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From: rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Nit pick -- Re: ANOTHER house wiring question (this one's basic)
Message-ID: <10102@as0c.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 17 Jan 91 16:15:37 GMT
References: <14404@milton.u.washington.edu>
Reply-To: rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito)
Organization: Software Engineering Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 15

In article <14404@milton.u.washington.edu> John Whitmore writes:

 >>   The two wires that come from the pole are both hot,
 >
 >	Miscount!  Three wires come from the pole: two phases of
 >120 VAC and neutral.  That neutral wire is grounded to the same
 >water pipe and grounding block in your breaker box as the
 >ground and neutral wires connect to.  

Sorry, there are NOT two phases -- it is a single phase circuit with a
center tap common.  Therefore, there is no technical "neutral", although the
term has stuck to the common by analogy.


Rich