Best and most thorough explanation of this I’ve ever heard. Many licensed electricians can’t explain this. You made it simple enough to understand yet thorough enough to get the correct amount and kind of information across. Excellent job!! The key is at the end when you said they both take turns being supply and return 60 times per second. I’ve known that for decades. But, no one ever explained the details of that in the way that you did. I’m a subscriber now… and fan!
he didn't really explain the neutral, and why it's normally seen as the return.. ( because it's grounded.. it has zero voltage to ground. making the other terminals both HOT
An interesting way to present that. It would never have occurred to me to line up a series of batteries and tap them for this demonstration. As an analogy it holds up reasonably well, but there is that whole AC vs DC thing that you did cover toward the end. Very clever. I give you high marks for outside-the-box thinking.
When I studied electrical construction at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, the concept of spit phase power for residential and some light commercial, was done with two 12 volt AGM batteries in series, that is how I first learned the relationship of transformer windings and the different voltages obtained with different taps.
I am a layman in this area. I sort of wondered but didn't even know how to ask that question. You helped me understand the question, and then the answer. Your explanation was perfect, brilliant. Thank you.
I think a very important caveat required in this video is that it is applicable to installations in the USA. Most of the rest of the world, 230/240v uses a phase and a neutral.
We don’t “ground a leg”, we ground the star point of a three phase transformer. 240 is obtained by taking a phase and a neutral. So you can have 3 separate phases of 240v off a single transformer. This is important to know because it is possible to have 400/415VAC behind a switch or a GPO.
@@hotswapster I have 80k followers on tik Tok you have just contradicted how they say European homes work. And how googled says European homes work. I have never been there but have a trip to Germany on Nov 28 of this year.
@@hotswapster if you Google "are European homes single phase" the search result say yes. That European homes are fed the same way as Americans homes. But we ground the mid point you guys ground the end.
@@hotswapster in American homes the mid point is grounded by the electrician and the power company. But in Europe the power company only grounds it not the electrician. Think neutral must be slang in Europe. How can you have a neutral when you only have on wire to reference it to.
So, this may have already been asked here in the comments but, if I’m understanding correctly, here in the states, 220 is not actually 2 different circuits, but one continues circuit and the neutral “splits” it to 110? That is neat. And this was an awesome explanation!
I need 240 volts for my drier. Have 4 prung outlet and plug (ground, neutral and 2 hots) I am only getting 124 volts on each leg of outlet and on each screw/wire of braker and when combine both legs of 124 volts on either outlet or braker I get 0 volts. Replaced braker and still 0 volts. Any idea why can't get 240 volts? Should I remove the white/neutral? Please advise.
What he didn’t explain is that when you wire or stack power sources in series, the supply is accumulated with the amount of sources that you use. So 10x1.5=15 vdc for example with the batteries.
Technically this DC mock-up is correct as a an instantaneous snapshot in time. From an engineering or troubleshooting standpoint it’s important to note that a split phase system is in fact two phases at a nominal 180 degree phase angle. Imbalances between the legs can cause lagging, which can then cause voltage sags and associated greater or lesser amounts of current return on one of the legs on a cyclic basis. Probably only important to an electrician if you’re trying to troubleshoot sketchy or potentially improperly installed equipment.
I disagree with the second part. It is one phase split. Not two phases. If you cut apple in half you still have only one apple. It is the set up I show with the battery stack reversing polarity at 60 cycles per second
@@Stevenj120volts what you are describing is a DC to AC inverter power source. A split transformer is different because it is a true phased source and can respond negatively to lagging load from pole to pole. It does provide two phases (pure sine waves) but is not a proper multiphase system because the phases are at a 180 degrees from each other unlike a true two phase system, which is rare today, and which provided two phases at 90 degrees. Your example is a fine teaching tool but doesn’t provide a full description of the electrical theory behind split phase.
@@awheel you know it works? Like if I put a load on the battery stack the neutral will carry only the imbalance and disconnecting the neutral will cause and imbalance of voltages
@@Stevenj120volts yes … it does work. Like I said, it’s good for a general demonstration of the principle, but your phase theory is different from what’s actually happening in the xformer.
Wow. I’m still trying to absorb this. Not an electrician, but understand enough to be dangerous as they say 😂. Seriously though, I never understood this and always wondered how this worked. It explains why back in the day, they never had a neutral running to things like dryers and stoves. Used to be two legs and the ground. That was it. That neutral wire introduced into two pole breaker situations came later on down the road. I was just watching videos, explaining how to search out an open neutral. I saw another RUclipsr do the same thing with a bank of batteries, hooked up to lights on two different banks. He basically used alligator clips for switches. You can literally see, depending on where the neutral break is, were certain lightbulbs, were getting more voltage, and others were draining less. Still trying to wrap my head around that. Your video just helped me to understand why. Because the neutral wire is tapped from the center! You made a comment about full potential being at the end. I think I’m slowly starting to get this. Unless I’m missing something here. Bottom line is from my situation, kill the breaker, identify all the circuits that are on that run. Turn the breaker back on, start with the closest circuit to the breaker and check each circuit neutral until I find a loose one, moving forward through the path of the full breaker circuit. This is an old house. I hope I can find this because it’s been a mess. Anyway, This was a really, really interesting video! Much thanks for this! And yes, as someone else said, thinking out of the box is awesome! Kudos!
