He is GOOD, anyone can work a screwdriver but knowing theory is such a big + and very important for anyone who wants to or neds to work with volts n amps. I give him 2 thumbs up.
Yup! 6V on one side, 6V on the other (because batteries in series are voltage-additive). Either set of batteries is 6V; together they're 12V. This is exactly how a center-tapped secondary on a transformer works. You could easily swap in a 12V center-tapped transformer here as well, since they're very common.
As a journeyman electrician with 17 years experience, I am very impressed with how completely clear and understandable this explanation was! Subscribed and am gonna forward a link to my friend who teaches apprentices. Thanks so much for this video and thanks to the mysterious youtube algorithm for sending me here. Now off to watch more!
@Chomp Chomp Katze That's no "live - neutral - earth" but "live - neutral - dephased live" circuit. It will run the same way as with batteries, just more dangerous.
Wow!! Awesome explanation. Decades ago, my parent’s house had an open neutral. Lights were dimming; others were burning bright. Voltages were all over the place. Now I know why. Thank you!!
My wifes house had resistive intermittently neutral. The flakey contractor she hired to fix it scared the shit out of her with a doom & gloom story saying the entire house needed rewiring. She went for a second opinion (me).. 30 min. later, I refit neutral in her loadcenter. She was so happy, six months later she married me.
This has to be the best explanation of how a circuit works that I've ever seen. I unintentionally learned this lesson the hard way over 20 years ago when my band was playing at a bar. Halfway through our first set, a couple of our guitar amps and one of the PA amps literally caught fire and the whole shebang shut down. An electrician informed us the next day that it was due to a loose neutral wire in one of the bar's stage power circuits that someone had monkeyed with earlier. In fact, he was cool enough to draw a diagram similar to yours to show how circuits work, thus giving me a crash course in basic wiring. From that moment on, we invested in a $5 circuit tester before we plugged anything in and that saved us a ton of grief from potential electrical gremlins.
I'm nearly 70 years old and have seen this twice. Once at work, and once in my own home. At work, we had partitions between cubicles that had wiring embedded. A plug on one end of the partition mated with a socket on the adjoining partition. The neutral opened on one connection and caused a number of computers and printers to be fried because they suddenly had 220 volts instead of 110. At home, when the electrician installed my new panel, he didn't get the ground and neutral bars securely bonded. A couple of years later, the bond worked loose and blew out a few items. A couple of surge protectors gave their lives but protected their loads. I saw several of the situations Dave describes. At the time, it was pretty confusing. Excellent video!.
As I slap myself in the forehead…”yes!!!” Outstanding demonstration.. as a picture paints a thousand words… a physical demonstration literally lights up the room with illumination.. thank you
This guy is a electrical genius! The way he teaches makes it so easy to understand vs reading out of a book! I have watched every video of this man I could find and he has made me say "wow" so many times. This guy deserves a trillion subscribers! He's my go to for learning! Thank you Mr. Gordon!
@@error200http It's a "dumb concept" to you because your homes are only wired on one side of the transformer. An "open neutral" to you is a completely-open circuit.
@@error200http You missed the most important thing which he said in the introduction: let's mimic a single phase, 3 wires circuit (240V phase to phase). This is how electricity is normally brought to domestic and small commercial users in the US, and I suspect, other 120V countries. It is very practical to split all the loads in two halves, and the electrical cabinets are in fact designed to make this easy and evident. Then, an abnormal open neutral condition is examined and explained. No comparison to Europe, or name calling applies here.
This is pretty standard in second and third year apprentice schooling, out of the total 5 years of school required to become a journeyman electrician (at least on the union side of things).
As a first year apprentice and just started the chapter on 3-wire branch circuits / open neutral, this was TREMENDOUSLY explained. I read the chapter three times and was left more confused than anything. After stumbling upon this video, I now feel I have a much better grasp on what an open neutral is. Thank you kind sir!
If you're getting notifications on this thread a year down the line, may I ask what the book or other publication was that let you down? No shade on Dave's outstanding video, but open neutral shouldn't be terribly hard to explain.
