23 Mar
2004
23 Mar
'04
9:02 a.m.
I'm lost as to how a device with a switch that
breaks both
Live and Neutral can be *more* dangerous that a device with
a switch that breaks only Live (or just breaks one line,
for those of you who have to work with people who wire
things up wrong ... "consumers" is the technical term,
I believe).
If you break both, the device could float. Floating parts
are generally not good in the electrical world, as their behavior is
uncertain. It is always better to have a circuit whose behavior is known -
even if the behavior involves fuses blowing for even silly little faults -
than to have one that could go anywhere.
Floating circuits are also no fun for electricians. Many have been fooled
(and zapped) when their wiggie lit (or did not light) because one end was
connected to a flaoting wire.
Wiggie: A small neon bulb tester, used by electricians to do quick and
dirty checks for voltage.
William Donzelli
aw288(a)osfn.org