Actually, the old stoves and dryers you're referring to are actually two hots and a neutral, no ground. At the terminal block there was a strap or wire that bonded the chassis to neutral, for three wire setups, these were prohibited as of the 1996 NEC, but because not all states and jurisdictions in the US adopted the latest NEC edition, it really wasn't until the early 2000s when the rule was enforced nationwide, existing installations are allowed to remain, that's why 3 wire dryer and range cords are readily available at any hardware or home improvement store. New installations are required to be 4 wire - Hot, Hot, Neutral, Ground, and the neutral bonding strap or wire must be removed when a 4 wire setup is used, and vice versa if moving into an older home.
This is such a good representation! The ONLY thing I would have added is a drawing of a transformer to show how your example is applied to the real world situation.
Thanks so much....I have a tik Tok with 80k followers and a bunch of videos. I am just now trying to build you tube and Instagram. But check me out on tik Tok for the most content
@@Stevenj120volts Excellent explanation. Question, you stopped short of further explaining how the exposed neutral in this panel plays a part in what you described. Or does it play no part in what you described, ie the 240 v. Thank you.
Thank you for this explanation. You got yourself a new subscriber. Been in the trade for three years and all the guys above me can't explain this situation to me, other than that's just how it works. 😂
This fellow should have just shown a schematic drawing of a transformer. The telephone pole transformer has of course a primary winding and a secondary winding. However the secondary winding is center tapped. This means the secondary is actually like two windings connected in series. Each winding produces 110 volts. The point at which they are connected is wired to the breaker box as neutral. The 2 ends of the transformer are the hot wires/terminals. Unfortunately, the neutral is also connected at the pole to the ground that you stand on such that if you are standing on the ground and touch one of the hots, the electricity will use your body as a path to get back to the transformer. Makes sense huh?
thanks for the answer. I found the problem: what happened is that only top 2/3 of power metal bars where brakers connect, had a horizontal piece of metal connecting both, left and right sides and the 1/3 bottom part where I installed the slim 30 amp 240v braker didn't have that little horizontal plate connecting both metal power bars. I had to use a regular bigger size double braker that touched that horizontal metal plate and that fixed problem and got me the 240 volts needed for drier.
Excellent explanation! I like the visual of a sine wave which shows a horizontal zero volt neutral line, a 120 volt positive upper wave and a 120 volt negative lower wave in single phase (1/60 of a second).
Thank you, that was an interesting demonstration. I always looked at alternating current as a pause and then a push, and then a pause , and then a push, not a give and take, im thinking the neutral takes away the empty box of electric, or the empty container of electric, or the spent cartridge, so to me AC is a push pause, not a push pull, if i get a shock from 120 volt, i can fell that 60 times a second, if it were a push, pull, it would cancell out itself, but the fact that it gives you a shock and then pauses, is (in my eyes) is proof that AC is push pause, rather than a push pull. But i really appreciate the video.
I love this. I literally explained this to my father the other day. And this just cements my explanation. Although I wish I had thought about using series battery’s to do it. Bravo.
I think would easier if they taught new folks that we in fact have 240v service via a transformer at the power pole that has a center tap with a 120v potential.
Near the start, you mentioned “wrong terminology” being used. That is correct, but you didn’t follow up on that thought to explain what is wrong with the terminology. What is wrong is that too often, people who are trying to teach AC to beginners lead them to believe that “hot” means “source” and “neutral” means “return.” Wrong! I see this again and again in YT videos. “Neutral” means only the conductor thst is tied to ground. “Hot” means a conductor that has a significant voltage relative to ground. Thinking that they mean anything else is the fundamental terminology error.
This issue is a point of contension for a two wire 240v outlets or the three wire plug. The appliance drawings show a neutral on the appliance and a ground on the house outlet. They connect the neutral to the ground or is it the ground to the neutral. Their drawings are technically incorrect with a name change in the middle to make it work. The actual difference between a neutral and a ground is where the wire is landed in the breaker box. Addiitionally, the neutral and the ground are bonded in the breaker box at the first disconnect. This bonding makes them electrically the same voltage. To me this whole thing makes me worried about touching my oven or the dryer. I am still alive. My brian hurts just talking about this stuff.
@@TexasEngineerthat actually doesn't happen. Electricity always needs a path to its source. Sometimes it's back to the utility through the transformer or to earth. If you bond after the first disconnect, then yes you can allow a positive charge on the ground conductor. But since the ground goes to ground it could never hold a charge when wired correctly. It will dissipate a charge, but never hold a charge. So you really have nothing to worry about.
Thomas Edison discovered this. In his DC power plants he used two dynamos wired in series with a center tapped neutral. Another name for the split phase service drop bringing power into your home is an “Edison Three Wire.”
There are many 240 volt (single phase, by the way) appliances that require a neutral and a ground on top of line 1 and line 2. Those are utilizing that neutral for 120 volt loads with8n the appliance such as power supplies, clocks, etc.
