Difference between live, ground and neutral A standard electrical system basically consists of live, neutral and ground. Electric current usually flows from live (also known as the HOT) to neutral (serves as return path for the current flow). A lot of mains powered appliances needs these three wires to work safely but only two of the wires are used when the appliance works properly. These are the live (red) and the neutral (black) wires. - The Live Wire: This wire carries current to the appliance at a high voltage. In fact, it is the that carries the 220v AC used by most of our home appliances. -Neutral wire: It is the return path for an ac circuit which is supposes to carry current in normal condition. This current may be due to phase imbalance, 3 rd or 5 th harmonics that is the reason it is expected to carry current under normal condition. The neutral wire completes the circuit and carries current away from the appliance. This w...
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