Explain electrical earthing to me

[Dr Jekyll]

What exactly is an 'earth'? How come on a car or bike it's half the circuit while in a house it's a third connection? What happens if you don't have one? Or if you do have one and lose the connection?

[Dr Jekyll]

Miniman and Max_Torque said:

Lots of good stuff

Thanks for that.

I'd guessed that was probably how vehicles work, because I was sorting out a cooling fan problem on my Honda Deauville recently. One wire from the fan goes through the fuse and back to the battery, the other goes to a switch which connects directly to the radiator once it gets hot.

The domestic point was something I'd never understood, nor what the difference was between live and neutral on an AC system.

Edited by Dr Jekyll on Sunday 6th January 20:19