginners
- http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=uk+house+wiring+(basics+OR+101)
- http://kevinboone.net/electricity.html
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080213151445/http://www.kevinboone.com/domesticinstallations.html
- https://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:books
- https://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:index
If you were in a position to touch the "underside of a tube train" it is probable that you would have more problems than any potential voltage difference!
The voltage difference is not actually at the underside of the train but is the potential difference is between the (Earthed) pair of "Running" rails and the raised "Third Rail" which supplies the 600 V DC to run the train and is collected by "shoes" on the underside of each "motor carriage".
Where trains are run via overhead wiring, you will often find birds perched on those wires, quite unconcerned that their potential is now (say) 1500 V DC above Earth - or even 25 kV AC, or more.
Of course, you will find birds perched on high tension lines everywhere and suffering no harm - unless the bird is so large that, when it stretches its wings, those wings can come in contact with an Earthed object (or a different AC phase!)
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Sorry to hear that.thanks Ban All , I read a book similar to House wiring for Beginners when I was 11.5, I have moved on since then,
like I said I am no expert but at least I have no trailing sockets hanging around
Please excuse me while I get back to my wiring, ...….now where's that neutral.
like I said I am no expert but at least I have no trailing sockets hanging around
Please excuse me while I get back to my wiring, ...….now where's that neutral.
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