Homes involves a neutral wire at the ground potential and two hot wires of 120 volts each. Many conventional non connected thermostats dont need a c wire to function.
3 Way Switch Wiring Electrical 101
What is a common wire. Simply remove your current thermostat face from its. A two way switch has a terminal called common because terminals l1 and l2 have it in common can be at the same electrical potential as it generally. The term common is applied to the conductor that is used in any configuration of the circuit. The common wire is the only wire that needs to be attached to a particular screw often the dark one on the 2 way switch. Thermostats can get this constant power through a common wire or c wire it is easy to see if you already have a c wire connected to your system. Standard wiring design in us.
Electrical current travels from the source to the bulb then back to the source. Your house wiring works on the same principle just on a larger scale and at higher voltages. The wire that carries electricity to the source is the hot wire. A ceiling fan. In household wiring this wire is usually black though. When it works as a connecting wire the wire connects at least two wires of a circuit together.
But today most wi fi thermostats have new features such as wi fi radios and led color screens that require the unit be powered at all times. The common wire is a trick that saves wiring and simplifies electrical panel design. Is that white or black wire. It is easy to confuse common with the neutral wire and in many cases this is true. A transformer supplies the house and either of the two hot wires can provide electricity to the. A common wire is either a connecting wire or a type of neutral wiring depending on the electrical circuit.
What is a c wire or common wire and how do i know if i have one. If you recall your science classes in school you probably built simple circuits using a battery and a light bulb. Find out more about the common wire in an industrial electrical circuit with help from an electrical contractor with over 25 years of experience in the electrical industry in this free video clip. One of the hot wires swings negative and the other one swings positive. While the common wire must be connected in a specific location on the two way switch the traveler wires may be connected to either of the remaining terminals. Stack exchange network stack exchange network consists of 177 qa communities including stack overflow the largest most trusted online community for developers to learn share their knowledge and build their careers.
Two points are said to be common if they have the same potential voltage in this sense neu. The common wire in an industrial electrical circuit is the neutral wire or ground wire. Location does not matter.