home · Appliances · What happens if you confuse phase and 0. How to distinguish zero from grounding using improvised means. Checking with an indicator screwdriver

What happens if you confuse phase and 0. How to distinguish zero from grounding using improvised means. Checking with an indicator screwdriver

The owner of an apartment or private house who decides to carry out any procedure related to electricity, be it installing an outlet or switch, hanging a chandelier or wall lamp, invariably faces the need to determine where the phase and neutral wires, as well as the grounding cable, are located at the work site. This is necessary in order to correctly connect the mounted element, as well as to avoid accidental electric shock. If you have some experience working with electricity, then this question will not confuse you, but for a beginner it can be a serious problem. In this article we will understand what phase and zero are in electrics, and we will tell you how to find these cables in a circuit, distinguishing them from each other.

What is the difference between a phase conductor and a neutral conductor?

Purpose of the phase cable - supply electrical energy To to the right place. If we talk about a three-phase electrical network, then there are three current-supply wires per single zero wire (neutral). This is due to the fact that the flow of electrons in a circuit of this type has a phase shift of 120 degrees, and the presence of one neutral cable in it is quite sufficient. The potential difference on the phase wire is 220V, while the zero wire, like the ground wire, is not energized. On a pair of phase conductors the voltage value is 380 V.

Line cables are designed to connect the load phase to the generator phase. Purpose neutral wire(working zero) consists of connecting the zeros of the load and the generator. From the generator, the flow of electrons moves to the load along linear conductors, and its reverse movement occurs through neutral cables.

Neutral wire, as mentioned above, is not energized. This conductor performs a protective function.

The purpose of the neutral wire is to create a chain with a low resistance value, so that in the event short circuit the current was sufficient to immediately trigger the emergency shutdown device.

Thus, damage to the installation will be followed by its rapid disconnection from the general network.

In modern wiring, the sheath of the neutral conductor is blue or light blue. In old circuits, the working neutral wire (neutral) is combined with the protective wire. This cable has a yellow-green coating.

Depending on the purpose of the power transmission line, it may have:

  • Solidly grounded neutral cable.
  • Insulated neutral wire.
  • Effectively grounded neutral.

The first type of lines is increasingly used in the design of modern residential buildings.

In order for such a network to function correctly, energy is generated for it three-phase generators and is also delivered via three phase conductors located under high voltage. The working zero, which is the fourth wire, is supplied from the same generator set.

Visually about the difference between phase and zero in the video:

What is a grounding cable for?

Grounding is provided in all modern electrical household devices. It helps reduce the current to a level that is safe for health by redirecting most flow of electrons into the ground and protecting the person touching the device from electrical shock. Also, grounding devices are an integral part of lightning rods on buildings - through them a powerful electric charge from external environment goes into the ground without causing harm to people and animals, without causing a fire.

To the question - how to identify a grounding wire - one could answer: by the yellow-green sheath, but color marking, unfortunately, is often not observed. It also happens that an electrician who does not have sufficient experience confuses a phase cable with a neutral cable, or even connects two phases at once.

To avoid such troubles, you need to be able to distinguish conductors not only by the color of the sheath, but also in other ways that guarantee the correct result.

Home electrical wiring: finding zero and phase

You can install at home where which wire is located different ways. We will analyze only the most common and accessible to almost anyone: using the usual light bulb, indicator screwdriver and tester (multimeter).

About the color marking of phase, neutral and ground wires in the video:

Checking with an electric lamp

Before you begin such a test, you need to assemble a testing device using a light bulb. To do this, it should be screwed into a cartridge of suitable diameter, and then secured to the wire terminal, removing the insulation from their ends with a stripper or an ordinary knife. Then the lamp conductors must be applied one at a time to the cores being tested. When the lamp lights up, it will mean that you have found a phase wire. If you check a cable with two cores, it is already clear that the second one will be zero.

Checking with an indicator screwdriver

A good assistant in work related to electrical installation, is an indicator screwdriver. The operation of this inexpensive instrument is based on the principle of flow through the indicator body capacitive current. It consists of the following main elements:

  • A metal tip shaped like a flathead screwdriver that is applied to wires for testing.
  • A neon light bulb that lights up when current passes through it, thus signaling phase potential.
  • A resistor to limit the amount of electrical current that protects the device from combustion under the influence of a powerful flow of electrons.
  • A contact pad that allows you to create a circuit when you touch it.

Professional electricians use more expensive ones in their work. LED indicators with two built-in batteries, but a simple device made in China It is quite accessible to anyone and should be available to every home owner.

If you check for voltage on a wire using this device when daylight, you will have to look more closely during the work, since the glow of the signal lamp will be difficult to notice.

When the screwdriver tip touches the phase contact, the indicator lights up. In this case, it should not light up either at the protective zero or at the grounding, otherwise we can conclude that there are problems in the connection diagram.

When using this indicator, be careful not to accidentally touch a live wire with your hand.

About determining the phase clearly in the video:

Checking with a multimeter

To determine the phase using a home tester, you need to put the device in voltmeter mode and measure the voltage between the contacts in pairs. Between the phase and any other wire, this indicator should be 220 V, and applying the probes to the ground and protective zero should show the absence of voltage.

Conclusion

In this material, we answered in detail the question of what phase and zero are in modern electrics, what they are needed for, and also figured out how to determine where the phase conductor is located in the wiring. Which of these methods is preferable is up to you, but remember that the issue of determining phase, zero and grounding is very important. Incorrect test results can cause devices to burn out when connected, or, even worse, cause damage electric shock.

