Quote:
Originally Posted by wireless_john
I seem to remember my Dad telling me a long time ago that there was a time when you could run a torch bulb for nothing by connecting it between earth and neutral.
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Neutral / earth potential is quite common in long electrical runs and is caused by the voltage drop in the neutral length (strictly a 'live' conductor), carrying a load sufficient to produce it. The first time I experienced it was as an apprentice electrician a hundred years ago working in an iron foundry, and being very surprised at the sparks when I touched both together!
I used to do the torch bulb thing when I had a shack at the bottom of the garden, some distance from the house, and I had the electric fire on full whack.
It's a sort of phyrric victory, economy-wise, if you like.
Getting back to electricity meters, when Whitehaven had its own power station (d.c.) it was discovered that the meters could be by-passed simply by putting an earth stake into the soil and connecting one of the consumer-side leads to that!
It was quickly changed...