Teresa Turner

The Complexities of Colored Electrical Wiring Part of setting up a home for a San Luis Obispo electrical wiring is to know the different colored wire conventions and designs. The National Electrical Code (NEC) for the United States is different than some other countries. For fixed cabling (behind the wall), there are phases, neutral and protective (earth/ground) wiring that have to be used to have the electricity and protection necessary for safe electrical installations. Graphic by http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/ Terminology Phases A single-phase power refers to a two-wire Alternating Current (AC) power circuit. Usually, there is one power wire and one neutral wire. In the US, 120V is the standard single-phase voltage with one 120V power wire and one neutral wire.  There is also a 3-phase wire. Neutral This wire is the return conductor of a circuit; the neutral wire is connected to earth ground wire at some point and only once. North American standards state that the neutral is neither switched nor fused except in narrowly defined situations. The neutral is connected to the center tap of the power company transformer of a split-phase system, or the center of the wye, a three-phase, Y-shaped circuit arrangement connected to a power system. Protective Earth/Ground Distribution circuits are a notable difference in practice between wiring systems of the United States and those of other world regions. Since the early 1960’s, wiring in new construction has required a separate grounding conductor used to bond (electrically connect) all normally non-current carrying parts of an electrical installation. The circuit return conductor (neutral) is also connected to the earth at the service entrance panel only; no other connections from neutral to ground are allowed, unlike regulations in different world regions. Variations of North American Practices Since electrical wiring practices developed in the late 19th and early 20th century parallel, variations of wiring methods started to occur over time. Countries such as Mexico adopted the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard as their national electrical code as most countries do, with local modifications similar to those in the United States. The Canadian Electrical Code (CEC), while developed independently from the NFPA code, is similar in scope and intent to the US NEC, with only minor variations in technical requirements, an alliance of the CEC and NEC codes intended to facilitate free trade between both countries. Since electrical wiring can be complicated and requires safety, call the professional San Luis Obispo electrical contractors at Electricraft. The leading electrical company in San Luis Obispo County and serving the entire Central Coast.  -.