I stumbled on this video from a link with someone who was dealing with a dropped neutral that fried some appliances. Using the lights on a DC circuit is really, really helpful. 🔌💡
As someone with interest in electricity: this is an excellent explanation video about electrical loads and series/parallel circuits. But as an European: We just simply have 230V ac. One live, one neutral and one ground. We have simplicity, you have flexibility.
I am an instructor in my union, I Sir am not at your caliber of teaching, both me and my students benefit from me watching and learning not only techniques but simpler ways of instruction. Thank you for all your videos. I most certainly have subscribed.
Excellent lesson!! Thank you for helping me understand an electrical problem I am facing now in my house. I appreciate the time and energy you spent helping the rest of us out here. God bless you.
I did this demonstration for the son of my previous employer. I was explaining how I don't like using 3 wire to run 2 circuits (MWBC) and I set this up using recessed cans we ripped out of the ceiling. At first I had 2 lights using the same bulb and nothing changed. After lunch it clicked that I needed to imbalance the loads, I did that and none of the LED lights would turn back on again, blew up the driver. You will destroy electronics if you lose a neutral and it puts devices in series with each other. I have since come to be fine with MWBC but the neutral must be clearly marked at every single point.
Absolutely perfect explanation. I tried to explain it to a new guy and he was a deer in the head lights! I will definitely send him your way. Oh and Glory to the one God❤!
When I explain this to my apprentices, this is what I see in my mind. Thank you for all your videos! In my book, you sir make a difference in the lives of people that really take an interest in the electrical trade.
I really appreciate this analysis. It's brought me a couple good insights that I've just chalked up to an open neutral and started hunting for the open, ad I've seen it. Particularly the imbalance. I knew it was from the loads shifting into a series configuration, but never bothered to draw it out before. The time and attention to detail that you put into making this is phenomenal and not only do I respect it, but I'm thoroughly impressed. And this is coming from a practicing master electrician and newly minted electrical engineer.
I have the same fluke and had it for over 30 years, I only use it for easy machine breakdowns but it has served me well, long live the fluke it's all I use
I just came across this video. I teach second-year apprentices and I cover theory in the first module of the year. I am always looking for new material and resources (outside the book) to explain complex concepts. This is absolutely useful in demonstrating how the neutral truly works. Very good video. I will be watching all of them.
I like how you arranged the wiring ladder similar to a breaker panel so that some can easier compare it to what they are going to see in the field. I don’t know if you have done it already, as this is the first video I’ve seen, but you could also show how losing a phase and having 240v loads will also affect the 120v loads on that phase, and the relationship there Good job!!
If you lost a phase all of the lights on that phase would just go out. And the lights on the other phase would act normal. All the amps on the working phase would also be on the nuetral. Don't think there would be much to sure in that video right?
I love the setup you created for this video. The use of clear, color coded wires, simple incandescent lamps, and a clear layout makes it so much easier to understand.
Mr you are the best electrical teacher that I every seen on RUclips!! I was about to type world!! Lol Your way of explaining is the best and I wish I could give you a 1000 likes. Please keep posting, your are really doing a hell of a job.
This is the best open neutral explanation I have seen on the tubes. I learned it this way in electronics class back in the 90s. Had almost the same setup and we were tested on different orientations and had to mathematically predict the voltages at given points. The operating resistance of an appliance being different is what is key in voltage potential difference. Great video!
This reminds me of being back in school during my apprenticeship. That was more than 20 years ago. I remember doing ladder diagrams for fellow classmates that were having trouble understanding and they looked a lot like what you were showing (maybe not as neatly drawn). Some classmates would complain because I wouldn't show them my answers when they didn't get around to doing the homework. Instead, I told them I would help them figure it out, because I felt it would be better if they understood the process rather than copy or just memorize the answer. This was more self-preservation than altruism because I didn't want to be stuck working with idiots in the field. Unlike most, I enjoyed my apprenticeship.
Dude. Thank you. I remember looking for something like this years ago to help me visualize what was going on. Im only 15 ...20 seconds in and already know this is about to be GOAT. Thanks again
Excellent Production Dave. Your attention to detail in the white board drawings as well as the clean demo circuit construction really makes it easy to learn. I learn as much about teaching as the circuit theory with you. You're an inspiration. Thanks!
