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A/C Electrical Wiring Information for North America

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== Building Wiring and Circuit Panel ==The standard U.S. household wiring design has two 120 volt "hot" wires and a neutral which is at ground potential. The two 120 volt wires are obtained by grounding the centertap of the transformer supplying the house so that when one hot wire is swinging positive with respect to ground, the other is swinging negative. This versatile design allows the use of either hot wire to supply the standard 120 volt household circuits. For higher power applications like clothes dryers, electric ranges, air conditioners, etc. , both hot wires can be used to produce a 240 volt circuit.[[Image:ACElectricalWiringInformation01.gif]]* '''Black''' - Hot 110v / 120v ..... (''positive, power'') not grounded, the active wire which is most likely to electrocute a person.  This is the dangerous wire!  * '''Black''' - Hot 110v / 120v ..... (''positive, live wire'') not grounded, the active wire which is most likely to electrocute a person.  This is the dangerous wire!  Electricity flows along the black "live" wire, feeding whatever is required and then returns along the white "neutral" wire to its local transformer. The flow can be interrupted by a switch installed on the black "live" wire for most common household applications.== Earth Ground ==== [[Earth Ground]] ==A true earth ground, as defined by the National Electrical Code, physically consists of a conductive pipe or rod driven into the earth to a minimum depth of 8 feet.A true [[earth ground]], as defined by the National Electrical Code, physically consists of a conductive pipe or rod driven into the earth to a minimum depth of 8 feet.[[Image:trueearthground.gif]]== Switch and Receptacle Mounting Tips ==A house ground is easy to find, all you have to do is look outside at the power feed coming in, there should be a thick bare wire coming down the side of the structure that attaches to either a steel pipe or a thick rod, driven into the ground.  The neutral is tied to earth ground for lightning protection and to provide a path for any high voltage leakage from the power company's step down transformer. The ground is tied to the neutral to provide a return path to trip the breaker in the event of a fault.  The main breaker box should be the only point where neutral/ground need to be connected, never at the outlets or other places in the electrical system.The height from the floor for the following:* Electrical Outlet is 12"* Light Switch is 48"* [[Indoor Thermostat]] is 60"
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