A new resident of the US asks ....
In the US are mains electricity circuits generally wired in a bus (i.e. chained from fuse board to one socket, then the next, until the last in the chain) or in a ring as in the UK?
If the former, is there any thing (code?) that prevents the circuit being wired in a ring as in the UK.
Cheers
Den
No rings here. It would be prohibited by the "parallel conductor" rules.
If a ring and a loop are the same thing then they do use this for hospitals and such to make sure one supply goes out you don't lose power.
Yes - a ring is the same has a loop ...
The circuits that serve individual recceptacle outlets (sockets) run in a star configuration which you have called a bus rather than a ring. These are called branch circuits in US practice. In most cases the conductors used for these circuits are too small to be wired in parrallel under the provisions of the US National Electric Code.
"310.4 Conductors in Parallel. Aluminum, copper-clad aluminum, or copper conductors of size 1/0 AWG and larger, comprising each phase, neutral, or grounded circuit conductor, shall be permitted to be connected in parallel (electrically joined at both ends to form a single conductor)." Copyright 2002 National Fire Protection Association.
-- Tom H
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