Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Brown
All valid points for switching the ground side, no argument but why is it that all of the other electric components are switched on the non-ground side ? Headlights, cowl lights, dash lights even generator cut out  |
As in your homes electrical lines, your wall switches switch the hot (black) wire. If you just were to switch the (white) wire neutral, you could still get a shock or sparks when working on the circuit. Switching black wire stops current from flowing to device. Lamp, toaster, iron, whatever.
In a two wire home wiring system, not todays code, the neutral wire is also the ground. Todays systems use three wires, hot black, neutral white, and ground bare.
To confuse all this as far as your home goes. You can under the right conditions get one hell of a shock off the white neutral wire. Feed back.
Turning off your circuit breaker, just switches off the black (hot) side of the circuit. The neutral and ground are still connected.
Use a double pole switch if you want to switch both the hot and neutral.
Cars only need one wire going to item to be powered, the hot. The rest of your car is grounded, no need for second wire. Your wooden house is not the same.
The affects of Electricity are the same whether AC or DC. You need a path to ground.
Did I confuse you.