240 Circuit Breaker

A 3 wire 240 volt circuit has two hot wires each supplying 120 volts for a total of 240 and an equipment ground wire.

240 circuit breaker.

It takes two 120 volt circuits and a ground wire to form a 240 volt circuit. Each 240v circuit has two hot wires as opposed to only one. This is why 240 volt circuits connect to double pole breakers that are essentially two single pole breakers tied together. Asi ndb1l 32c 16 240v din rail mount ground fault circuit breaker ul 1053 ground fault sensing leakage current 30 ma 16 amp 240v 1 0 out of 5 stars 1 34 92 34.

While the breaker provides this higher voltage it operates as two linked 120v circuits. Get free shipping on qualified 120 240 circuit breakers or buy online pick up in store today in the electrical department. So in essence 240 volt wiring is powered by 2 120 volt hot wires that are 180 degrees out of phase. Arc fault circuit interrupter afci circuit breakers protect against an unintentional electrical discharge in an electrical cord or wiring that could cause a fire once the breaker senses the electrical jump and abnormal path it instantly disconnects the damaged circuit before the arc builds enough heat to catch fire.

Double pole circuit breakers are used in this case which consist of two single circuit breakers whose trip handles are physically tied together. The way you get a 240 volt circuit is simple. Electricity flowing through your circuit breaker is rated at 120 volts but it is commonly referred to as 110 volts just as electricity at 240 volts is typically called 220 volts. A 120 volt circuit has only one hot wire connected to the breaker plus a neutral wire connected to the neutral bus bar in the service panel.

That s why 240 volt circuits need two hot wires and a neutral to carry the electricity to the appliance plus a ground wire. This breaker looks like two standard breakers stacked on top of each other and therefore requires that two breaker positions be open. 120 240 circuit breakers electrical panels protective devices the home depot. That way if either hot leg draws too much current both breakers will trip simultaneously.