Last updated August 19, 2008
3 Phase Wiring
When you hear the term, “Phase” in electricity, it refers to the timing that magnets pass over electrical coils. 3 Phase is simply single-phase wiring that has additional coils. The difference is found in the fact that with 3 phase wiring, the wires are out of phase or are 120 degrees out of alignment with one another. In single-phase wiring, the coils are in alignment. Also, with 3 phase wiring, all of the wires are hot.
Another major difference between single phase and 3 phase wiring is the way in which the coils are wound. Single phase wiring has coils that are wound in a uniform manner. The first coil is wound clockwise, followed by counter clockwise, and the pattern continues. With 3 phase wiring, there are many different wiring patterns available.
When it comes to wiring your home or business, it is imperative to have a licensed electrician perform the work for you. 3 phase wiring is very powerful and is typically used for commercial purposes. However, if you want to convert your home to 3 phase wiring, it requires the expertise of a professional electric contractor. It is not a simple do it yourself home project. If you are doing any electrical work, you must know what you are doing. Working with electricity can be dangerous if you aren’t qualified for the job. The 3 phase wiring system is no different. The wires are color coded and are not the same for every country. You might have a diagram for 3 phase wiring that could be the wrong color code for your particular country. This in itself can cause many problems for the property owner. Working with wiring of any type should be considered very carefully before any work is started.
Contacting an experienced electrician is the way to make sure your wiring is done correctly. The 3 phase wiring system has color-coding for balanced loading and to make sure the right rotation is used for the induction motors. If the color coding chart you have is from a different country or is outdated, you may not have the correct information. In the United States, the yellow/green wire usually means the isolated ground. If for some reason this is not the case, an electrician would know why and what to do.
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