When installing sockets and light switches, connecting household electrical appliances there is a need to determine the purpose of the wiring cores. How to determine phase and “zero”, as well as the grounding conductor? This task, which is not difficult for professional electricians, sometimes baffles those who are little familiar with the rules of electrical networks. Let's try to understand this issue.

Construction of household electrical networks

Household electrical networks at the entrance to the distribution panel have line voltage 380V three phase alternating current. Wiring in apartments, with rare exceptions, has a voltage of 220V, since it is connected to one of the phases and the neutral conductor. In addition, properly installed household wiring must be grounded. In older buildings there may not be a grounding conductor. Thus, when installing wiring and electrical appliances, it is necessary to know the purpose of each of the two or three wires.

You should also know the rules for connecting various devices. When installing a conventional socket, the phase and neutral conductors are connected to the terminals in any order, and the grounding wire, if available, is connected to a copper or brass bus. The switch is connected to a phase wire so that when it is turned off, there is no voltage in the lamp socket - this will ensure safety when changing lamps. Complex Appliances in a metal case must be connected in accordance with the markings of the wires, otherwise the safety of their use is not guaranteed.

Devices and tools

Before you start electrical installation work and determine the phase and zero in the wiring, you need to prepare the necessary instruments and tools:

  • Pointer or digital multimeter;
  • Indicator screwdriver or tester;
  • Marker;
  • Pliers;
  • Knife for stripping insulation.

You also need to find out where the protective equipment is located: circuit breakers or plugs, RCDs. Usually they are installed in a distribution panel on the site or at the entrance to the apartment. All operations on connecting electrical equipment and stripping wires must be carried out with the circuit breakers turned off!

Rules for working with a tester and multimeter

Checking the phase using an indicator screwdriver is carried out as follows: the screwdriver is clamped between the thumb and middle finger of the hand, without touching the uninsulated part of the tip. The index finger is placed on the metal patch at the end of the handle. The sting touches the bare ends of the wires; when it touches the phase conductor, the LED lights up.

A multimeter measures the voltage between the conductors. To do this, the device is set to the alternating current measurement limit with the symbol “~V” or “ACV” and a value greater than 250 V (usually for digital devices the limit of 600, 750 or 1000 V is selected). The probes simultaneously touch two conductors and determine the voltage between them. IN household electrical networks it should be 220V±10%.

Sometimes, to determine the grounding conductor, it is necessary to measure resistance. To do this, set the measurement limit “Ω” on the multimeter or with a bell icon.

Attention! In resistance measurement mode, touching the phase wire and ground loop will cause a short circuit! This may result in electrical injuries and burns!

Visual method of determination

If the wiring is done according to all the rules, you can determine the phase, neutral and grounding conductor by the color of the insulation. The ground wire is a two-tone yellow-green color, the neutral wire insulation is blue or cyan, and the phase wire can be white, black or brown. You can verify the correct connection using a visual inspection; in this case, it is necessary to check the color matching of the insulation not only in the panel, but also in the distribution boxes.

Visual inspection sequence

  1. Open the panel and inspect the circuit breakers. Depending on the design load their number may vary. Only phase or phase and neutral wires can be connected through the machines. The grounding conductor is always connected directly to the bus. Check compliance color coding all wires.
  2. If the color of the insulation of the cable going into the apartment in the panel corresponds to the rules, open all the distribution boxes and inspect the twists. In them, the colors of the neutral insulation and the ground wire should also not be mixed up.
  3. Switches are connected to the phase in distribution boxes. Often installation is performed with a two-core wire having other insulation colors, for example, white and white-blue. This shouldn't bother you.
  4. If the installation is carried out in full compliance with the color of the insulation, it is enough to check the phase wire using an indicator screwdriver.

Determining phase and zero in a two-wire network

If your wiring is done without a grounding conductor, you only need to find the phase conductor. The easiest way to do this is with an indicator screwdriver.

An indicator screwdriver will help determine phase and zero

  1. Disable circuit breaker and strip the insulation of the wires at a distance of 1-1.5 cm using a knife. Place them at a distance that prevents accidental contact of the wires.
  2. Turn on the circuit breaker. Using an indicator screwdriver, touch the stripped ends of the wires one at a time. A glowing diode will indicate the phase wire.
  3. Mark it with a marker or colored tape, turn off the circuit breaker and make the necessary connections.
  4. When connecting lighting fixtures, you must also make sure that the switch is connected to the phase wire, otherwise, when changing light bulbs, it will not be enough to turn off the switch; you will have to completely de-energize the apartment each time by turning off the machine.

Determination of phase, zero and ground wire

If the network is three-wire, but is made with wires of the same color, or you are not sure of the correct connection, you must determine the purpose of the conductors before installing each element of the network.

  1. Determine the phase wire using the method described above using an indicator screwdriver and mark it with a marker.
  2. To determine the neutral and ground wires, you will need a multimeter. As you know, due to phase imbalance, voltage may appear in the neutral wire. Its value usually does not exceed 30V. Set the multimeter to AC voltage mode. Touch the phase wire with one probe, and the other two wires in turn with the second. Where the voltage value is lower, the second wire will be the neutral conductor.
  3. If the voltage value is the same, it is necessary to measure the resistance of the ground wire. To do this, it is better to insulate the already defined phase wire to avoid accidental touching it. The multimeter is set to resistance measurement mode. Find a known grounded element, for example, a pipe or battery. If necessary, clean the paint and touch the metal with one multimeter probe, and the other one in turn to the conductors, the purpose of which is unclear. The resistance of the grounding wire in relation to grounded elements should not exceed 4 Ohms, the resistance of the neutral wire will be greater.
  4. The resistance measurement may also be unreliable if the neutral is grounded in the panel. In this case, you need to find the grounding conductor connected to the bus inside the panel and disconnect it. After this operation, you need to take a socket with a lamp and connected wires, strip their ends and connect one lamp wire to the phase wire, and the second - alternately to the other two. The lamp will light up when touching the neutral conductor.

