DIY Electrical - Understand the Terminology

By: Aazdak Alisimo.

We all have a hankering to do a bit of DIY work around the house on weekends. Generally, this is pretty safe. Working with electricity, however, can be dangerous, so understanding the terminology in instructions is critical.

Ambient Temperature - The temperature of the air, water, or surrounding earth. Conductor ampacity is corrected for changes in ambient temperature including temperatures below 86F. The cooling effect can increase the current carrying capacity of the conductor.

Alternating Current (AC) - Electric current which changes direction with a regular frequency.

Branch Circuit - The circuit conductors between the final overcurrent device protecting the circuit and the outlet(s).

Circuit Breaker - A device designed to open and close a circuit by non-automatic means and to open the circuit automatically on a pre-determined overcurrent without damage to itself when properly applied within its rating.

Controller - A device or group of devices that serves to govern, in some predetermined manner, the electric power delivered to the apparatus to which it is connected.

Grid - In an electrical system, a term used to refer to the electrical utility distribution network.

Current - A flow of electrons in an electrical conductor. The strength or rate of movement of the electricity is measured in amperes.

Fault - A short circuit in an electrical system.

Ground - A large conducting body (as the earth) used as a common return for an electric circuit and as an arbitrary zero of potential.

Ohm - The derived SI unit for electrical resistance or impedance; one ohm equals one volt per am-pere.

Joule - A unit of work or energy equal to one watt for one second. One kilowatt hour equals 3,600,000 Joules.

Overcurrent - Any current in excess of the rated current of equipment or the ampacity of a conductor. It may result from overload, short circuit or ground fault.

Turn Ratio - The ratio of the number of turns in the high voltage winding to that in the low voltage winding.

Real Power - The rate at which work is performed or that energy is transferred. Electric power is commonly measured in watts or kilowatts. The term real power is often used in place of the term power alone to differentiate from reactive power.

Voltage Drop - The loss of voltage between the input to a device and the output from a device due to the internal impedance or resistance of the device.

Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

About the Author:
Aazdak Alisimo writes for ElectricianCompanies.com - where you can find an electrician near you. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

Tags: home, electricity, electrical, diy, wiring, wires, amps, volts, home, project, grounded, improvement

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