I’m about to watch all your videos before I start my new job to have a better understanding and clarity. Thanks for your hard work and gift your sharing with me and the internet! 🔥🙏🏾💯
Wow I have an open neutral problem in two rooms in my house and now I finally have an idea of what's happening. Much better than the electrician that said I need to rewire the entire house
As a master electrician I can usually diagnose a problem from the symptoms that are observed. The problem I have is trying to explain the problems to an apprentice or a customer. This video gives me the mental picture to make it easier to explain.
Slow, methodical and easily understandable. Good job. I know electricians and electrical instructors that know the subject matter very well but confuse the hell out of almost anyone with their scribbles on a whiteboard.
This explanation is so elegant. I wish this video was available when I was training. What a goldmine of a channel to stumble upon. I hope there are some earthing videos, Earth loops and harmonics are my focus at the mo. gonna go trawl the back catalogue. Thanks for the content
Is it weird that I've started listening to this guy in the background while I do other things? This stuff is fascinating to me, I don't think I could ever get sick of his lessons.
This mans videos are the most underrated. He’s the most gifted electrical teacher I’ve seen on the internet.
I was lucky enough to have him as an actual teacher. He’s the only reason me and at least 20 of my peers passed any of our DC theory or transformers.
I agree! That was a thorough and accurate investigation into a little understood phenomena that we all share with our household wiring.
I saw the thumbnail and knew that this would be informative.
Absolutely, this man is a great teacher
He is GOOD, anyone can work a screwdriver but knowing theory is such a big + and
very important for anyone who wants to or neds to work with volts n amps. I give him
2 thumbs up.
The example DC circuit with the neutral blew my mind. Simplified everything and made it make sense. Brilliant!
Yup! 6V on one side, 6V on the other (because batteries in series are voltage-additive). Either set of batteries is 6V; together they're 12V. This is exactly how a center-tapped secondary on a transformer works. You could easily swap in a 12V center-tapped transformer here as well, since they're very common.
As a journeyman electrician with 17 years experience, I am very impressed with how completely clear and understandable this explanation was! Subscribed and am gonna forward a link to my friend who teaches apprentices. Thanks so much for this video and thanks to the mysterious youtube algorithm for sending me here. Now off to watch more!
But when are you getting these open neutrals?
@@sillybilly686 because of age connections can get loose and also corrosion which can cause bad neutral failing
@Chomp Chomp Katze That's no "live - neutral - earth" but "live - neutral - dephased live" circuit. It will run the same way as with batteries, just more dangerous.
As a 24 second RUclips master apprentice I like it when he talks about loads.
id like to see him go into a facility and find the lost N
Wow!! Awesome explanation. Decades ago, my parent’s house had an open neutral. Lights were dimming; others were burning bright. Voltages were all over the place. Now I know why. Thank you!!
Ohm's law.
@@westelaudio943 And Kirchhoff's laws.
My wifes house had resistive intermittently neutral.
The flakey contractor she hired to fix it scared the shit out of her with a doom & gloom story saying the entire house needed rewiring.
She went for a second opinion (me)..
30 min. later, I refit neutral in her loadcenter.
She was so happy, six months later she married me.
Ahh check for loose neutrals in the panel first!
Get married second!
This has to be the best explanation of how a circuit works that I've ever seen.
I unintentionally learned this lesson the hard way over 20 years ago when my band was playing at a bar. Halfway through our first set, a couple of our guitar amps and one of the PA amps literally caught fire and the whole shebang shut down. An electrician informed us the next day that it was due to a loose neutral wire in one of the bar's stage power circuits that someone had monkeyed with earlier. In fact, he was cool enough to draw a diagram similar to yours to show how circuits work, thus giving me a crash course in basic wiring.
From that moment on, we invested in a $5 circuit tester before we plugged anything in and that saved us a ton of grief from potential electrical gremlins.
That's a neat trick bringing your own circuit tester for gigs. I'm sure especially with older venues it might be a common problem
@@Spliteyemoto Definitely. Especially with dive bars and frat houses!
I'm nearly 70 years old and have seen this twice. Once at work, and once in my own home. At work, we had partitions between cubicles that had wiring embedded. A plug on one end of the partition mated with a socket on the adjoining partition. The neutral opened on one connection and caused a number of computers and printers to be fried because they suddenly had 220 volts instead of 110. At home, when the electrician installed my new panel, he didn't get the ground and neutral bars securely bonded. A couple of years later, the bond worked loose and blew out a few items. A couple of surge protectors gave their lives but protected their loads. I saw several of the situations Dave describes. At the time, it was pretty confusing. Excellent video!.
