Neutral and Ground

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G

girl

Member
Location
far away
don't they neutral and ground end at the same point?
what's the difference?
why some ground wires have to be insulated, do they have to be?

thank you all.:)
 
peter d

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
girl said:
don't they neutral and ground end at the same point?
what's the difference?
why some ground wires have to be insulated, do they have to be?

thank you all.:)
Click to expand...

Neutral wires normally carry current (on a 2-wire circuit.) Ground wires only carry current during fault conditions like a short circuit or a ground fault.

The reason that neutral and ground wires are connected together at a single point is that the ground wires need to be connected back to the source, which is normally a transformer or generator. This is done via the neutral or grounded conductor.

Ground wires are not required to be insulated normally, however, the NEC does require them to be insulated for some applications.

Clear as mud?
 
chris kennedy

chris kennedy

Senior Member
Location
Miami Fla.
Occupation
60 yr old tool twisting electrician
peter d said:
Clear as mud?
Click to expand...
LOL:grin:

Welcome to the Forum. Students always welcome.

Here is where you make that connection.

250.24(B) Main Bonding Jumper. For a grounded system, an unspliced main bonding jumper shall be used to connect the equipment grounding conductor(s) and the service-disconnect enclosure to the grounded conductor within the enclosure for each service disconnect in accordance with 250.28.
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480sparky

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Ever see a washing machine with a metal pan under it? It's there to catch water and drain it away if the machine springs a leak.

Now, the washing machine is hooked to the drain lines, and when it emptys, the water flowing is considered 'normal', just like power flowing through the neutral.

But if there's a leak, the pan is intended to gather the stray water and direct it back into the drain. This is not normal and water in the pan is a sign that something is wrong..

Same with current flow on a ground.... something is wrong in the circuit, and the ground provides a path back to the source in order for current to flow and the breaker or fuse to open the circuit.

And one more thing.... welcome to the forum!
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

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Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
480sparky said:
Ever see a washing machine with a metal pan under it? It's there to catch water and drain it away if the machine springs a leak.

Now, the washing machine is hooked to the drain lines, and when it emptys, the water flowing is considered 'normal', just like power flowing through the neutral.

But if there's a leak, the pan is intended to gather the stray water and direct it back into the drain. This is not normal and water in the pan is a sign that something is wrong..

Same with current flow on a ground.... something is wrong in the circuit, and the ground provides a path back to the source in order for current to flow and the breaker or fuse to open the circuit.

And one more thing.... welcome to the forum!
Click to expand...


Nice analogy
 
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