Note: 240V in the US is split-phase and doesnt use the 120V neutral. 240V in the UK is single phase with one live wire, one neutral (and always one earth wire). short answer: its because the two, 180 degrees out of phase, feed wires essentially take turns being the return wire every time the phase switches.

Does a 240 volt circuit need a neutral?

The way you get a 240-volt circuit is simple. A “double-pole” circuit breaker is clipped into both 120 buses at the same time, so the voltage to the circuit is doubled. Thats why 240-volt circuits need two hot wires and a neutral to carry the electricity to the appliance, plus a ground wire.

Why do 220v circuits not need a neutral?

220 doesnt need neutral because each pulse uses the off phase of the other side for this purpose and AC back and forth but where is the circuit since the power is only looping back to the hot bars.

Can a circuit work without a neutral?

The connection of the neutral wire and ground system occurs only at the electrical panel. This is where the bond to the ground wire is made. Without this neutral wire in place, the circuit is broken any time the switch is now in the off position. It remains has power when the switch is in the On Mode.

What happens if neutral is not grounded?

Neutral Point is not at ground Level but it Float up to Line Voltage. This situation can be very dangerous and customers may suffer serious electric shocks if they touch something where electricity is present.

What happens if you dont connect neutral wire?

Without the neutral wire, all sorts of instabilities occur in the system like unstable voltages, unexpected currents and even dangers of electric shock.

What amp do I need for 240V?

For example, a 240-volt electric water heater rated for 5,500 watts can be calculated in this way: A = 5,500 ÷ 240, or A = 22.9. But because the circuit requires a 20 percent safety margin, the circuit needs to provide at least 27.48 amps (120 percent of 22.9 = 27.48 amps).

Does the neutral wire carry voltage?

Neutral and grounding wires are often confused outside of the electrical trade, since both conductors have zero voltage. Actually, if you connect the grounding wire as a neutral by mistake, most devices will operate correctly.

Does neutral have to be grounded?

No, the neutral and ground should never be wired together. This is wrong, and potentially dangerous. When you plug in something in the outlet, the neutral will be live, as it closes the circuit. If the ground is wired to the neutral, the ground of the applicance will also be live.

What happens if neutral wire is not grounded?

The neutral conductor is connected to earth ground at the point of supply, and equipment cases are connected to the neutral. The danger exists that a broken neutral connection will allow all the equipment cases to rise to a dangerous voltage if any leakage or insulation fault exists in any equipment.

What kind of Breaker do I need for 240 volts?

Double-pole breakers: Provide 240 volts, 20-60 amps and have two hot wires that share one neutral wire.