As I slap myself in the forehead…”yes!!!” Outstanding demonstration.. as a picture paints a thousand words… a physical demonstration literally lights up the room with illumination.. thank you
This guy is a electrical genius! The way he teaches makes it so easy to understand vs reading out of a book! I have watched every video of this man I could find and he has made me say "wow" so many times. This guy deserves a trillion subscribers! He's my go to for learning! Thank you Mr. Gordon!
It's rather that open neutral is a dumb concept. Haven't seen it in Europe.
@@error200http Als Fehler nach Isolationsmessungen ist das ein mögliches Szenario. Selbst erlebt!
@@error200http It's a "dumb concept" to you because your homes are only wired on one side of the transformer. An "open neutral" to you is a completely-open circuit.
@@error200http You missed the most important thing which he said in the introduction: let's mimic a single phase, 3 wires circuit (240V phase to phase). This is how electricity is normally brought to domestic and small commercial users in the US, and I suspect, other 120V countries. It is very practical to split all the loads in two halves, and the electrical cabinets are in fact designed to make this easy and evident.
Then, an abnormal open neutral condition is examined and explained.
No comparison to Europe, or name calling applies here.
This is pretty standard in second and third year apprentice schooling, out of the total 5 years of school required to become a journeyman electrician (at least on the union side of things).
The best explanation of an open neutral I’ve ever seen. Very good video.
As a first year apprentice and just started the chapter on 3-wire branch circuits / open neutral, this was TREMENDOUSLY explained. I read the chapter three times and was left more confused than anything. After stumbling upon this video, I now feel I have a much better grasp on what an open neutral is. Thank you kind sir!
If you're getting notifications on this thread a year down the line, may I ask what the book or other publication was that let you down? No shade on Dave's outstanding video, but open neutral shouldn't be terribly hard to explain.
I stumbled on this video from a link with someone who was dealing with a dropped neutral that fried some appliances. Using the lights on a DC circuit is really, really helpful. 🔌💡
As someone with interest in electricity: this is an excellent explanation video about electrical loads and series/parallel circuits.
But as an European: We just simply have 230V ac. One live, one neutral and one ground. We have simplicity, you have flexibility.
Im an apprentice, and this was the clearest explanation of an open neutral I've received.
I am an instructor in my union, I Sir am not at your caliber of teaching, both me and my students benefit from me watching and learning not only techniques but simpler ways of instruction. Thank you for all your videos. I most certainly have subscribed.
BEAUTIFULLY explained. Makes a fairly complex thing easier for people to understand....shared neutrals can be a nightmare in the field.
Excellent lesson!! Thank you for helping me understand an electrical problem I am facing now in my house. I appreciate the time and energy you spent helping the rest of us out here. God bless you.
Liked and Subscribed. This is the kind of content that changes the internet from a toy to a tool. Great explanation!
I did this demonstration for the son of my previous employer. I was explaining how I don't like using 3 wire to run 2 circuits (MWBC) and I set this up using recessed cans we ripped out of the ceiling. At first I had 2 lights using the same bulb and nothing changed. After lunch it clicked that I needed to imbalance the loads, I did that and none of the LED lights would turn back on again, blew up the driver.
You will destroy electronics if you lose a neutral and it puts devices in series with each other. I have since come to be fine with MWBC but the neutral must be clearly marked at every single point.
A excellent explantation. The more I deal with the simpler 220v systems outside of North America the more I appreciate them.
Wonderful demonstrations, thank you for your work!
What an excellent demonstration. Thanks for the refresher.
You make learning fun. That's a rare trait to have and I appreciate all the effort you give.
Wow, this is a wonderful demonstration and explanation - thanks for posting this.
Great set of videos by you. Very well explained.
Both the diagram and the display are over the top!... backed by an clear and concise explainer!... Amazing video Dave, keep'em coming!
Absolutely perfect explanation. I tried to explain it to a new guy and he was a deer in the head lights! I will definitely send him your way. Oh and Glory to the one God❤!