If all of the above measures do not lead to the desired result, it is better to contact professional electricians who, with the help of special devices will call all circuits. Don't forget that this is primarily about safety.

The question is: what will be the consequences if the battery terminals are mixed up? We'll consider this topic, since novice car owners should know this information. It's hard to imagine that the terminals can be mixed up when installing a battery.

This can be done when charging the battery, especially in a hurry. It is much more difficult to do this on a car, because the terminals are of different sizes, but it happens.

So what will be the consequences if you mix up and connect the battery terminals incorrectly? To give the correct answer to such a question, it is necessary to consider possible cases such a connection.

Let's start with the easiest one according to the consequences of the case, this is when the clamps used to connect are mixed up Charger to the battery. The chargers do not have terminals with different sizes, they have quick-release ones, and it’s easy to confuse them. Factory-made chargers will react to this by blowing the fuse.

Self-made memory devices may not have such protection, and they may give a strong hum as a sign of an “accident.” power transformer. If such an error was quickly eliminated, then there will be no special consequences for the battery.

It will be much worse for him if he continues to “charge” like this for some time. In such cases, a process occurs in the battery that experts call reversal. It harms the battery, reducing its service life, but it is possible to correct the situation a little. To do this, you need to completely discharge the battery using a car light bulb (preferably from a brake light). After this, having correctly connected the charger to the battery, it is fully charged.

What happens if you mix it up?

What are the consequences if you mix up the battery terminals on a car?

Several connection options and their consequences are possible.

  • The terminals are mixed up when installed on a vehicle with the engine running;
  • The battery is installed with the ignition off.

First point will cause much more trouble to the driver than the second one. When changing the polarity of the battery, you can damage the diode bridge of the generator, as well as other electronic devices car. This applies mainly to older cars that do not have factory protection against incorrect battery connection. On most modern generators Electronic relays are installed that control battery charging, for which polarity reversal is unacceptable.

If the battery is connected incorrectly with the ignition off, the consequences will be less severe. In this case, previously turned on electronic devices, such as a radio, clock and other devices, usually come out. Sometimes blown fuses installed in their power supply circuit help out, but provided that they meet the necessary requirements for the maximum current in the protected circuit.

Possible malfunctions if the battery is connected incorrectly

A battery left incorrectly connected for a long time can cause a fire. The same consequences can occur if you improperly light a cigarette from another car.

May also be harmed on-board computer, if installed on the vehicle. It's threatening complete refusal all vehicle systems. It needs to be replaced, which will significantly “lighten” the owner’s wallet.

Negligence and inattention can damage your car alarm. She prefers to work only with her poles.

Be sure to pay attention to the wiring, and not just the one that comes from the battery. It happens that wires that were under load during connection melt and short out. Modern cars provide some protection against incorrect connection. A fuse is installed at the positive terminals.

We considered the question: What will be the consequences if the battery terminals are mixed up? Also to prevent short circuit electronic components protected by diode bridges with fuses. The fuse blows, but the unit is in good condition. Do not be too hasty when installing the battery, it can literally be expensive.

How to determine: phase, zero and ground

For two-wire wiring:

Important: When determining the phase in the wiring of a house or apartment, it will be necessary to apply voltage to this same wiring. In this regard, subsequent work and experiments become unsafe for life. Therefore, think 100 times whether you need this, it may be better to call professional electrician who has permission. Life is much more valuable than the money he will take from you.

If you were indifferent to my warnings, then let’s move on and read point by point, like two wires determine where the phase is and where the zero is.

1. Unplug all appliances.

2. Turn off the power to the apartment or house; the voltage should be turned off completely.

3. Expose the two wires with which you are going to “sort things out.”

What happens if the support bearings are reversed?

I don't mean that you need to completely remove the insulation from the wires, just that their ends should be slightly exposed and stripped, and also be at a distance from each other so that they do not accidentally touch and a short circuit does not occur.

4. Apply voltage again, including to the wires you need.

5. Take an indicator screwdriver. If you don't have it, then you need to buy it. It costs a ridiculous amount of money, like a loaf of bread. Therefore, there is no need to look for other methods and say that: “I don’t have any screwdriver, maybe a light bulb would be better.”

6. The indicator screwdriver should be in the right hand. You only need to take it by the dielectric handle. Touch the end of the screwdriver to each of the wires in turn. At the same time, the index finger right hand should be placed on the tip of the handle, which should be metal.

The wire on which the indicator lights up is phase, and the second wire, naturally, is zero.

This entire instruction is very suitable for two-wire wiring, but there can be 3 wires, that is, zero, phase and ground.

For three-wire wiring:

You can determine the phase in a three-wire wire in exactly the same way: the indicator will light up. The indicator screwdriver will not respond to ground and zero.

Zero and ground are defined in different cases differently. Some determine by the colors of the wires: brown - phase, blue/cyan — zero, green yellow/striped - Earth. However, in this case, you need to rely on electricians who should not have mixed up and used a specific color for a specific wire. That's why this method is immediately eliminated.

You can take a socket with a light bulb and two wires, screw one to the phase determined by the indicator, and with the second touch the two remaining wires in turn: where the wire lights up is that wire and zero. However, the light bulb may also light up if it comes into contact with earth. You can measure the voltage one by one using a voltmeter. In a phase-zero pair, the voltage must be greater than in a phase-ground pair.