@@wd8dsb np you need it an imbalance you can have 120 with no neutral as long as it balanced I have plenty of videos showing this in other demonstrations
@@wd8dsb I am 100% following what you are saying and I 100% understand where you are wrong and what part of the wiring diagram you are confused by. The 120v i your house comes from the two loads being put in series on a 240 volt circuit .I understand it doesn't look this way to non electricians that just learn to connect black to black and white to white. But it is true the neutral does not provide you with 120v the neutral give you balance to maintain even voltage when the loads are not balanced. I am Master Electrician with 28 years experience I am not confused by what you are saying I am explaining on a deeper level. You can have 120 volts without neutral.
@@wd8dsb that's my video the "he" that you said make the qualifier is me and not you you don't go between neutral and hot. It just looks like that because of the configuration of the panel. Sorry My content is for electricians its going over your head
This split happens again in some electronics that have an iron core transformer that steps the 120 volts down to like 24 volts but may have a center tap that also offers a dual 12 volt option so later in a circuit you can get + 12 vdc and a - 12 vdc supplies alongside a 24 vdc supply. This is more common in audio amplifiers though and with higher DC voltages
The definition of Alternating Current is it is constantly changing in magnitude and periodically changing in direction . For transformers and AC motors to work this has to be so .
A transformer will generate output as long as there is changing amplitude, changing direction is not required (but it's easier to saturate the transformer core if using a change in amplitude without utilizing a change in direction depending on the application). Just FYI, Don
Wow fascinating info but what does this have to do with a transformer designed for use with AC voltage and current where the goal is not to saturate the core? @@wd8dsb
Good job brother, shits simple but hard to grasp for a lot of people. I always say a good electrician would make a great plumber and visa versa. It's all the same principle, just applied different.
To better illustrate the single phase nomenclature on the panel you could have show a single phase overhead transformer being fed one single phase of primary being converted to two hot wires on the secondary side.
All modern appliances and motors have circuits to deal with the two hots being interchangeable? Specifically makes me think of motors that need to spin a particular direction but maybe that’s more complicated with initial kick on and start sequence with capacitors. I’d imaging there are old machines that the hot being on the correct terminals was an issue.
Neutral is a just the center tap on the transformer, between the two end taps that make 240 volts.. tapping in the middle breaks the coil into two segments.. 120V apart AC POWER both sides are POWER AND RETURN.. ( hence AC ) the reason you don't need the neutral for 240.. is because you want 240v. so there is no reason for a center tap. ( the safety factor about the center tap. it is connected to ground.. so the voltage potential between it., and a person who accidentially touches ground.. will be 0. it only has a voltage potential with the other two taps..
Interesting. I always wondered why it's not called double phase power. I suppose since the transformer from the street is tapped off a single phase of the 3 phase power from the telephone poles.
The power does not come in the HOT and return on the WHITE. It is AC current, therefore it flows *BOTH* ways. "AC" means *alternating* current. In the USA the current flow changes direction every 1/120th of a second.
Not true. Part of what the video explained was that in certain applications neutrals aren't needed. So if that's the case and no white wire exists how does AC current exist? The purpose of neutrals is to carry the imbalance of power between phases/legs back to source or/and to complete a circuit (120V) back to source. If neutrals are the equivalent of a hot then they both would be considered ungrounded. Hots are called ungrounded, meaning they aren't bonded to ground. Neutrals are called grounded, meaning they are bonded to ground. Grounds are called grounding, meaning they are part of earth ground. So yes, AC stands for alternating current, but that has nothing to do with neutrals. And that's due to the fact neutrals aren't run from the utility companies to transformers. Neutrals come from the transformers on poles or ground to the different structures.
@@TheForgottenMan270 Power company DISTRIBUTION to the stated neighborhood transformer. Uses three (3) wire Wye with neutral conductor. The same company TRANSMISSION system uses (your stated) three wire Wye (no ground conductor) system. comment please
I understand they are not out phase when measured from top to bottom but how is it possible for them to alternate positive negative/supply return if one is not opposite polarity (mathematically 180 degrees out of phase)
@@Stevenj120volts Regardless some still have a neutral. Some have timers that require a neutral and that includes water heater too. Them days you are talking about are almost gone. When I was younger they would let you switch one leg of 240 to cut the circuit but that is a no no nowadays. Soon all circuits will require a neutral regardless of what it's used for because it can be changed to something new in the future. Get over it.
@@benjimenfranklin3668 wtf... 240 no neutral count ALL electric heat and and ALL mini splits, ALL Air conditioning equipment ALL 240 lights for growing indoor plant aka weed ALL 240 motors including pools and wells.... You are foolish. There are only two pieces normally need 240 with a neutral dryers and stoves. Please do not comment incorrect information that you are not qualified to speak on. MOST close to 95% of 240 equipment does not need a neutral. All of Europe is 3 wire 240 volt. Its the 4 wire 240 volt that is the odd thing from the past. I am on IG, tik Tok facebook and you tube. The comment section on this video is some of the most trash and dumb commentors I have seen on all the internet and on all my videos. I had 1.5 million view last most with 1000 of comment yout comment is in the top 10 of most incorrect I have ever seen on one of my videos
Decent explanation, but i think you could have done more to explain the concept of time and phase as it equates to the sinusoidal wave. Good video none the less...
