What Is Line And Load

Understanding the Terms “Line” and “Load” in Electrical Systems. In the electrical trades, the terms “line” and “load” are shorthand words that refer to the wires that deliver power from the source to a device (line), vs. those that carry power onward to other devices further along the circuit (load).

Which wire is line and which is load?

Line wires comprise three wires that stand for hot, neutral both are insulated and ground bare wire. While load wires are wires that transmit electricity from the electrical device to other devices within the building, load wires are also known as outgoing or downstream wires.

How do I know which is line and load?

Load Wire – Generally connected to the top half of your switch. If the wire is coming from the top of the switch box, it is likely your load wire. Line Wire – Generally connected to the bottom half of your switch. In some cases, line wires are marked with “line”, “pwr”, or a lightning bolt symbol.

Is line or load hot wire?

Line is always hot. Load is the wire going from the switch to the device. Load will only be hot if the switch is closed.

What happens if you switch line and load?

Here’s what happens when somebody wires a GFCI receptacle with the load and line wires reversed: The GFCI will work, in the sense that you can plug in a hair dryer and the hair dryer will blow hot air. If the load and line wiring gets messed up, a ground fault (radio in the tub) won’t trip the GFCI.

Is load wire white or black?

So, what color is the load wire? Load wires are mostly black, but red can also be used as a secondary load wire. They are also connected to the switch’s top half, while line wires are connected to the switch’s bottom half.

Which is line and load on outlet?

The “line” wires are the incoming power from the breaker box and the “load” wires are the outgoing power that travels down the circuit to the next outlet.

Are line and load interchangeable?

On a basic single pole switch the terminals are interchangeable, so as long as you don’t include a neutral wire or swap in a ground wire you can’t really go wrong.

Is line a load or common?

Remember that one side of the common on the three way is the line side and the other common is the load side or switch leg. The two wires that connect between the 3-ways switches are carriers.

What is an example of a load in electricity?

An electrical load is simply any component of a circuit that consumes power or energy. In a household setting, the most obvious examples of electrical loads include light bulbs and appliances.

Does line or load have power?

In the electrical trades, the terms “line” and “load” are shorthand words that refer to the wires that deliver power from the source to a device (line), vs. those that carry power onward to other devices further along the circuit (load).

What does load mean in electrical?

Load is the amount of electricity on the grid at any given time, as it makes its journey from the power source to all the homes, businesses and industries within a utility’s territory.

Is the load wire hot?

Line is the wire that goes from a source to a switch. It’s upstream of the switched device. Line is very hot. The wire from the switch to the device is called load.

What happens if you mix up line and load on GFCI?

If you mistakenly connect the LINE wires to the LOAD terminals, the GFCI will not reset and will not provide power to either the GFCI receptacle face or any receptacles fed from the GFCI.

Which is load and supply?

In an AC circuit the supply is the source of power and the load is anything that you are switching on or off to control it like a light fitting, element, motor etc.

Is GFCI the same as GFI?

GFCI vs GFI. Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) and ground fault interrupters (GFI) are the exact same device under slightly different names. Though GFCI is more commonly used than GFI, the terms are interchangeable.

What is load and feed on a switch?

The feed is the cable from your fuse board, supplying the power to the isolator switch. The load is the cable supplying the appliance once you have switched the isolator into the on position.

Can you have 2 GFCI on same line?

Yes, you can have many GFCI outlets on the same circuit The way they vary from a regular outlet is they check for ground faults. many ground faults carry low amounts of current and won’t blow the fuse or trip the circuit breaker, but can kill a person…1/10 of an amp can stop the heart.

What is load and line in MCB?

When a MCB are marked “Line” and “Load,” the power supply conductors must be connected to the marked “Line.” These MCB cannot be reverse-fed. If “Line” and “Load” are not marked on MCB, the power supply conductors may be connected to either end. These devices are suitable for reverse-feed applications.

What is a load wire on a switch?

Load Wire: This is the wire that connects your switch to your light bulb or other “load” (ie: a fan or other appliance). It is also usually black. The Brilliant Control can automatically detect which wire is “Line” and which is “Load”, so they are interchangeable when installing in a single-pole configuration.

What is line load neutral?

The neutral line refers to the part of the distribution grid that returns the power that left the transmission lines through a hot line or phase line to do work on an electrical load. This is because neutral lines are wires connected deep in the ground.