Tips on how to find out 0 and ground:

1. Climb into the shield and turn it off protective grounding. On the remaining pair of wires the load (lamp) will work. This is if you know exactly where the ground is in the shield.

2. Close the phase to one of the remaining wires. If the plugs are knocked out, then zero. If not, then the ground. Provided that you have plugs and you are not afraid that all the wiring will burn out. And it's quite dangerous.

3. There are special indicator screwdrivers with a battery, IEK sells the same ones (these yellow ones), so it’s convenient to distinguish the ground from zero. We identify the neon phase, turn off the packet/input machine (this only works if it is bipolar), poke the remaining ends, the one that lights up is ground, the one that doesn’t light up is zero.

4. Using an AC voltmeter, measure the voltage between the unidentified wire and the heat supply battery (pick off the paint and touch the metal). The “grounding” wire will have zero potential, the “zero” wire, due to phase imbalance (different phase loads), the potential can be from zero to 20-30 volts.

5. If you have a three-wire network, then there must be an RCD, then determine the phase wire, having first disconnected the entire load (i.e. it should not be shorted anywhere on the devices). After determining the phase and connecting to it (for example, an incandescent lamp), connect the second wire to any of the remaining wires (make all connections with voltage relief), turn on the RCD, then turn on the input circuit breaker, if the RCD does not turn off, then the second wire is zero, and if the RCD turns off, then this is a protective grounding.

http://patlah.ru

© “Encyclopedia of Technologies and Methods” Patlakh V.V. 1993-2007

Hello, there is a need to connect after repair hob instead of old stove. What remains from the old plate is a terminal block with 3 wires (phase, neutral, ground), but from the point of view of the tester, there is a phase and two zeros. 🙂 Question: 1. how to determine who is zero and who is grounding? 2. How important is it not to confuse them? (I suspect that in the 504 series house there is no separate grounding and these wires are connected in the panel to a common zero bus. Thank you.

Savin Alexey Nikolaevich 4 years, 7 months ago

Connect these two wires with the heating radiator, the one that shows less resistance is ground, if the resistance is the same, then there is no difference, you can set any wire to zero.

Eliseev Eduard Mikhailovich 4 years, 7 months ago

Most likely, this is the case. To do this, you need to open the shield and determine by the color of the wires from your stove which one sits where (on the ground or zero). And 3 wires are good if you install an RCD on the stove (electricians know this).

Eremenko Dmitry Alexandrovich 4 years, 7 months ago

there was no land in Savdep, zeroing was used if the automatic machine was not installed. then without limiting which wire to use as ground

Trifonov Andrey Sergeevich 4 years, 7 months ago

Take a tester and check for voltage, between zero and phase it will be about 220V.

Karpov Vyacheslav Nikolaevich 4 years, 7 months ago

He asked himself, he answered himself.

What happens if you mix up the battery terminals?

Determine by cable color. Whether they connect or not, look at the shield.

Kuskov Dmitry 4 years, 6 months ago

If the wires are the same color, then the ground zero should be slightly longer than the working zero and the phase wire. And if on hob If an RCD is installed, then if the zero is confused with the ground, it will work. By the way, if you connect the VP not to the working zero, but to the protective zero, part of the current will go past the meter. You can get a hat for this.

Ermolaev Vadim Petrovich 4 years, 6 months ago

IT WAS TOGETHER IN THE SCOOP... YOU NEED TO CHECK ASAP THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE... AND THERE ARE SAME COLOR - WHITE... AND THE COUNTER CAN'T BE FOOLED SO... THE JUMPER IS AT ZERO... PURE POWER SUPPLY TO THE VOLTAGE COILS... ONLY PHASE TERMINALS MATTER

Dear visitor! You are in the archive of the old forum on mastergrad.com

change zero to phase (+)?

alladin
Oct 14 2004
10:17:23
In the apartment, all light switches open zero, i.e. In theory, if you don’t turn off the machine and go to change the light bulb, it might shake.

I don’t know who did this (the house is an old Stalinist one), maybe this was the custom before?

The question is whether it is possible to simply take the shield and swap the zero with the phase, i.e. what was previously zero will become a phase.
Do I risk burning something?

AndreyMax
(Moscow, Russia)
Oct 14 2004
10:33:08
Theoretically, you can burn it,

But you can call and check before supplying 220V

But if your neighbors have some tricks on your wiring, you can burn it.

In general, only because of the light bulbs - it is suggested not to take a steam bath.

alladin
Oct 14 2004
14:02:00
What does it mean for the neighbors to have feints?
AndreyMax
(Moscow, Russia)
Oct 14 2004
14:24:20
Well, maybe the ground wire goes further to them, or some of their sockets are powered.

Maybe they have wiring from the ground to the battery...

Of course it's unlikely - but who knows...

Crab
(Moscow)
Oct 14 2004
14:57:00
He can take a steam bath and switch the phases to zero on the breakout boxes.
“...it’s troublesome, but it’s for the best...”
Prof.Vybegallo
Rosta
(Ryazan)
Oct 14 2004
15:26:19
I think it is possible, if only you are 100% sure of your wiring.
In old houses with two-wire wiring, they install sockets of a new type (Euro) with a ground contact, placing it on the neutral wire. Technically incorrect, but it provides some kind of “grounding”.
alladin
Oct 14 2004
15:40:05
no, the earth weighs in the air in my shield

What confuses me is that the machines are turned off section by section.

1. sockets
2. sockets
3. light in the rooms + old sockets
4. light in the bathroom and hallway + old sockets
5. washing machine (socket) + light in the kitchen

This is such a zoo, I’m afraid it won’t let me in one phase at a time

If you change it only in the shield, it will take too long and troublesome to move around the apartment.