Great setup. Teach the general theory about residential AC power services. Remind this was done with batteries(DC). Challenge: explain 3 phase power and why 2 pole is 208v and not 240v
208V can be a single pole. It's generally found in commercial/industrial environments. For me, I've only seen it on conveyor belt motors. Homes will only have 120V/240V. 240V is also 2 pole. 3 phase can technically be run to homes, even though it's not done. 3 phase is exactly what it sounds, it has 3 phases (legs) of power. Unlike single phase where it splits a leg off to provide 2 legs of power into a home, 3 phase has 3 individual legs going into a panel. Each leg is 120° out of phase from each other. So like he explained the positive and negative alternate between the 2 legs, the same happens in 3 phase, but only one acts as the opposite while the other 2 are either positive or negative.
@@TheForgottenMan270 nice. It’s a good finish to it. 208v is a single pole fed by a double pole breaker from a 3 pole wye that has a neutral in the centre after its been transformed from delta transmission lines. It’s possible that may be found in residential setting, mostly in rural residential or farm lands for their shop equipment. This opens the topic of transformers. L2L 208V L2N 120V A single phase residential power service the neutral is just like mentioned in the video. You had a good idea of this. Just needed to iron it out like a wrinkled shirt. @MikeHoltNEC good guy for the advance stuff that most guys don’t get a chance to see.
@@oshanehall3470the reason you get 208 is because their is no point at which you are 180 degrees out. You can only get 1.732 times out. Which will be 120 times 1.732 and we call it 208
What about 240v appliances that have internal leg break outs for 120v components like timers and motors? They should not be using ground as a neutral tap so how do they do it with a three blade plug? Has using the ground been been the practice in the past on older 3 blade dryers and ranges for example?
Three prong plugs do not have a ground, they have 2 hots and a neutral. The chasis of the appliace would be bonded to neutral instead of ground. That is no longer to code because it can create a shock hazard in the case of an open neutral.
Best and most thorough explanation of this I’ve ever heard. Many licensed electricians can’t explain this. You made it simple enough to understand yet thorough enough to get the correct amount and kind of information across. Excellent job!!
The key is at the end when you said they both take turns being supply and return 60 times per second. I’ve known that for decades. But, no one ever explained the details of that in the way that you did.
I’m a subscriber now… and fan!
he didn't really explain the neutral, and why it's normally seen as the return.. ( because it's grounded.. it has zero voltage to ground. making the other terminals both HOT
That is a very good explanation. I’m glad to hear someone correctly state that the two legs are not out of phase.
An interesting way to present that. It would never have occurred to me to line up a series of batteries and tap them for this demonstration. As an analogy it holds up reasonably well, but there is that whole AC vs DC thing that you did cover toward the end. Very clever. I give you high marks for outside-the-box thinking.
With lights tied to it you get the nuetral only carrying the imbalance and 12v on a single pole breaker and 24v on a double pole breaker
When I studied electrical construction at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, the concept of spit phase power for residential and some light commercial, was done with two 12 volt AGM batteries in series, that is how I first learned the relationship of transformer windings and the different voltages obtained with different taps.
I am a layman in this area. I sort of wondered but didn't even know how to ask that question. You helped me understand the question, and then the answer. Your explanation was perfect, brilliant. Thank you.
This is very informative and educational. I appreciate it. Good to know how this setup actually works.
Great visualization of what's really going on here! Thank you!
Great way to explain, Ive been a contractor and inspector my entire career
Excellent job!! That is why my grandpa (died 34 years ago) called it a COMMON!! - and thank you for calling them legs ... so sick of "new speak"
I think a very important caveat required in this video is that it is applicable to installations in the USA. Most of the rest of the world, 230/240v uses a phase and a neutral.
It's the same. The only difference is you ground the end leg we ground the center tap. That's how you guys get your 240.
We don’t “ground a leg”, we ground the star point of a three phase transformer. 240 is obtained by taking a phase and a neutral. So you can have 3 separate phases of 240v off a single transformer. This is important to know because it is possible to have 400/415VAC behind a switch or a GPO.
@@hotswapster I have 80k followers on tik Tok you have just contradicted how they say European homes work. And how googled says European homes work. I have never been there but have a trip to Germany on Nov 28 of this year.
@@hotswapster if you Google "are European homes single phase" the search result say yes. That European homes are fed the same way as Americans homes. But we ground the mid point you guys ground the end.
@@hotswapster in American homes the mid point is grounded by the electrician and the power company. But in Europe the power company only grounds it not the electrician. Think neutral must be slang in Europe. How can you have a neutral when you only have on wire to reference it to.
Beautiful! I learned so much and finally answered a puzzle I had in my mind for the longest. Thank you, great job!
Thank you for posting this video. You just solved the issue I had in my mind and now I can complete the task I have at hand.
So, this may have already been asked here in the comments but, if I’m understanding correctly, here in the states, 220 is not actually 2 different circuits, but one continues circuit and the neutral “splits” it to 110? That is neat. And this was an awesome explanation!
