The Three Pin Plug

It is important to know how to wire a 3 pin plug correctly. 3 pin plugs are designed so that mains electricity can be supplied to electrical appliances safely.

A 3 pin plug consists of three pins (hence the name). Each pin must be correctly connected to the three wires in the electrical cable. Each wire has its own specified colour so as it can be easily identified.

The LIVE wire is BROWN.
This is connected to a fuse on the live pin. The electric current uses the live wire as its route in.

The NEUTRAL wire is BLUE.
This is the route the electric current takes when it exits an appliance; it is for this reason the neutral wire has a voltage close to zero.

The EARTH wire is GREEN & YELLOW
and connected to the earth pin. This is used when the appliance has a metal casing to take any current away if the live wire comes in contact with the casing.

 

Learn the diagram of the inside of a Plug and its connections

 

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