Hot, Neutral and Ground

Here's a quick electricity lesson. The three basic wires in a circuit are hot, neutral and ground. The hot wire (usually black) supplies the current. The neutral wire (usually white) provides a path for the current to return to the source. The ground wire (always green or bare copper) does nothing under normal conditions.

Think of the hot wire as a bucket of water sitting on a table and the neutral wire as the path to the floor. The water in the bucket would follow the path to the floor if tipped over. Electricity acts much the same way: it wants to go back to the source if given a chance. As long as everything is in order, things work just fine. But if there is a malfunction and YOU are available as a path, electricity will flow through you. This is when the ground wire comes into play; it provides a path for the current so your body doesn't.

Remember to always shut down all power before working with wires!

- Stephen Corwin

-- Anonymous, June 06, 2001