I need 240 volts for my drier. Have 4 prung outlet and plug (ground, neutral and 2 hots) I am only getting 124 volts on each leg of outlet and on each screw/wire of braker and when combine both legs of 124 volts on either outlet or braker I get 0 volts. Replaced braker and still 0 volts. Any idea why can't get 240 volts?
Should I remove the white/neutral?
Please advise.
The confusing part is usually the coil, I love how you use batteries to explain and show each coil is like individual battery.
What he didn’t explain is that when you wire or stack power sources in series, the supply is accumulated with the amount of sources that you use. So 10x1.5=15 vdc for example with the batteries.
Fantastic demonstration, incredible video. Thank you.
Technically this DC mock-up is correct as a an instantaneous snapshot in time. From an engineering or troubleshooting standpoint it’s important to note that a split phase system is in fact two phases at a nominal 180 degree phase angle. Imbalances between the legs can cause lagging, which can then cause voltage sags and associated greater or lesser amounts of current return on one of the legs on a cyclic basis. Probably only important to an electrician if you’re trying to troubleshoot sketchy or potentially improperly installed equipment.
I disagree with the second part. It is one phase split. Not two phases. If you cut apple in half you still have only one apple. It is the set up I show with the battery stack reversing polarity at 60 cycles per second
@@Stevenj120volts what you are describing is a DC to AC inverter power source. A split transformer is different because it is a true phased source and can respond negatively to lagging load from pole to pole. It does provide two phases (pure sine waves) but is not a proper multiphase system because the phases are at a 180 degrees from each other unlike a true two phase system, which is rare today, and which provided two phases at 90 degrees.
Your example is a fine teaching tool but doesn’t provide a full description of the electrical theory behind split phase.
@@awheel you know it works? Like if I put a load on the battery stack the neutral will carry only the imbalance and disconnecting the neutral will cause and imbalance of voltages
@@Stevenj120volts yes … it does work. Like I said, it’s good for a general demonstration of the principle, but your phase theory is different from what’s actually happening in the xformer.
@@awheel a single phase transformers just two end of opposite polarity. They are not out of phase they are in phase but opposite polarity
The model and examples explained made understanding the path of electricity very easy!!
Very good explanation. Id also emphasize that 2 pole breaker is fed by both circuits, its easy for someone to assume its only feed by one.
Best explanation I've seen all across RUclips.
Thanks I just put up my video on how and why the neutral carries the imbalance
Videos like this need WAYYY more views. So many people think neutral is zero volts, it amazes me.
I have alot more content on tik tok.
Great explanation. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Wow. I’m still trying to absorb this. Not an electrician, but understand enough to be dangerous as they say 😂. Seriously though, I never understood this and always wondered how this worked. It explains why back in the day, they never had a neutral running to things like dryers and stoves. Used to be two legs and the ground. That was it. That neutral wire introduced into two pole breaker situations came later on down the road.
I was just watching videos, explaining how to search out an open neutral. I saw another RUclipsr do the same thing with a bank of batteries, hooked up to lights on two different banks. He basically used alligator clips for switches. You can literally see, depending on where the neutral break is, were certain lightbulbs, were getting more voltage, and others were draining less. Still trying to wrap my head around that. Your video just helped me to understand why. Because the neutral wire is tapped from the center! You made a comment about full potential being at the end. I think I’m slowly starting to get this. Unless I’m missing something here.
Bottom line is from my situation, kill the breaker, identify all the circuits that are on that run. Turn the breaker back on, start with the closest circuit to the breaker and check each circuit neutral until I find a loose one, moving forward through the path of the full breaker circuit. This is an old house. I hope I can find this because it’s been a mess.
Anyway, This was a really, really interesting video! Much thanks for this! And yes, as someone else said, thinking out of the box is awesome! Kudos!
Actually, the old stoves and dryers you're referring to are actually two hots and a neutral, no ground. At the terminal block there was a strap or wire that bonded the chassis to neutral, for three wire setups, these were prohibited as of the 1996 NEC, but because not all states and jurisdictions in the US adopted the latest NEC edition, it really wasn't until the early 2000s when the rule was enforced nationwide, existing installations are allowed to remain, that's why 3 wire dryer and range cords are readily available at any hardware or home improvement store. New installations are required to be 4 wire - Hot, Hot, Neutral, Ground, and the neutral bonding strap or wire must be removed when a 4 wire setup is used, and vice versa if moving into an older home.
Excellent demonstration and explanation!!!
I suspected that to be the case. I’m glad someone finally confirmed and cleared it up for me. Great video man. Thanks for sharing your wisdom
This is such a good representation! The ONLY thing I would have added is a drawing of a transformer to show how your example is applied to the real world situation.
That was a fantstic explanation! The visual was great-thanks for taking time to do that, it really helped. I'm subscribing hoping you will do more.
Thanks so much....I have a tik Tok with 80k followers and a bunch of videos. I am just now trying to build you tube and Instagram. But check me out on tik Tok for the most content
@@Stevenj120volts Excellent explanation. Question, you stopped short of further explaining how the exposed neutral in this panel plays a part in what you described. Or does it play no part in what you described, ie the 240 v. Thank you.
