Strictly speaking true - but, as I recently observed, very very few non-electricians will have any idea what "Line" means in this context, so one has to wonder what terminology is appropriate for "clear communication" with the general public.
I also wonder exactly what 'we' mean by "Live". BS7671 says:
... which leads me to wonder what is meant by "energising" a neutral conductor (BS7671 offers no definition).
Kind Regards, John
I don`t fully agree with you on that one Kiddo.
Point 1/ Very few non - Electricians yes and quite a few electricians too , so no argument there, I think just a footnote about Line would suffice at worst so not actually a problem much.
Point 2/ Energising a N conductor - a conductor with the potential to have current flow - whether we consider that Electrons flow thru from end to end or merely bang into each other and the last one falls out sort of thing it is important to remember that they (it) could flow thru you and that could be a bit of a hazard under some conditions - so energising/energised seems clear and no problem to me.
I look on the term "Live" to mean a current carrier under normal service (or intended to be, say with a switching circuit).
Any conductor that carries current under its normal intended function as some says.
A protective conductor carries current ) theoretically and normally only under , for instance, fault conditions therefore not Live usually but can become Live under fault conditions.
Another useful thing about terming N as a Live conductor is it gives us a gentle reminder that N can become Line under some not extremely unusual conditions such as the age old borrowed N scenario.
So L(Line) & N are both Live and E isn`t . N can easily become Line in some circumstances so yes lets class it as Live I thinks.
We have to live with the fact that L(Line) is often commonly referred to as L(Live) by all and sundry.
Case in point, my very first Wiring Regs course, the tutor for a week or three kept referring to Live instead of Line, I thought "well there are about 25 in this class, mostly electricians , and the majority if not all usually refer to "Live and Neutral" Line not being mentioned.
Then he went thru Part 2 of the regs (definitions) with us and when it came to the term Live he read it as if for the first time he noticed that he along with everybody else had actually been using the wrong term.
He knew all along but his method of teaching was to give the impression he had only just read himself and realised during the last 20 mins.
Brilliant knowledgeable bloke and a great teacher too. He always gave the impression that he was learning along with us.
The "convention" of not referring to a PEN conductor as Live is in my humble opinion not the best idea, I would still prefer to consider it Live.
Yes we are all walking on a Live Wire in effect
.
Anyway that's just my little opinion.
