Why is earth grounding important ?

What does not matter is whether it happens indoors vs outdoors.

If 4 to 6 ma or more passes through a body, the GFCI should trip.

It doesn't matter whether it's to earth, a refrigerator, or damp air.
 
iqelectric said:
Without a connection to the earth, GFCI devices would not work outdoors.

Seek the knowledge found in the definitions of Chapter One. Grounding connects to the earth. Equipment grounding bonds everything not intended to be a current carrying conductor together to clear any fault current via the cb or fuse. Remember the three parts of overcurrent: over load, ground fault and short circuit.
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What exactly do you instruct?
 
infinity said:
Where is the current going to go if the system has no path to ground?
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You could still have current flowing on non intended paths, but as long as return to source passes through the GFCI it is not tripping.

A conductor from an ungrounded system that ends up getting grounded after the GFCI this could happen. Portable generators are often this way, not grounded yet have GFCI protected receptacles on them. They should never trip other than by pressing test button or if some return path not through the GFCI is somehow established. Fault between something on one receptacle to something on a second receptacle would maybe be situation that may have some chance of happening without someone doing some "hack work" on the GFCI output(s).
 
Speedskater said:
AC power current never goes to ground.
But the current may travel thru Planet Earth on its path to Neutral.
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Doesn't have to be neutral, but it is trying to get back to some portion of the source it came from, Same applies to DC systems. Many DC powered machines may be negative bonded and even carry return current on the frame of that machine, but it is seeking the source and the frame is just a conductor that is also connected to the negative terminal of the source.
 
acrwc10 said:
I am putting together a power point for grounding and bonding and was looking for a good way to explain why we "earth ground". While this seems like a silly question, what I am really looking for is a good way to explain it to inspectors who do not grasp the concept so well. I want to get the point across that this is Not a return path for a fault, yet it is required to for safety and for more than lightning or high voltage issues on the secondary side. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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THE earth ground would be much better if it had verry HIGH impedance or verry low impedance !
 
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