Thank you for this explanation. You got yourself a new subscriber. Been in the trade for three years and all the guys above me can't explain this situation to me, other than that's just how it works. 😂
EXCELLENT!! PERFECT!! EXPLANATION!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and posting this video.
the line of batteries are a pretty genius way to explain this
First year of electrician school teaches you this but I like his demonstration. Sure beats a text book
This fellow should have just shown a schematic drawing of a transformer. The telephone pole transformer has of course a primary winding and a secondary winding. However the secondary winding is center tapped. This means the secondary is actually like two windings connected in series. Each winding produces 110 volts. The point at which they are connected is wired to the breaker box as neutral. The 2 ends of the transformer are the hot wires/terminals. Unfortunately, the neutral is also connected at the pole to the ground that you stand on such that if you are standing on the ground and touch one of the hots, the electricity will use your body as a path to get back to the transformer. Makes sense huh?
Great way to explain this concept!
thanks for the answer. I found the problem: what happened is that only top 2/3 of power metal bars where brakers connect, had a horizontal piece of metal connecting both, left and right sides and the 1/3 bottom part where I installed the slim 30 amp 240v braker didn't have that little horizontal plate connecting both metal power bars. I had to use a regular bigger size double braker that touched that horizontal metal plate and that fixed problem and got me the 240 volts needed for drier.
Excellent explanation! I like the visual of a sine wave which shows a horizontal zero volt neutral line, a 120 volt positive upper wave and a 120 volt negative lower wave in single phase (1/60 of a second).
When I saw your setup the first thing I thought was "The One Hack Power Companies Don't Want You to Know About!!!"
Thank you, that was an interesting demonstration. I always looked at alternating current as a pause and then a push, and then a pause , and then a push, not a give and take, im thinking the neutral takes away the empty box of electric, or the empty container of electric, or the spent cartridge, so to me AC is a push pause, not a push pull, if i get a shock from 120 volt, i can fell that 60 times a second, if it were a push, pull, it would cancell out itself, but the fact that it gives you a shock and then pauses, is (in my eyes) is proof that AC is push pause, rather than a push pull. But i really appreciate the video.
You can put a trian dimmer on the NEUTRAL and it will dim the light
Thank you for your reply, that interesting, Len
I love this. I literally explained this to my father the other day. And this just cements my explanation. Although I wish I had thought about using series battery’s to do it. Bravo.
I think would easier if they taught new folks that we in fact have 240v service via a transformer at the power pole that has a center tap with a 120v potential.
of course.
OMFG, this is the best practical explanation of this concept that I've seen yet. Thank you thank you. Thank you so very much.
Certainly learned a cool thing about battery circuitry. Already knew how 220v works
This does show how batteries work only shows 240
Near the start, you mentioned “wrong terminology” being used. That is correct, but you didn’t follow up on that thought to explain what is wrong with the terminology. What is wrong is that too often, people who are trying to teach AC to beginners lead them to believe that “hot” means “source” and “neutral” means “return.” Wrong! I see this again and again in YT videos.
“Neutral” means only the conductor thst is tied to ground. “Hot” means a conductor that has a significant voltage relative to ground. Thinking that they mean anything else is the fundamental terminology error.
Not always. What you are talking about only applies in a bonded system. Neutral in a non-bonded transformer is not ground.
that was a great way to explain that. i never knew why it was. This really helps my brain
Some 240V appliances still need a neutral because the control devices run on 120V.
Electric ranges and clothes driers for example.
Yes. I was talking about the ones that do not need neutrals.
This issue is a point of contension for a two wire 240v outlets or the three wire plug. The appliance drawings show a neutral on the appliance and a ground on the house outlet. They connect the neutral to the ground or is it the ground to the neutral. Their drawings are technically incorrect with a name change in the middle to make it work. The actual difference between a neutral and a ground is where the wire is landed in the breaker box. Addiitionally, the neutral and the ground are bonded in the breaker box at the first disconnect. This bonding makes them electrically the same voltage. To me this whole thing makes me worried about touching my oven or the dryer. I am still alive. My brian hurts just talking about this stuff.
@@TexasEngineerthat actually doesn't happen. Electricity always needs a path to its source. Sometimes it's back to the utility through the transformer or to earth. If you bond after the first disconnect, then yes you can allow a positive charge on the ground conductor. But since the ground goes to ground it could never hold a charge when wired correctly. It will dissipate a charge, but never hold a charge. So you really have nothing to worry about.
Thanks for video , this is the first time that it has been explained, so I can understand.
Good way of explaining split phase 120. You should be a teacher.
Wonderful no one ever explained like this with live demo practical
We need more teachers like you. Thank you for taking the time to share this. Subscribing. 👍
Thanks. Most of my videos on are Tik Tok...check me out there if you are on tik tok
Thomas Edison discovered this. In his DC power plants he used two dynamos wired in series with a center tapped neutral. Another name for the split phase service drop bringing power into your home is an “Edison Three Wire.”
But who really invented the light bulb, Edison or Joseph Swan???
Great way to explain this.
There are many 240 volt (single phase, by the way) appliances that require a neutral and a ground on top of line 1 and line 2. Those are utilizing that neutral for 120 volt loads with8n the appliance such as power supplies, clocks, etc.
