Is this video correct?

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ATSman

ATSman
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
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Electrical Engineer/ Electrical Testing & Controls
Video Ground Confusion

Video Ground Confusion

1. Catch the myths

2. Spot the code violations.


Enjoy! :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63gDj2z0Wyg

The error in the video is that the current flows thru the load and back to the lowest potential which
is the neutral of the supply (pole) transformer, not the ground conductor. The neutral conductor is grounded for personnel safety as mentioned when a hot wire touches the enclosure or any metal surface of the load. Under normal conditions current does not flow in a ground conductor. Under fault conditions current flows in the ground path back to where the neutral is grounded into the supply transformer winding. The video never mentions the return back to the transformer neutral.
This guy says it in his comments below the video.:
deezynar
1 year ago
this is COMPLETELY INCORRECT. the two wires in a single phase circuit both supply and return electrons in alternating directions. that is what ALTERNATING CURRENT does. the reason there is a difference between the SO CALLED hot wire and the SO CALLED neutral wire is because the neutral wire is connected to the earth to protect against overcharges from static and lightning. the electrons DO NOT NORMALY TRAVEL IN THE EARTH AS PART OF THE CIRCUIT!!!!!!
 

GoldDigger

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Placerville, CA, USA
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Retired PV System Designer
2. "You would hardly feel a shock"
3. Power is flowing through the meter. Yes, but really not very much. 120V times microamps.
4. "...back to the place it came from, ground."
As for code violations, I did not see any, assuming that there really was a service neutral in that panel (and it was not a subpanel requiring separate buses.)
 

mbrooke

Batteries Included
Location
United States
Occupation
Technician
2. "You would hardly feel a shock"
3. Power is flowing through the meter. Yes, but really not very much. 120V times microamps.
4. "...back to the place it came from, ground."
As for code violations, I did not see any, assuming that there really was a service neutral in that panel (and it was not a subpanel requiring separate buses.)

All correct! :)

As for the violations, look closer at the panel he takes the cover off ;)
 

mbrooke

Batteries Included
Location
United States
Occupation
Technician
The error in the video is that the current flows thru the load and back to the lowest potential which
is the neutral of the supply (pole) transformer, not the ground conductor. The neutral conductor is grounded for personnel safety as mentioned when a hot wire touches the enclosure or any metal surface of the load. Under normal conditions current does not flow in a ground conductor. Under fault conditions current flows in the ground path back to where the neutral is grounded into the supply transformer winding. The video never mentions the return back to the transformer neutral.
This guy says it in his comments below the video.:
deezynar
1 year ago
this is COMPLETELY INCORRECT. the two wires in a single phase circuit both supply and return electrons in alternating directions. that is what ALTERNATING CURRENT does. the reason there is a difference between the SO CALLED hot wire and the SO CALLED neutral wire is because the neutral wire is connected to the earth to protect against overcharges from static and lightning. the electrons DO NOT NORMALY TRAVEL IN THE EARTH AS PART OF THE CIRCUIT!!!!!!


Even during a fault very little current goes down a ground rod. Most of it goes back on the neutral. In fact, if you took 120 volts with no impedance to a ground rod it would not trip a breaker. The video makes the assumption that it does.

The part that gets me isn't that this video is incorrect, but its made by Home Depot which out of all places should know better.
Apparently this is what they are telling there associates in the electrical Isle. I over heard a sales guy telling a Homeowner to drive a ground rod at a subpanel so 'a short circuit would pop the fuse'. :eek: When I asked him latter he said its what he was told.
 

Dennis Alwon

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Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Well 90% of the videos online are inaccurate-- Almost everyone I have seen on electrical was pretty bad. I don't worry about it. The diy vids are, IMO, dangerous as they can be really non compliant installs. This one didn't bother me too much
 

ATSman

ATSman
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Occupation
Electrical Engineer/ Electrical Testing & Controls
All correct! :)

As for the violations, look closer at the panel he takes the cover off ;)

Ok, I missed it too.
It is a subpanel and not a main so the neutral landing should not be grounded.
The neutral should only be grounded at one place: the service entrance. Especially
when GF protection is employed.
 

mbrooke

Batteries Included
Location
United States
Occupation
Technician
Ok, I missed it too.
It is a subpanel and not a main so the neutral landing should not be grounded.
The neutral should only be grounded at one place: the service entrance. Especially
when GF protection is employed.

We have a winner! Also note the bond screw (green) at the top. And to be honest #8 NM looks a tad small here for all the outgoing circuits.
 

GoldDigger

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Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
We have a winner! Also note the bond screw (green) at the top. And to be honest #8 NM looks a tad small here for all the outgoing circuits.
And what solid evidence do you have that it is a subpanel?
Couldn't the bare wire coming in at the top be a GEC rather than an EGC?
:)
The panel itself appears to be configured for use as service equipment with the buses on either side joined by the heavy metal strip to which the neutral is landed. I will have to go back and see IG there is any sign of a separate ground bus.
 

mbrooke

Batteries Included
Location
United States
Occupation
Technician
And what solid evidence do you have that it is a subpanel?
Couldn't the bare wire coming in at the top be a GEC rather than an EGC?
:)
The panel itself appears to be configured for use as service equipment with the buses on either side joined by the heavy metal strip to which the neutral is landed. I will have to go back and see IG there is any sign of a separate ground bus.


The incoming feed looks like 8/3 or 6/3 plus ground. That is only allowed for a subpanel, and the fact the feed is lass than 100amps (smaller than #4 cu or 2 al) is another give away. Its hard to believe that a video like this would be so messed up:happyno:
 
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