Question { Bhel, 36067 }

what is diffrence between neutral and earth wire

Answer

As the name suggests neutral wire neutralizes any
fluctuations or surge in the live wire by by-passing it to
the mid-point of power transformer's(from where the power is
being transmitted/distributed) secondary coil. By this, it
maintains a balance between load and source and also it does
complete the circuit(without a neutral wire circuit can't
get completed in case of a single phase power system) in
single phased/poly-phased power supply. On the other hand,
ground/earth wire is meant for only to by-pass any kind of
leakage currents(from the outer metallic bodies of household
appliances)which may cause physical injury to the user and
also in certain cases may affect the electrical appliances.
So the purpose of neutral wire is to complete and balance
the electrical circuit whereas the purpose of a earth wire
is to protect any hazardous incident due to leakage current.

Note:Hazards arising from leakage current and that from a
short circuit are different. Circuit breakers(MCB) can
protect appliances against short circuit but not from
leakage current. So, grounding all the electrical equipments
should be given a priority.