The neutral is there for the imbalanced you do not need a neutral to get 120 volts
@@wd8dsb np you need it an imbalance you can have 120 with no neutral as long as it balanced I have plenty of videos showing this in other demonstrations
@@wd8dsb I am 100% following what you are saying and I 100% understand where you are wrong and what part of the wiring diagram you are confused by. The 120v i your house comes from the two loads being put in series on a 240 volt circuit .I understand it doesn't look this way to non electricians that just learn to connect black to black and white to white. But it is true the neutral does not provide you with 120v the neutral give you balance to maintain even voltage when the loads are not balanced. I am Master Electrician with 28 years experience I am not confused by what you are saying I am explaining on a deeper level. You can have 120 volts without neutral.
@@wd8dsb here is link to a video where I demonstrate this idea. ruclips.net/video/Y2Y-VzynHjs/видео.htmlsi=QhWUhDoT6S8aY9sV
@@wd8dsb that's my video the "he" that you said make the qualifier is me and not you you don't go between neutral and hot. It just looks like that because of the configuration of the panel. Sorry My content is for electricians its going over your head
Yeah the low side windings are 180 degrees out from each other. When you use the full 240 there is really no unbalanced load.
This split happens again in some electronics that have an iron core transformer that steps the 120 volts down to like 24 volts but may have a center tap that also offers a dual 12 volt option so later in a circuit you can get + 12 vdc and a - 12 vdc supplies alongside a 24 vdc supply. This is more common in audio amplifiers though and with higher DC voltages
Excellent presentation. Thank you. raphael nyc
This is very informative and educational you should be a teacher Thanks.
The definition of Alternating Current is it is constantly changing in magnitude and periodically changing in direction . For transformers and AC motors to work this has to be so .
A transformer will generate output as long as there is changing amplitude, changing direction is not required (but it's easier to saturate the transformer core if using a change in amplitude without utilizing a change in direction depending on the application). Just FYI, Don
Wow fascinating info but what does this have to do with a transformer designed for use with AC voltage and current where the goal is not to saturate the core? @@wd8dsb
A transformer will generate output as long as there is current flowing through the input.@@wd8dsb
Thank you so much! I understood but still had a hard time understanding this concept. This is a huge help!
excellent explanation. Very clear and informative.
I've been looking for an explanation of this. Thank you.
Good job brother, shits simple but hard to grasp for a lot of people. I always say a good electrician would make a great plumber and visa versa. It's all the same principle, just applied different.
I am hopeless with electricity, I think I now know enough to at least electrocute myself properly! But well done explaining to everyone else .
Great explanation. I wondered how it worked.
thank you very much, learning something new every day
To better illustrate the single phase nomenclature on the panel you could have show a single phase overhead transformer being fed one single phase of primary being converted to two hot wires on the secondary side.
Thanks, it's been a curiousity of mine for a long time, now I get it.
Great video! I like the battery demonstrator.
This guy is a very good teacher!
Thanks check me out on tik Tok I have a lot more videos there
Great demo.
That's a cool explanation.
very creative explanation! nice job!
Great explanation
very good explanation
This is a good set up with the batteries
All modern appliances and motors have circuits to deal with the two hots being interchangeable? Specifically makes me think of motors that need to spin a particular direction but maybe that’s more complicated with initial kick on and start sequence with capacitors. I’d imaging there are old machines that the hot being on the correct terminals was an issue.
This is so helpful.
240 voltage plugs need a neutral ground. Something worth the short out at least a unit will be grounded.
Ground and neutral are different. All of them have grounds not all have nuetrals
Neutral is a just the center tap on the transformer, between the two end taps that make 240 volts..
tapping in the middle breaks the coil into two segments.. 120V apart
AC POWER both sides are POWER AND RETURN.. ( hence AC )
the reason you don't need the neutral for 240.. is because you want 240v. so there is no reason for a center tap.
( the safety factor about the center tap. it is connected to ground.. so the voltage potential between it., and a person who accidentially touches ground.. will be 0.
it only has a voltage potential with the other two taps..
excellent explaination. Could you explain 3 phase.
Interesting. I always wondered why it's not called double phase power. I suppose since the transformer from the street is tapped off a single phase of the 3 phase power from the telephone poles.
Thanks. I always wondered why my well pump only has 2 wires. It's the only 220 circuit in the house. My dryer, heat and hot water heater are propane.
Hopefully you have a third wire for ground.
@@shawskeebennett1440 Nope.
@@shawskeebennett1440 On my home well pump located in my basement the metal conduit jacket acts as the ground back to the panel
Thank you very well done
Well explained - thank you.
I'm still confused but I think its me not you. That battery pack you made was a great idea. I can see it being very helpful to learn on.
Great video
The power does not come in the HOT and return on the WHITE. It is AC current, therefore it flows *BOTH* ways. "AC" means *alternating* current. In the USA the current flow changes direction every 1/120th of a second.
Lol wow......silly
Yep, each cycle changes direction twice. got it.
Not true. Part of what the video explained was that in certain applications neutrals aren't needed. So if that's the case and no white wire exists how does AC current exist?
