Whats the Difference?

[SinglePhase]

What is the difference in a neutral and grounded conductor in a 120/240, 3-wire, single-phase service?

I was told there is no difference between the two. A Neutral Is the grounded conductor NOT the groundING conductor which there is a difference... right? I am in my first year of school so bare with me please.

Please explain.

 

[480sparky]

"Grounded" and "Neutral" are used pretty much enterchangeably in the electrical field, although they are not exactly the same thing.

In order to have a true neutral, you need two ungrounded (hot) wires, and the neutral will carry the unbalanced load between them.

Say, a 4-wire feed to an electric range has a true neutral. A 14/2 WG to a receptacle does not have a neutral, it has a grounded conductor. But we still call it a neutral, even though it isn't.

Confused? Put it this way: All neutrals are grounded conductors, but not all grounded conductors are neutrals. Just like all cars are automobiles, but not all automobiles are cars.

 

[iwire]

With a 120/240 single phase service.

Ungrounded conductor = Black, the hots.

Grounded conductor = White, the neutral, the circuit conductor that has been intentionally connected to grounding conductor at the source.

Grounding conductor = Bare, Green, sometimes the enclosure or raceway, the 'ground', the conductor that connects all the metal parts of the electrical system together, to the earth and the grounded conductor.

 

[Filthy Phil]

I was told that:
Commons can carry the unbalanced loads of two legs or phases
Neutrals are used for the return paths for a single leg or phase
Grounds are used to take the load away from all of the metel perts that are not supposed to be carrying any load.

Is this true? If not,

What is the true difference between a connon and neutral?

 

[K8MHZ]

I was told that:
Commons can carry the unbalanced loads of two legs or phases
Neutrals are used for the return paths for a single leg or phase
Grounds are used to take the load away from all of the metel perts that are not supposed to be carrying any load.

Is this true? If not,

What is the true difference between a connon and neutral?

A neutral is a grounded conductor. It still carries current but is at the same potential as ground. A common is the part of a switch that is always connected or the part of a supply that is shared. It's commonality has nothing to do with being grounded. A 'ground' or grounding conductor only carries current under a fault condition.

As an example, if in a 120/240 single phase system the conductor that is connected to the center of the transformer coil is common to both 120 legs. If it were not grounded, it would correctly be called a common, but not a neutral. Since we are required to ground that common conductor, it is referred to a neutral. Even if there were only two wires in our supply, if one was grounded it would be a neutral, but not a common.

 

[K8MHZ]

Just like all cars are automobiles,

Pullman would disagree with you....

 

[480sparky]

Pullman would disagree with you....

It's a safe bet he's dead, though. Besides, not too many people these days have 'train' come to mind when you say 'car'.