Electrical question
I ordered a digital line monitor for my RV. When it came in yesterday I opened it up and decided to give it a try in the house. To my surprise the first outlet I tested showed a polarity fault. All bu...
Forum Discussion
Receptacles and plugs are always polarized for safety reasons. The only exception is anything that is double-insulated like power tools which can be used in the correct or reversed polarity.
The wide slot in a 15/20 amp 120 volt receptacle is the neutral. A white neutral conductor should be connected to the screw terminal with a shiny silver/chrome looking finish and the hot black conductor to the brass looking screw terminal. However, this is not a 100 percent guarantee that it will automatically be safe because there is a chance that the hot and neutral could have been reversed in a junction box somewhere or panel. If you have a run of receptacles showing reversed polarity, check the panel. A previous homeowner could have been in there that didn't know what he was doing.
On light bulbs that have screw bases, the larger outer shell surface is connected to the neutral and the tip is the hot connection so you can't accidentally touch the lamp base and get a shock. Receptacles are polarized so that if the casing/exterior/enclosure of an appliance, device or piece of equipment, etc. has an internal fault, any exterior metal part you touch won't be at 120 volts.
Just for fun, check the receptacles in your RV. I found two in our TT that were reversed. Reversed polarity in an RV an create a potentially lethal "hot skin" condition.
The wide slot in a 15/20 amp 120 volt receptacle is the neutral. A white neutral conductor should be connected to the screw terminal with a shiny silver/chrome looking finish and the hot black conductor to the brass looking screw terminal. However, this is not a 100 percent guarantee that it will automatically be safe because there is a chance that the hot and neutral could have been reversed in a junction box somewhere or panel. If you have a run of receptacles showing reversed polarity, check the panel. A previous homeowner could have been in there that didn't know what he was doing.
On light bulbs that have screw bases, the larger outer shell surface is connected to the neutral and the tip is the hot connection so you can't accidentally touch the lamp base and get a shock. Receptacles are polarized so that if the casing/exterior/enclosure of an appliance, device or piece of equipment, etc. has an internal fault, any exterior metal part you touch won't be at 120 volts.
Just for fun, check the receptacles in your RV. I found two in our TT that were reversed. Reversed polarity in an RV an create a potentially lethal "hot skin" condition.