Gennady B
(St. Petersburg)
Oct 14 2004
15:41:33
alladin! If you decide to “change the polarity”, check the wiring in the sockets. The connection in the socket, which Rosta reviews POSITIVELY, will play a tragic role in your switching!
ziv
(Cherepovets)
Oct 14 2004
16:14:07
Apparently in the "electrician"
You can change the zero and phase at the entrance to the apartment.

Perhaps they were simply mixed up somewhere in the apartment during renovations or something else.

ziv
(Cherepovets)
Oct 14 2004
16:15:26
Gennady B, I think his sockets are simple.
alladin
Oct 14 2004
17:16:46
where I wrote “old sockets” - there are simple ones (without ground)

Where there are sockets, there is earth, but it is all wired into the panel and is not yet connected anywhere (because there is no earth...)

I just didn’t intend to change the machines for new sockets (No. 1, No. 2)
but No. 3 and No. 4 would give up, No. 5 is questionable because there is a mixture of both new and old.

Waved means that I pull the wire out of the machine and put it on the ground. From the ground, I plug a couple of this wire into the machine.

Rosta
(Ryazan)
Oct 15 2004
15:32:24
IS
(Chelyabinsk)
Oct 15 2004
16:30:51
to Rosta

> > Check your ground wire for a short to zero in the apartment wiring.

Since the house is old, there is most likely no earth wire there in nature. There are only two wires and God knows where the phase goes and where the zero goes. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of the switches break the phase, and some break the zero (although in this case specific case the author of the topic wrote that all switches are made the same).

alladin
Oct 15 2004
17:54:18
maybe not the same, but it’s easy to check
I turn off the light and check with a tester whether there is a phase or not

But I think that everyone is breaking zero.

amp
(Moscow)
Oct 16 2004
12:09:33
I thought only in my grandmother’s house (centre, 50s) such madness =) But no... maybe before it was really possible to break zero?

At least, of course, if I bothered with any alterations, I would re-tighten all the wiring, install a normal shield and sockets with ground. Expensive, tedious, but right.

MaiklF
Oct 16 2004
13:34:49
Naturally, an old house has no land. If you need to ground Euro sockets, you can use the “zero” only by laying this “zero” separate wire from the electrical panel. If the grounding contact of a Euro socket is connected to the WORKING “Zero” in the socket itself, this is not a buzz, and you should get rid of it (Otherwise, when an electrician, after some kind of repair, mixes up the input ends in the panel and places the neutral wire in a phase, the housing equipment connected to such an outlet will be under voltage. Voltage will also appear on the housing if the working neutral wire burns out somewhere in the electrical wiring).
As for setting the switches to “zero”. As a rule, this occurs in old houses and villages. Once upon a time (I don’t know exact date) there was a rule according to which it was forbidden to put switches on the “phase” in order to protect the switcher from electric shock in the event of a possible technical malfunction switch or the presence of moisture (water) in this switch.

What happens if you mix up the battery terminals?

Well, mistakes existed even in the PUE.

Specifically in the case of alladin, I don’t see any problems. Elimination of mistakes with connections of switches is eliminated by the simplest switching of common input wires (for example, those suitable for its electric meter) in places. The neighbors have nothing to do with it. They have their own electrical wiring diagram - their own input ends and their own electric meter, respectively (unless, of course, we are talking about a communal apartment 🙂). And there will be no problems with sockets either, because... alladin writes that the grounding contacts are hanging in the air.

And more about European sockets. A wire intended for PROTECTIVE “Zero”, i.e. to connect to the grounding terminal of a Euro socket, try to place it in the electrical panel separately from the common “zero” terminal (where the thread is further away in the panel, under a separate bolt/screw/nut). In order to protect your expensive equipment from accidental mistakes of a local electrician.

Alew
(St. Petersburg)
Oct 16 2004
16:39:19
MaiklF raised a question that is relevant to me: If an electrician mistakenly or deliberately connects a ground wire to a phase, how will an RCD and a two-pole circuit breaker react to this?
And will they protect my expensive equipment?

Thank you.

MaiklF
Oct 17 2004
12:26:27
If an electrician mistakenly swaps the phase with zero, then:
- for a two-pole circuit breaker it is all the same, and it will continue to perform its main functions of protecting the circuit.
- for RCD - it depends on the RCD model. For some, such switching is permissible and the device (RCD) remains fully functional, but for some it is not and the device (RCD) will not work.

In any case, RCDs are not intended to protect equipment! THEIR goal is to protect a person from electric shock and protect the electrical circuit from fires associated with leaks due to violations of the insulation of live parts.
Regarding the principle of operation of the RCD, I give a link where everything is explained briefly, simply and clearly:
http://www.vashdom.ru/articles/ikm_uzo.htm

By the way, a circuit breaker also cannot be considered as equipment protection (there are exceptions - an engine protection circuit breaker, for example). The machine serves to protect a circuit (electrical wiring line, for example) from exceeding the maximum permissible currents (usually in the event of a short circuit (SC), or when the permissible loads, when an extra kettle is plugged into the outlet 🙂).

Other devices are called upon to protect the equipment.
- From power surges - stabilizers, for example.
— Various types of filters for interference.
— For uninterrupted operation of equipment — UPS (sources uninterruptible power supply), as a rule, they have solid filters and provide excellent protection from voltage surges.
- From watering equipment with water, when watering flowers - attentiveness and accuracy.
- From breaking equipment, a toy thrown at it by a child - suggestion and a belt (for some), education is shorter.
- Yes, from dust - a vacuum cleaner (by the way, a very necessary method of protection)

Margaret
(Saint Petersburg)
Oct 17 2004
15:57:36
Can I ask a question from someone who doesn’t understand anything about electronics?

