2007-08-05 18:02:10 · 8 answers · asked by GITAR P 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
need more info..... where was it?at the switch box for a light, or in a breaker panel.... if it is in a swith box , it may be a hot wire that was not marked as a hot, sometimes the white wire is used on a light swith to complete the circuit
2007-08-05 18:16:03 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. Ree 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The normal flow of a electrical circuit is from the hot lead to the neutral. The neutral has current on it as it flows toward the breaker box. The ELCB is detecting this flow as the ground lead should never have any electrical potential on it. When you touched the ground to the neutral it said "TRIP"
2007-08-06 01:19:34 · answer #2 · answered by Jeff 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The ground became a parallel path for current with the neutral. So some of the neutral current was flowing through the ground wire. That made the unit trip. That is what it is supposed to do if the current was flowing through you.
2007-08-06 09:15:36 · answer #3 · answered by John himself 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The ground fault unit operates by sensing a difference of flow between the "hot"(black) and the "common/neutral" (white). It is designed to operate to open when it senses a difference. When you touch the "ground" (bare copper wire) to the neutral, part of the current travels on the ground wire, causing the imbalance needed to operate the GFI.
2007-08-06 12:24:17 · answer #4 · answered by len b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is clear In your system your 3phase load is unbalanced & your neutral carrying current (In balanced load neutral carry 0 Amps)so if this neutral is grounded there is different in current in sensing circiut, hence it will trigger the tripping circuit.(check Measure voltage between Neutral & ground with multimeter you will find some voltage that is only causing the tripping)
2007-08-09 15:57:44 · answer #5 · answered by ricky414 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jeff is correct. Your electricity is an alternating current. 60 times a second it goes back and forth on the black wires and the white wires. The white wires go back to your breaker box where they are tied into a bar that is connected to the neutral lead from the power company, back to the power company.
2007-08-06 06:11:38 · answer #6 · answered by larry l 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Your ground and neutral are basically the same they are tied to each other in newer panel boxes you have a short unless someone took your neutral [white] and hooked it to hot wire?
Tom
2007-08-06 07:49:21 · answer #7 · answered by tom k 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Will not happen any thing . Cause the neutral is a far grounded wire.
2007-08-06 01:10:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