Does Neutral Wire Give Electric Shock?

We all know that an AC supply consists of line and neutral wires. One is the high potential, and the other is the low potential. Current flows through both these wires to complete the circuit. And as this circuit is live, touching that wire can give you an electrical shock. Most people think that touching the phase or live wire can give you an electrical shock, which is absolutely correct. But what about a neutral wire? Often, this concept is confusing, as some people think that touching a neutral wire can cause an electrical shock, and some think that it will not. In this post, we will see whether a neutral wire gives an electric shock or not.

Contents

How does current flow in a circuit?

First of all, let us understand how an AC current flows in the circuit. Refer to the image below. As you can see, there are two main components – power supply and load. The power supply has two terminals: live (also called phase) and neutral, and the load is connected across these two terminals.

Assume that the load is a switch. Now, when the power supply is powered up and the switch is on, current flows from the live terminal of the supply through the load and returns to the source via the neutral terminal, completing the circuit. If the power is on but the switch is off, then the current will not flow in the circuit as it is open. This means that as long as the circuit is closed with the load connected, current will flow.

To calculate the exact amount of current flowing, we need to relate it according to Ohm’s law. Ohm’s law states that – V = I * R. So, I = V / R. Here, R, which is the resistance, is offered by the load. So let us assume that for a 230-volt AC supply, the resistance offered by the load is 23 ohms. This will make the current flowing in the circuit as – 230 / 23, which comes to 10 amperes.

Also, note that in an electrical connection, apart from the line and neutral, a third wire is used, called earthing, to safely carry the leakage or fault current to the earth pit. The earth is bonded to the neutral at the main distribution panel to maintain zero potential, but they serve different safety functions. So, if you touch the load body, you will not get any shock if the system is properly grounded. If it were not grounded, the leakage or fault current from the load body would have flown through your body to find a return path, and caused an electrical shock.

Will you get an electrical shock if you touch the neutral wire?

As we saw earlier, if the circuit is closed with the load closed, current will flow in the circuit. If the switch is off and the supply is on, or the switch is on and the supply is off, then the current will not flow as the circuit is open. Let us see two cases now for testing whether we will get a shock or not:

If the circuit is open, touching the neutral wire is generally safe. However, touching the live wire can still give you a shock due to its voltage relative to ground.
If the circuit is closed, then you will get a shock either by touching a live wire or a neutral wire.

This is the most general answer. Let us understand the concept properly now as to why you will get an electrical shock when touching a neutral wire:

The voltage carried in the live wire is 230 V AC, and that on the neutral wire is 0 V AC. But, the current will still flow in the circuit if it is closed as discussed earlier. If the neutral wire is properly grounded and you’re well insulated, touching it may not result in shock. But under load conditions or faulty grounding, even the neutral can carry return current, leading to a possible mild shock.
Continuing the same case, but now, if you are not insulated properly, then the shock intensity will slightly increase.
If the neutral wire is broken in between and the load is closed, then the load circuit will not get the current flowing as it is open now. But, the path is still active from the line terminal point to the neutral wire broken point, with the load also closed. In that case, your body provides a return path to ground, allowing current to flow through it and increasing the severity of the shock.
If the system is not grounded properly and you touch the neutral wire, then the shock intensity increases.
In a 3-phase system, the neutral wire acts as a common return path for all three phases. If the load across the phases is balanced, the net current in the neutral remains close to zero, resulting in minimal shock risk. However, in an unbalanced load scenario, where one phase draws significantly more current, the neutral carries that unbalanced return current. If someone touches the neutral in this state, their body may complete a return path, increasing the chance and severity of an electric shock.

In short, it is always recommended not to touch the neutral wire if the circuit is live. In this way, we saw the concept of touching the neutral wire to confirm an electrical shock.

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