If, after all, the ground in the socket is connected to zero, but everything is sourced. in the center of the city there is a “zeroed neutral” (according to electricians once), then what exactly will happen if someone changes something (connects the ground to a phase or something) in the common panel (everyone who can rummages through it) ? In some cases it is worth network filter, in others - no.

And what happens if the washing machine and electric oven are not grounded at all?

For people and for technology?

IS
(Chelyabinsk)
Oct 17 2004
17:41:56
to Margaret

> > “zeroed neutral” (according to electricians once)

Maybe, " grounded neutral"? So, in theory, she is grounded everywhere.

> > what exactly will happen if someone changes something (connects the ground to a phase or something) in the common panel (everyone who can rummages through it)? In some cases there is a surge protector, in others there is not.

If someone swaps phase and zero at the entrance to the apartment, you will get a phase on the body of all supposedly grounded devices. Those. touching a “grounded” washing machine and a bathtub or water supply pipes at the same time will be no different from sticking your fingers into a socket.

> >

It won't be a problem. True, the level of security will potentially be lower, but in practice this is not particularly important: previously, domestic washing machines There were no grounding at all.

Margaret
(Saint Petersburg)
Oct 17 2004
23:22:06
Thanks for your reply, IS.
Of course, I wet myself, grounded neutral.
The thing is that these words don’t mean anything to me (due to misunderstanding), I just repeat them like a parrot :).
At the same time, we were always told that we did not have any land. It is also impossible to connect to the panel in the front door...

So I'm trying to figure out what to do. Electricians from the housing office refuse to do anything for us ( Long story to explain why - in short, the residents of the house are arguing with the entire city administration, so we have continuous problems with small things - electricity, heating..), those whom they tried to hire clearly do not understand anything, there is no money for cool specialists ...

> > And what will happen if the washing machine and electric oven are not grounded at all? For people and for technology?

> It won't be a problem. True, potentially the level of > security will be lower, but in practice this is not particularly > important: previously, domestic washing machines > had no grounding at all.

What about warranty repairs household appliances? Everywhere in the instructions it is written that, they say, we are not responsible for anything if it is not grounded.
And what could still be, at least as you write, not terrible? How can this level of security manifest itself as a lower one?

Can I get cheeky and have one more question? We also have an intermediate panel (that is, there is one in the apartment, there is a common staircase one, and there is an intermediate one for two apartments, although the second apartment has long been transferred to an office and what has been done for them is unknown). So, in it our (going to us) automatic machine (at 25 amperes) gets very hot, sometimes sparks if you turn on a lot of lights (this never happened before)… - besides the housing office electricians, can anyone fix this, otherwise it’s scary? (This machine sparked about 7 years ago, they called an emergency at night (then they still came to such calls, now they don’t), they replaced the machine with a spare one, which we had at home (for these 25 amps), as long as we had the machine before they didn’t specify then...

Sorry for the abundance of questions, it’s just somehow scary to live... in St. Petersburg.

IS
(Chelyabinsk)
Oct 18 2004
08:41:42
> > That is, it is better not to connect the ground in the socket to zero at all? We have this only for computers. And a surge protector won't help? Rework sockets?

It's better to have no ground at all than to have a connection in an outlet. A surge filter has a completely different purpose - it only catches voltage surges.

quoted1 > > And we also have automatic machines (old models) set to phase and zero. They did this to us once. Is that also wrong?

The machines must be double, i.e. so that when the machine is triggered, both wires would break simultaneously.

> > So, in it our (coming to us) automatic machine (at 25 amperes) gets very hot, sometimes sparks if you turn on a lot of lights (this never happened before)... - except for the housing office electricians, someone can fix this, otherwise scary?

This is what the housing office electricians do, and in the circumstances described, they need to be called urgently.

They, of course, will dodge, but we must insist. If something happens, threaten to sue for failure to fulfill official duties.

When renovating a room, every person faces the problem of installing lighting fixtures. Even easy installation chandeliers can raise a bunch of questions related to connecting it to the electrical network. But not everything is as complicated as it seems at first glance. You just need to draw up the connection diagram correctly and, observing safety rules, get to work.

According to electrical safety rules, phase “L” must always be interrupted through a switch and go to the central contact of the light bulb socket. Zero “N” goes common to all light sources without interruption, approaching the side base of the socket.

If, when connecting ordinary light bulbs with wires, you mix up phase and zero, nothing bad will happen to them. But when replacing a burnt-out lamp, a person can receive an electric shock from an undisconnected phase.

There will be a problem with chandeliers that use housekeepers, diode or halogen lamps. Mixing up the wires will cause the lamps to flicker and fail. If a lighting device with a fan is connected incorrectly, it can cause the motor windings to burn out.

We track zero and phase

Before you start connecting any light source, you need to determine the protruding ends of the wires. There can be two, three or four of them on the ceiling. Determine which one where is he going, an electrician's tool will help:

  • If two wires go to the ceiling, it is enough to use simple indicator. Having turned on the switch key, you need to touch each contact in turn. There will be a phase on the core where the indicator light lights up.
  • The three wires going out to the ceiling ring in the same way. There will be one zero and two phase conductors going to the double switch. You can determine their attachment to a specific key by turning them off one by one, while touching the exposed ends on the ceiling with the indicator.
  • Four wires extending to the ceiling indicate the presence of grounding. Typically in electrical wiring, the ground wire is marked yellow and green. If all four wires are the same color, the phase ends are determined in the same way with an indicator. A multimeter will help you distinguish zero from ground. The device must be used to measure the resistance of each wire in turn relative to the wire connected to the heating system. On the wire where the multimeter shows resistance there will be grounding.

