You’ve heard the terms ‘single phase’ and ‘three phase’ been thrown around, but what do they actually mean? What is the difference between single phase and three phase?
Single phase and three phase refer to two different AC power supply systems.Single phase is most popular in homes and residential areas, where three phase can be found in areas where more power is needed — like industrial buildings and businesses.
Single phase power systems only have one neutral wire and one power wire with current flowing through them. In a three phase system, there are three power wires carrying the load.
Because of the structure of a single phase system, there are peaks and dips in power that change during the cycle. A three phase system is more steady and can carry a higher load.
You can find three phase power in the following areas:
commercial buildings
data centres
telecommunication towers
power grids
ships and aircraft
Nearly all homes are wired with single phase power.
If you aren’t sure, there are ways to check which phase you have:
check your fuse box and look for a black rectangular fuse — single phase has one and three phase has three. single phase units generally have one main switch while three phase have three
