Question
Which wire or wires in a four-conductor 240 VAC circuit should be attached to fuses or circuit breakers?
Answer Options
- A) Only the hot wires
- B) Only the neutral wire
- C) Only the ground wire
- D) All wires
Correct Answer: A
Explanation
In a split-phase (four-conductor) 240 VAC circuit common in the US, there are two ‘hot’ wires (Line 1 and Line 2, typically black and red), a neutral wire (white), and a ground wire (green/bare). Fuses and circuit breakers are safety devices designed to interrupt the circuit and prevent fire in the event of an overcurrent (short circuit or overload).
Since power flows through the hot wires, only the hot wires should be attached to fuses or circuit breakers. The neutral wire and ground wire must be connected directly to the neutral and ground busses, respectively, at the service entrance, without interruption. For safety, neither neutral nor ground is ever fused.
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