On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 05:13:29 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"LRod" wrote in message
.. .
Your example of the 120V receptacle is simply a variation of a multi
wire circuit which looks just like a 240V circuit everywhere along the
circuit except at the loads. But a neutral IS needed in a multiwire
circuit. It isn't in a 240V circuit excepting the dryer/range
applications.

So do you still maintain, There is no neutral in a 240V circuit (North
America)?

What I'm trying to say (and apparently unsuccesfully) is that
*electrically* there is no neutral or need for a neutral in a 240V
circuit in North America. All that's needed for a 240V load to work is
the two hots. Period.

The ground is a safety requirement that was added to the NEC several
years ago. It isn't electrically required for a strictly 240V load to
work (North America). In some other locations with solely 240V
service, it may be that they have a 240V and a neutral. Probably not,
but I don't know. But in North America, that's not how 240V works.

The "neutral" is a safety requirement that was added to the NEC
recently to alleviate the anomalous situation (elsewhere prohibited)
in dryers and ranges where the ground had previously been permitted to
perform the duties of a neutral as in a multi wire (2 x 120V/shared
neutral) circuit. That is, there were some 120V things going on in the
machine that is fed by a 240V circuit.

So, in the strictest sense of the words, yes I suppose you could say
that there is a neutral in [certain] 240V circuits (North America).
But it's not electrically necessary in order to run most 240V loads.


- -
LRod

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