Ground = Neutral ? or is "Neutro" in spanish?

(David) #1

ok, i’m new and i have no idea where to start

I got the ST Hub from US that means that i’ll use 908.4 MHz

Problem 1

I live in a country that use 220 v . All the things i can buy from amazon are 110v

Problem 2
I only have 2 wires, (fase, neutro in spanish)

I read a lot about this and it looks like that the wire we call “neutro” is not the same wire that most people call “neutral”.

My guess is that neutral is the same cable we call “Tierra” or “ground”

Also hot, load, etc etc, this is confusing,

#2

All wiring will have neural, so it must be neural

(Marce) #3

in US neutral is something else, is like a third wire

In other countries, neutral is part of the 2 wire system, is not the same… but i’m not sure

#4

It can be confusing, so it’s best to bring in an electrician as wiring things incorrectly can create a fire hazard.

Wiring is done differently in different countries, so it’s often confusing to look at examples from somewhere else.

But ground is not neutral.

The neutral is the “return” portion of the electrical circuit. Electricity coming into the house typically starts at the circuit box. In US terminology (again, other countries are different both in wiring and in terminology) It runs along the “line” wire to a switch. This is also sometimes called the “hot,” particularly for light switches. (This is called the " common" wire in the UK, or sometimes the " supply").

At the switch, the line comes in, and the “load” goes out from the switch to the device that is controlled by the switch. ( in the UK, I know the load is often called the “fixture line,” I’m not sure if there are also other terms for it but there probably are. )

The “ground” (called “earth” in the UK) is an additional wire that runs from the switch to a point that is used sort of like an overflow if there is a problem on the circuit.

The “neutral” is a wire that runs from the device And/or The switch back to the circuit box. That’s what completes the circuit.

There is always a neutral on the circuit somewhere, but it might not start until the end device like a light fixture on the ceiling.

A plastic casing may hold more than one wire

In many countries, but not the US, the ground and the neutral are typically wrapped together inside one cable casing, making them look like one wire when they are actually two. Again, US wiring is different. So this is why in some countries people will use the term “neutral cable” or “earth cable” when they mean the cable that contains both a neutral and an earth wire. Obviously this can be confusing to beginners.

wire Colors are standardized in many countries, but not in the US

In Europe, wire colors for residential buildings have now been standardized, and blue is used for the neutral. In the US, White is usually used for the neutral and black for the line and the load, but the colors are not mandated by law and people can and do use any color wire.

But again, consult an electrician for any specific wiring questions. :sunglasses:

With regards to 220 V devices and a US frequency smartthings hub, there are a couple of topics in the FAQ section of the forums that discuss this:

https://community.smartthings.com/c/devices-integrations/faq

And a topic specifically on neutral versus ground:

FAQ: Neutral and Ground Wires are not Interchangeable

@Navat604 or @dalec or one of the other electrical experts can correct me if I’ve gotten any of this wrong. It can certainly get confusing, especially in an international forum! :sunglasses:

(Rodrigo Cuadros) #5

“neutro” is not ground.

I also live in a 220v country with US Zwave frequency. So read carefully if the products can be used with 220v (but usually all of them works).

(David) #6

is something like that???

#7

No.

Ground = Tierra.

Neutral = Neutro

Tierra is not Neutro.

Load is not Neutro.

In the US, hot is the wire coming into the switch and load is the wire going out from the switch to the lamp.

See the posts above.

You should discuss this with a local electrical expert to make sure you understand the terms correctly.

(Rodrigo Cuadros) #8

No

Neutral = neutro
Hot/Live/phase = fase
Ground/earth = tierra

(Chuckles) #9

My only suggestion on thread such as this is:

If you don’t know how your AC wiring works - hire a professional electrician.

Incorrectly wired mains power can kill you, kill somebody you love or, on a brighter side, just burn your house to the ground.

(Ray) #10

Very good advice. If you are thinking of doing some basic electrical work for your house. There are many basic electrical course you can take to get familiar and comfortable and some are even free. I wouldn’t even touch a switch if I don’t know what neutral, line hot. Load and ground. It’s a safety hazard.

#11

I agree on the advice to consult an electrician.

The one thing I did want to say, though, is that people new to smart things are often very confused about what devices they should buy even if they intend to have them installed by a professional electrician.

And that confusion is usually because of all the discussions about a neutral wire being required for most zwave or zigbee light switches.

First of all, the person probably doesn’t know whether their own existing light switches have a neutral wire or not.

So I have found that often people are asking this question not because they intend to do their own electrical work, but because they are trying to figure out what switches to buy.

Unfortunately, that often means they need to have an electrician come twice. Once to do an assessment and let them know whether there is a neutral wire at each of the switches that they want to replace, and then the second time to do the actual installation after the person has bought the new switches.

So sometimes the person is just asking for enough information to be able to budget their project and communicate with their electrician.

FWIW

(David) #12

So I have found that often people are asking this question not because they intend to do their own electrical work, but because they are trying to figure out what switches to buy.

yes, that’s the reason of this post