When I explain this to my apprentices, this is what I see in my mind. Thank you for all your videos! In my book, you sir make a difference in the lives of people that really take an interest in the electrical trade.
First time that I see any of your videos and already a fan. Fantastic demonstration. Thank you very much.
This is a FANTASTIC demo. Props to you for making this video so educational and visually easy to understand.
This video is extremely clear and easy to follow. Absolutely brilliant.
Just exceptional work here - thank you. The questions and pauses to allow time for thought is great.
Brilliant. So glad I stumbled across this channel
You're a great teacher. Clear and concise. As an engineer, I found this all to be 100% accurate. Keep up the good work.
I really appreciate this analysis. It's brought me a couple good insights that I've just chalked up to an open neutral and started hunting for the open, ad I've seen it. Particularly the imbalance. I knew it was from the loads shifting into a series configuration, but never bothered to draw it out before.
The time and attention to detail that you put into making this is phenomenal and not only do I respect it, but I'm thoroughly impressed.
And this is coming from a practicing master electrician and newly minted electrical engineer.
I'm an EE and never understood the connection between faulty neutrals and uneven lighting, until now! Great vid.
I have the same fluke and had it for over 30 years, I only use it for easy machine breakdowns but it has served me well, long live the fluke it's all I use
SOLID! Im finally getting it. I hugely appreciate your 'explain it to me like Im a 4th grader' approach - w clear visuals and delivery style. Kudos!
I just came across this video. I teach second-year apprentices and I cover theory in the first module of the year. I am always looking for new material and resources (outside the book) to explain complex concepts. This is absolutely useful in demonstrating how the neutral truly works. Very good video. I will be watching all of them.
This is a perfect illustration. Very very nicely done Mr. Gordon
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this video!
I like how you arranged the wiring ladder similar to a breaker panel so that some can easier compare it to what they are going to see in the field.
I don’t know if you have done it already, as this is the first video I’ve seen, but you could also show how losing a phase and having 240v loads will also affect the 120v loads on that phase, and the relationship there Good job!!
If you lost a phase all of the lights on that phase would just go out. And the lights on the other phase would act normal. All the amps on the working phase would also be on the nuetral. Don't think there would be much to sure in that video right?
Until your electric water heater turns on and the other half of your house comes on at 40v
I love the setup you created for this video.
The use of clear, color coded wires, simple incandescent lamps, and a clear layout makes it so much easier to understand.
He even included the bond wire even though, as in real life, it has no connection to the current-carrying conductors. I'm totally copping this layout.
Wonderful visual demonstration. The model you demonstrated made thingd so clear to see!
Best description I’ve ever seen or heard. ❤
Mr you are the best electrical teacher that I every seen on RUclips!! I was about to type world!! Lol Your way of explaining is the best and I wish I could give you a 1000 likes. Please keep posting, your are really doing a hell of a job.
This is the best open neutral explanation I have seen on the tubes. I learned it this way in electronics class back in the 90s. Had almost the same setup and we were tested on different orientations and had to mathematically predict the voltages at given points. The operating resistance of an appliance being different is what is key in voltage potential difference. Great video!
A very well communicated example and theory of some of Ohms laws. I could watch and listen to these videos all day long.
Why do I feel like I had an epiphany watching this?
Excellent job teaching. Earned a sub.
This reminds me of being back in school during my apprenticeship. That was more than 20 years ago. I remember doing ladder diagrams for fellow classmates that were having trouble understanding and they looked a lot like what you were showing (maybe not as neatly drawn). Some classmates would complain because I wouldn't show them my answers when they didn't get around to doing the homework. Instead, I told them I would help them figure it out, because I felt it would be better if they understood the process rather than copy or just memorize the answer. This was more self-preservation than altruism because I didn't want to be stuck working with idiots in the field. Unlike most, I enjoyed my apprenticeship.
Excellent videos sir, very helpful to brush up concepts!
That’s a pretty awesome parallel / series combination circuit set up.
Great demo! It immediately clarified the problem and the effects it could have. Thanks for the video.
Outstanding visual explanation!!! Very well done!
Dude. Thank you. I remember looking for something like this years ago to help me visualize what was going on. Im only 15 ...20 seconds in and already know this is about to be GOAT.
