Line, Load, Live, Hot

[bankruatsteve]

Perhaps a nonsensical post, but just to throw out the different nomenclature posters use for the same thing.

 

In AC circuits, pretty much everyone will call the N side the Neutral.  The L, on the other hand, has at least a few monikers.  I see most TV posters will call it the "Line".  I don't know if it's a US thing or not, but I've always called it the "Live" (to me, "Line" just doesn't connotate anything special).  Google will show "Load" as one of the terms - I don't think I've ever seen that used though.  "Hot" and "+" will sometimes come up.

 

Edit:  And Crossy likes to call it the "Phase" or bitey side.

Edit 2: Aussies call it "Active".

 

Anyway... they all mean the same thing if anybody should wonder.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by Crossy
Added "Active"

[worgeordie]

Always L is Live.for me.

regards worgeordie

[stouricks]

You must be talking about Thai AC, because you never mention Earth!   PML 555

[stouricks]

2 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Always L is Live.for me.

regards worgeordie

Yes, but what colour is it, black, brown, blue, red?

[Crossy]

To my jaded mind "Load" is the switched side of a breaker/RCBO.

 

Some devices work either way round, others let out the magic-smoke.

 

Ask me how I know ????

 

[Crossy]

Add "Phase" to the list of Live etc. (the bitey wire).

 

Always treat any wire as potentially live no matter what colour it is or whether the breaker is open.

[carlyai]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

Add "Phase" to the list of Live etc. (the bitey wire).

 

Always treat any wire as potentially live no matter what colour it is or whether the breaker is open.

Good Live Longer advice. 

Our 30 year old house in Pattaya had light and switch wires straight from the mains and meter box. Just one feed, the rest through fuse box and knife switch.

I found this out as we were demolishing walls for renovations. I grabbed one 2 pair power cable wire with the pliers and the other wire touched the pliers with a heart starting huge "FLASH". Cable had been joined with the mains cable. No where near the fuse box.

 

[Lacessit]

Australian sparkies AFAIK call the wires active, neutral and earth. Earth is always green, neutral can be black or white. Active is red or brown.

Yes, I know. We are upside down.

[worgeordie]

2 hours ago, stouricks said:

Yes, but what colour is it, black, brown, blue, red?

It could also be pink.orange,it depends what the Thai sparkie

has been able to get a hold of.

regards worgeordie

[sometimewoodworker]

5 hours ago, stouricks said:

Yes, but what colour is it, black, brown, blue, red?

For me that depends on the use. I have 13 x 3 lights that are in the same area, positioned 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, etc to make it reasonably simple neutral is white and the switched line/load are blue, red, and yellow. That made that installation simple if not quick.
 

So for differentiation in lighting when wiring is running together the but from different switches white is always neutral but line can vary.

 

That works for me and should make identifying the bitey wire simple.

[SimpleMan555]

In the USA, I was taught it was    'Line' is used for input, 'Load' is used for Output or 'Line in - Load out'.

 

In reality both terms are often used interchangeably in the US,  though I prefer using the term 'LIVE' to keep me on my toes... ????

 

Shall we now add GFCI vs RCBO? ????
Cheers!

 

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by SimpleMan555

[Yellowtail]

In the US I always understood it as line one, line two, line three, neutral, ground.

 

Many commercial & industrial systems have both high & low voltage systems.

[RichCor]

49 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

In the US I always understood it as line one, line two, line three, neutral, ground.

Can also be referred to as Phase rotation sequence L1, L2, L3

but on terminals the individual Phases may be marked as A-B-C or R-S-T (on a power generation side)

R-Y-B is for those who like to keep the color code RED-YELLOW-BLUE

 

U-V-W or X-Y-Z terminal markings (the LOAD side, usually expecting a motor to be connected where U-V-W is the beginning windings an X-Y-Z the opposite ending of the windings

 

Life can get fun when someone gets it wrong.

Edited September 20, 2020 by RichCor

[Crossy]

10 hours ago, RichCor said:

U-V-W or X-Y-Z terminal markings (the LOAD side, usually expecting a motor to be connected where U-V-W is the beginning windings an X-Y-Z the opposite ending of the windings

 

Life can get fun when someone gets it wrong.

 

I've also seen A-A1, B-B1, C-C1 or even just 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 on six or twelve wire motors. Just pray that there's a diagram on the rating plate and it's not fallen off or been painted over.

[Yellowtail]

7 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

I've also seen A-A1, B-B1, C-C1 or even just 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 on six or twelve wire motors. Just pray that there's a diagram on the rating plate and it's not fallen off or been painted over.

 

Or worse you can no longer read the numbers on the wires...