After all ends have been dialed, they must be marked with a marker. This will help you avoid getting confused again when performing installation.

Chandelier installation

The chandelier should be located in the most suitable place so that its light covers all areas of the room. Usually in apartments this place is the center of the ceiling. Traditional chandeliers are hinged to a ceiling anchor hook. LED models with a control panel and some other lighting devices can be equipped with a mounting strip. It is fixed to the ceiling with dowels. After the assembly of the chandelier itself is completed, it is fixed with nuts to the protruding studs of the mounting plate.

Pendant or suspended ceiling requires the preparation of hangers or embeds in advance. They are attached before the suspension structure is assembled. Suitable for mortgage wooden beam. Its thickness should be on the same level as the future ceiling. The mounting strip is attached to the beam with self-tapping screws.

The assembly of connections must necessarily take place using connecting blocks. They will ensure strong and safe contact.

Connecting chandeliers with a fan

Mounting a chandelier combined with a fan on the ceiling is very convenient. An electrical product will provide room lighting and replace the air conditioner in the summer. Typically, such devices were installed in offices, but now they have become popular for living rooms. When purchasing a product, you need to make sure that it comes with instructions. It contains a diagram for connecting to the electrical network.

Internal diagram of an electrical appliance

Previously, the instructions for such electrical appliances contained an additional paragraph where a diagram of the internal electrical equipment and detailed description operating principle. Now many manufacturers have removed this section, leaving only the connection to the electrical network. For the average consumer this is not so important, but if you look at it superficially, then simple circuit The device consists of a light fixture with a built-in electric fan motor. Each of them can be switched on separately with a two-key switch or simultaneously with a single-key switch.

Connection diagram to single-key switch not very practical. When the lights are turned on, the fan will rotate all the time, which will be unnecessary at low temperatures. It would be better to connect such a device with a double switch, where each key is designed to control a specific element.

Direct connection

Scheme direct connection impractical, but as an existing option it should be considered:

One-key connection

  1. The first to install is the neutral wire coming from distribution box. Zero is connected simultaneously to two wires coming from the chandelier. The first wire is the zero of the fan motor, the second neutral wire comes from the lamp base. If the chandelier contains several light bulbs, they will be connected to each other inside the housing by one neutral wire.
  2. The phase is connected with a wire coming from the switch. The connection diagram is the same. The network core is connected to the phase output of the fan motor and at the same time to the wire coming from the central contact of the lamp. Nose phase wire not so simple. If the chandelier is equipped, for example, with three or five lamps, two phase wires will come out of the body. They require connection to a dual switch to control a separate group of light bulbs. The option with a single-key switch provides for the connection of these two outputs, which, when turned on, will cause all the lights to glow.

As you can see, the principle of direct connection is simple. We turned on the key, current flowed through two wires, the lights came on and the fan started working. That is, only one direct connection key is used to control the fan and lamps.

Separate connection

It is more difficult to install a chandelier with separate connections. It provides connection to a double or even triple switch with big amount wires:

Two-key connection

  1. The first thing you need to do is track zero and phase with an indicator.
  2. First, as always, the zero wire is connected to all zero outputs of the chandelier.
  3. There will be two phase conductors coming from the double switch. One is connected to the corresponding output of the fan motor, the other is connected to the phase wire coming from the central contact of the lamp. If there are several light bulbs and two phase conductors come out of the chandelier body, they are connected together in the same way as the connection diagram discussed above. Then, when one key is turned on, all the lights will light up, and the second key will be used to control the fan.
  4. If you want the light bulbs of a multi-arm chandelier to turn on in groups, for example, two arms will light up or all at once, you will need to connect to a three-key switch. Then one key will be designed to control the fan, and the other two will control the lighting. The connection diagram remains unchanged, only three phase conductors are used, leading from each key to the corresponding output on the chandelier.

The multi-key control scheme is a little more complex, but it is more effective for comfortable use.

Chandelier grounding wire

Due to the fact that chandeliers with a fan are equipped with an electric motor, they are equipped with a grounding contact marked “PE”. The wiring of old apartments does not provide for the passage of a grounding wire from the distribution board. You will have to lay it yourself or simply insulate this contact on the chandelier itself.

Connecting a chandelier with a remote control

A modern lighting fixture is a chandelier with a remote control. Her work is not limited to lighting alone. The device can be used as decorative lighting, timer or light music. All programs stored in memory can be selected using the control panel.

Diagram and equipment of the device

The circuit diagram of a chandelier with a control panel consists of several LED lamps, united by blocks. Their operation is controlled by a controller. He helps you choose different modes lighting, as well as turn on or off different blocks of lamps. In turn, a direction device is connected to the controller, which receives commands from the remote control.

Some controller models are sold together with a control panel separately from the chandelier. Several lamps are independently connected to such a device. This allows you to remotely control the lighting, increasing the number of its modes. If we compare double switch and controller, the first will be able to control only two electrical lines, and the functionality of the second device increases to six lines.

Except remote device control, it is possible to install a stationary remote control. Its installation is carried out instead of a wall switch. A stationary remote control is designed to control lighting and search for a lost remote device using a built-in sound signal.

The easiest way to connect a lamp with a remote control is in old apartments, where two or three wires go to the place where it is installed. New buildings have modern wiring electrical network consisting of four wires. The fourth wire is used for grounding. If the wire does not differ in the color of the insulation, you will have to spend a little time identifying it and connecting it to the lamp body or simply insulating it.