Thanks again
This is the best explanation of a neutral on RUclips.
GREAT ! Demo . I can't say how wonderful this graphic demo with the meter reading is .
Probably one of the best demonstrations I've seen about this issue. Simple to understand and learn from.
This answered my question I have been having for years. I appreciate this video so much!!!
This was so perfectly explained. To the point and the demonstration worked wonders. Thank you so much Dave.
Literally just dealt with this phenomenon, thank you for the simple explanation.
Excellent Production Dave. Your attention to detail in the white board drawings as well as the clean demo circuit construction really makes it easy to learn. I learn as much about teaching as the circuit theory with you. You're an inspiration. Thanks!
One of the best if not The best explanation of an open neutral I have seen. Well done.
I’m about to watch all your videos before I start my new job to have a better understanding and clarity. Thanks for your hard work and gift your sharing with me and the internet! 🔥🙏🏾💯
This 1 video summarizes and clarifies much more than literally dozens of RUclips videos. Thank you!!
You are a legend and one of the most talented teachers. Thank you!
Excellent explanation!!!
I’m not an electrician, but I know enough to understand your video, and it is indeed superb .
Wow. This clears up so much for me. Thank you!
That is an extremely well put together video, with spot on simulation, and great supporting graphics all to explain a utterly trivial fact.
I never could understand the how’s and why’s of the neutral until you made this video. THANK YOU!
This is the best explanation for open neutral I have ever seen. really well done!
Accidentally stumbled upon this video. Great explanation! Like it! Certainly deserves more attention
Best explanation of open neutral I've seen. Thank you.
I never really understood these principles until I saw this video. Great demonstration and explanation!
The thing you demonstrated is a very important concept in Electrical Engineering, which we never realise. Thank you so much for making this video.
Are you studying to be an Electrical Engineer? What country are you in?
@@MrWzeljunior Yes, I'm in my final year of my BTech, EE. I'm from India.
This is an outstanding demonstration that makes it much easier to understand. Great Video.
You did a fantastic setup and explanation. Learned a lot.
What a great, lucid, presentation.
Genius! This is an incredibly effective way to demonstrate open neutrals - thanks for your great work!
Wow. You just broke my brain with genius! Ty. This helps me understand it sooo much better.
Wow I have an open neutral problem in two rooms in my house and now I finally have an idea of what's happening. Much better than the electrician that said I need to rewire the entire house
This is absolutely the best explination I have ever heard, thank you so much for putting this together using examples and common sense language
Thank You Mr Gordon for this incredible show-off! Your teaching about this common issue is a masterpiece,You already blew my mind!!
Great job breaking this stuff down! So many people out there are in more danger than they think when it comes to the neutral and ground.
Amazing video. Explained extremely well so anyone can understand. Thank you so much!
Great analogy using DC. Great video, thanks!
That was the best demonstration of an open neutral I've ever seen. Great idea using batteries to keep it safe!
AWESOME! VIDEO! So beautifully explained!! LOVE it
This is the best explanation and example I have ever seen.
This is one of the most informative videos ever.
Awesome video. I can’t believe 40 years in the trade and this is the first time this was ever explained to me so simply and completely.
One of the best videos I've ever seen!
Excellent explanation.
As a master electrician I can usually diagnose a problem from the symptoms that are observed. The problem I have is trying to explain the problems to an apprentice or a customer. This video gives me the mental picture to make it easier to explain.
One of the best explanations and demonstrations of it's kind. Woefully underrated video!
Excellent little lesson, you rock Dave!
Slow, methodical and easily understandable. Good job. I know electricians and electrical instructors that know the subject matter very well but confuse the hell out of almost anyone with their scribbles on a whiteboard.
great video. A perfect explanation of an open neutral.
A-1 presentation ! very clear, good demonstration, thanks Dave !!
very cool example and explanation of series/parallel circuits, thanks for taking the time to make this video Dave
This explanation is so elegant. I wish this video was available when I was training.
What a goldmine of a channel to stumble upon. I hope there are some earthing videos, Earth loops and harmonics are my focus at the mo. gonna go trawl the back catalogue.
Thanks for the content
Is it weird that I've started listening to this guy in the background while I do other things?
This stuff is fascinating to me, I don't think I could ever get sick of his lessons.