by kbrownie »
Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:16 pm
s1bgs,
When you say all three conductors, I assume your question is regarding
The live/phase conductor now know as the line conductor. This is used to carry and supply voltage and current to electrical loads such as lights, socket outlets (and equipement plug in to this) Boilers etc... The old colours are normaly red in a single phase supply but the new colours are now brown.
The Neutral conductor offers the return path of the voltage/current after the load. This will find it's way back to sub-station where your electric is supplied from via the CU/fuse box. Old colours black, new colours blue.
The earths, little bit more complicated than people think as your installation will have;
circuit protective conductors (CPC) this is the cable that you see in your circuits at lighting points and socket-outlets etc..
Supplementary bonding which is used to cross connect metal work such as metal pipework to electrical equipement.(normally seen in bathrooms)
The main bonding conductor which is connected across, the metal work in your building (gas and water pipes) where they enter building on the consumer side via the main earth terminal connect to your cu.
The earthing conductor which is your supply earth via one of three methods (TT=earth electrode, TN-S=lead metal sheath on supply cable or TN-C-S= seperated neutral)
A lot more to earth than that but the purpose of these will reduce the voltage to a safer level, allow protective devices to operate quickly if a live to earth fault occured within your installation. This will protect you from electric shocks.
KB