The purpose of neutrals is to carry the imbalance of power between phases/legs back to source or/and to complete a circuit (120V) back to source. If neutrals are the equivalent of a hot then they both would be considered ungrounded. Hots are called ungrounded, meaning they aren't bonded to ground. Neutrals are called grounded, meaning they are bonded to ground. Grounds are called grounding, meaning they are part of earth ground.
So yes, AC stands for alternating current, but that has nothing to do with neutrals. And that's due to the fact neutrals aren't run from the utility companies to transformers. Neutrals come from the transformers on poles or ground to the different structures.
@@TheForgottenMan270 Power company DISTRIBUTION to the stated neighborhood
transformer. Uses three (3) wire Wye with neutral conductor.
The same company TRANSMISSION system uses (your stated) three wire Wye (no ground conductor) system. comment please
U S standard , both wires are 110 volts each, do not require neutral , which is 220 volts output !
Just 240 between the wires.
Very good explanation. Would love to know why AC is better than DC. In most cases.
everything cool or electronics converts to DC internally
Westinghouse was better at PR than Edison.
AC is easier to step up or down using transformers, also more efficient for long distance transmission.
@@Stevenj120voltsthis answer had nothing to do with the concern given.
Thank you!
I understand they are not out phase when measured from top to bottom but how is it possible for them to alternate positive negative/supply return if one is not opposite polarity (mathematically 180 degrees out of phase)
Excellent video
...excellent...
Some 240 circuits do require a neutral and a ground. Some new ranges have 4 wires too.
I am talking about things that don't like water heaters and baseboard electric heat
@@Stevenj120volts
Regardless some still have a neutral. Some have timers that require a neutral and that includes water heater too. Them days you are talking about are almost gone. When I was younger they would let you switch one leg of 240 to cut the circuit but that is a no no nowadays. Soon all circuits will require a neutral regardless of what it's used for because it can be changed to something new in the future. Get over it.
@@benjimenfranklin3668 wtf... 240 no neutral count ALL electric heat and and ALL mini splits, ALL Air conditioning equipment ALL 240 lights for growing indoor plant aka weed ALL 240 motors including pools and wells.... You are foolish. There are only two pieces normally need 240 with a neutral dryers and stoves. Please do not comment incorrect information that you are not qualified to speak on. MOST close to 95% of 240 equipment does not need a neutral. All of Europe is 3 wire 240 volt. Its the 4 wire 240 volt that is the odd thing from the past. I am on IG, tik Tok facebook and you tube. The comment section on this video is some of the most trash and dumb commentors I have seen on all the internet and on all my videos. I had 1.5 million view last most with 1000 of comment yout comment is in the top 10 of most incorrect I have ever seen on one of my videos
VERY educational.
Decent explanation, but i think you could have done more to explain the concept of time and phase as it equates to the sinusoidal wave. Good video none the less...
Great setup. Teach the general theory about residential AC power services.
Remind this was done with batteries(DC).
Challenge: explain 3 phase power and why 2 pole is 208v and not 240v
208V can be a single pole. It's generally found in commercial/industrial environments. For me, I've only seen it on conveyor belt motors. Homes will only have 120V/240V.
240V is also 2 pole.
3 phase can technically be run to homes, even though it's not done. 3 phase is exactly what it sounds, it has 3 phases (legs) of power. Unlike single phase where it splits a leg off to provide 2 legs of power into a home, 3 phase has 3 individual legs going into a panel. Each leg is 120° out of phase from each other. So like he explained the positive and negative alternate between the 2 legs, the same happens in 3 phase, but only one acts as the opposite while the other 2 are either positive or negative.
@@TheForgottenMan270 nice. It’s a good finish to it. 208v is a single pole fed by a double pole breaker from a 3 pole wye that has a neutral in the centre after its been transformed from delta transmission lines. It’s possible that may be found in residential setting, mostly in rural residential or farm lands for their shop equipment. This opens the topic of transformers.
L2L 208V
L2N 120V
A single phase residential power service the neutral is just like mentioned in the video.
You had a good idea of this. Just needed to iron it out like a wrinkled shirt.
@MikeHoltNEC good guy for the advance stuff that most guys don’t get a chance to see.
@@oshanehall3470the reason you get 208 is because their is no point at which you are 180 degrees out. You can only get 1.732 times out. Which will be 120 times 1.732 and we call it 208
I get it but why are there four prongs on dryer pluge?
What about 240v appliances that have internal leg break outs for 120v components like timers and motors? They should not be using ground as a neutral tap so how do they do it with a three blade plug? Has using the ground been been the practice in the past on older 3 blade dryers and ranges for example?
Three prong plugs do not have a ground, they have 2 hots and a neutral. The chasis of the appliace would be bonded to neutral instead of ground. That is no longer to code because it can create a shock hazard in the case of an open neutral.
This explains why a Tesla Wall Connector requires two hots and a ground with no neutral.
we learned all this in high school in seconds when we saw a diagram of the street transformer which has a 240v secondary with a centre tap.,
Thanks for explanation
Most need a neutral because they have 120 volt electronics in them.
4 wires, 2 hots, neutral and ground