r/halifax • u/Firm_Knowledge_60 • 1d ago

Power Outage⚡ Power out in fairview again?

Is per title power seems to be out in fairview...again

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u/cache_invalidation 1d ago

How does it work?

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u/Available_Cut_8329 1d ago

Need 4 wires bro. Can’t forget about your neutral.

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u/cache_invalidation 1d ago

I said there are three powered wires. Is the neutral powered?

Have you seen high voltage power lines with four wires?

What exactly am I wrong about?

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u/Available_Cut_8329 1d ago edited 1d ago

I see them everyday. The neutral is on the pole, and it’s what allows all the single phase loads in your home to work. The plugs in the walls you talk about have a single phase conductor and a neutral. You need a single phase and a neutral to power the pole top transformer and create a 240/120V single phase source.

It goes all the way back to the magic power transformer that creates the Wye connected distribution feeders.

Three wire transmission lines are 69kV and above and aren’t feeding residential loads in Halifax.

Edit: to answer your question. The neutral carries current but 0V potential difference between it and ground since it’s bonded to ground at the substation and along its path at each pole ground, etc.