The connection diagram to the remaining wires is as follows:

  1. The first to connect is the neutral wire of the line to the corresponding output of the luminaire.
  2. Since the lighting can now be controlled from the remote control, there is no need for a wall switch. But it must be constantly on for current to flow to the lamp. Alternatively, it can be removed from the wall altogether, and the two contacts connected inside the box and insulated.
  3. If there was a single-key switching device on the wall, it means that only one phase conductor will be suitable for the lamp, which must be connected.
  4. Naturally, two power wires come out of the double switch. Then one is connected to the chandelier, and the other is simply isolated. For safety, it is better to additionally disconnect the unnecessary second core and insulate it inside the wall switch box.

When connecting such a device, the main thing is not to confuse phase and zero. Electronic circuits very sensitive and can burn out.

Installation of a stationary remote control is possible only if three wires are connected to the lamp. It is mounted instead of a double switch on the wall:

  1. The disconnecting device is removed from the wall. There should be a box with three wire ends left. The two free ends are phase conductors going to the lamp from the former keys. The third end supplies the phase that supplies the first two wires through the switch. On this moment they are all spread out to the sides.
  2. The first output of the lamp is connected on the ceiling together with the zero and one former phase conductor.
  3. The second output of the lamp is connected to the remaining second former phase conductor.
  4. The following work involves installing a stationary remote control on the wall. But first, a multimeter is used to find a pair of wires protruding from the box, between which 220 volts arise. They are connected to the terminals of the stationary console, marked with the letters “N” and “L”.
  5. The remaining third free end is connected to the terminal marked “OUTPUT”.

That's all, all that remains is to mount the device on the wall and check its functionality.

Before connecting any chandelier to a two-key switching device, you need to pay attention to the ceiling where the ends of the wires come out and count them. The minimum for a double switch should be three wires: one zero and two phases. If there is a fourth end, this is grounding. It just needs to be insulated or attached to metal case chandeliers. Having decided which wire goes where, you can attach lighting fixture to the ceiling and connect it:

  1. So, there is a double switch installed on the wall. On the ceiling is coming three or four wires. We have already decided what to do with grounding; all that remains is to deal with the remaining three ends. Their distribution depends on the number of chandelier arms.
  2. A single-horn device cannot be combined with two keys, and besides, it is unreasonable to make such a configuration. After all, you will have to isolate one phase on the ceiling, then the second key will remain inoperative. Therefore, the chandelier should have three, five or more arms, but not less than two.
  3. Regardless of the number of horns, the end of the neutral wire is connected to the corresponding wire coming out of the chandelier. Inside the housing it is connected to all lamp bases.
  4. The two phase ends remaining on the ceiling are part of the lines going to the two switch keys. They need to be connected to two phase wires coming out of the chandelier, then each key will control a specific group of light bulbs.
  5. It happens that a multi-lane lighting device is equipped with three phase outputs. Then two of them, at your discretion, must be connected to each other so that the number of outputs corresponds to the number of keys.

It is reasonable to combine a double switch with a device equipped with at least three horns. This allows you to optimally arrange the number of working lamps. In a three-arm chandelier, you can, for example, turn on one light bulb or three at once. Convenient options layouts are obtained with a five-arm or six-arm chandelier. Each key can turn on a certain number of lights. The finished product from the factory is already divided into groups, but if desired, the chandelier can be disassembled and groups of lamps can be arranged at your discretion.

Connection to a single (single-key) switch

The simplest diagram for connecting one light bulb to a single-key switch consists of two wires: zero and phase. They come out in equal numbers on the ceiling and from the chandelier. All that remains is to connect them together. If the third ground wire goes to the ceiling, it is simply insulated or connected to the metal body of the device.

If you plan to install a multi-arm chandelier, then several will come out of it. phase wires. They will have to be connected to each other to get the same two ends as on the ceiling. A single switch will simply turn on all the light bulbs at the same time.

Connecting several chandeliers to a single switch

The scheme for controlling several light sources with one key is relevant for a group of lamps suspended ceiling, or several chandeliers hanging in big room. In this case, they must be connected in parallel. For ease of connection, each lighting device has its own distribution box.

Control of three chandeliers via a three-key switch

The circuit with a three-key switch is convenient for connecting light sources in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The neutral wire, as always, is taken as a common wire, and the phase wires from each key go to different rooms to the chandelier.

Connecting halogen chandeliers

Design modern apartments assumes the use of halogen lamps for lighting. But such light sources cannot be directly powered from the mains. The operation of halogen lamps comes from a step-down transformer, which allows them to be used in damp rooms.

Halogen chandelier diagram

Like all light sources, a halogen chandelier consists of a body with reflectors. Instead of the usual ones, a certain number of halogen lamps are installed here. Each group of light sources has its own step-down transformer, designed for Rated voltage used light bulbs.

Electrical connection diagram

Connection diagram for halogen chandeliers to single and two-button switch is no different from installing light sources with conventional lamps. The differences are only in the internal connection diagram. No matter how many halogen lamps there are in a chandelier, each group must be connected to the low side of the transformer. Moreover, the lamps of one group are connected to each other in parallel.

The phase ends of the conductors protruding from the ceiling from the switch are brought to the high side of each transformer. Zero is taken as a common zero. That is, the connection diagram for halogen chandeliers differs only in that the wire from the switch to the lamp goes through a step-down transformer.

Having examined different connection diagrams, we can say that installing a chandelier is not such a difficult matter. If you understand the diagram correctly, you can do all the work yourself.

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