2006-10-15 12:27:26 · 5 answers · asked by bob_whelan1944 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Grounding is a more complicated aspect of electrical work, and all the wrong answers you've received is why DIYers should leave electrical work to professionals. End of sermon :-)
The white (called the grounded circuit conductor), or neutral, carries current. Along with the black wire, that makes your circuit. The neutral is grounded (to the earth) to make the voltages stable.
The bare/green wires do NOT carry current and are not part of the circuit, under normal operation. The metal cases of appliances and the like are connected to the 3rd prong (the ground). These bare/green wires are called the equipment grounding conductor. The purpose is when a fault in your appliance causes the hot conductor to contact the case, instead of making the case a shock hazard, it will trip the circuit breaker. This happens because the equipment grounding conductor is connected to the neutral in your service, so a large current will flow to trip the breaker (blow the fuse).
There should be NO connection between the neutral and grounding conductor anyplace else, as that would result in current on the grounding conductor (not safe).
2006-10-16 06:54:57 · answer #1 · answered by An electrical engineer 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The answer of "An Electrical Engineer" is correct in every way except that it does not require a license to understand the dif between a neutral and a ground, and that they function the same way whether referred to with three words or one. AEE deserves the best answer award.
2006-10-16 14:19:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Old code only called for 2 wires, hot and ground. current NEC calls for a failsafe ground and common. so that if one is bad, the other can still ground the wire so that your breakers work in the event of a short
2006-10-15 19:31:23 · answer #3 · answered by BNLCy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They are both grounds. To better protect the circuit as well as you. If one ground fails the other ground is there to complete the circuit.
2006-10-15 20:51:45 · answer #4 · answered by us citizen 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
it's a big fat loop!
the juice comes in goes through your, bulbs, appliances & computers, & then goes to ground literally the ground via the ground rod!
2006-10-15 22:45:59 · answer #5 · answered by Bonno 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