Neutral Wire Function

The neutral wire forms a part of the live circuit along with the hot wire.

Neutral wire function. In this article we will discuss the main function of neutral wire and the purpose of neutral wire in electrical circuit with a detail explanation. The function of neutral wire in 3 phase 4 wire system is to serve as a return wire for general domestic supply system. The potential of the neutral point can be very well understood from the following figure. This is a safety feature in case the hot or neutral wires somehow come in contact with metal parts.

The neutral is paired to each of the single phase load. The neutral wire completes the circuit and is the return wire which connects the appliance to that terminal of the source of electric supply which is earthed. The third or grounding wire is connected to exposed metal parts on the equipment. The main switch is connected to the live and neutral wires.

Within the building the grounding connections of all electrical receptacles are wired to one another and are connected to the water piping. The only place the neutral wire is connected to the ground system is at the main power source which is the main service panel where the ground system is bonded to the earth. However there is just as much current flowing in the neurtal wire as in the hot wire. Current carried on a grounding conductor can result in objectionable or dangerous voltages appearing on equipment enclosures.

This is a necessary function of ac power and we need to be able to identify these wires properly and make sure we use them for the right voltage connections. All office equipment requires only the hot and neutral wires to function. The neutral wire is at approximately 0v. The function of the neutral wire can only work when the ground system is provided at the main panel.

While all wire colors are important to understand and utilize properly the neutral wire is a consistently overlooked piece of any electrical system. The white wire is the neutral wire and since it has 0 v is known as the neutral wire. In contrast the ground wire is connected to any metal parts in an appliance such as a microwave oven or coffee pot. Under certain conditions a conductor used to connect to a system neutral is also used for grounding earthing of equipment and structures.