ramsy
Roger Ruhle dba NoFixNoPay
- Location
- LA basin, CA
- Occupation
- Service Electrician 2020 NEC
1) In N. America 230v clothes dryers & electric ranges are sold with Neutral Bonded to frames, so if existing connections can’t separate neutral (White) from grounding (Green/Bare), one of two 115 volts legs for appliance timers & lights will energize neutral / frames / and bare hands.
Neutral-Bonded appliances, which normally energize frames & people, won’t cause electrocutions until; 1) A parallel path exists - bare hands frame to plumbing, or to concrete slab in garage, 2) Current flows for controls, less for digital controls & LED lights, and even less in parallel paths, and 3) 20+mA must travel thru the heart.
Before Amperage is high enough, or skin contact in series with plumbing or slab becomes the only path, controls or lights must short out, bulbs get damaged, or neutrals come loose anywhere between appliance and utility substation, which happens periodically. Further, the shock must usually be between two hands or hand and opposite foot, before current travels thru the heart.
Granted most people make contact in that manner, and while 120v is the most lethal by fatalities, getting zapped by 115 volts does not always cause heart fibrillation. It depends on timing, state of heart muscle, and letting go is possible, unlike higher voltages. Further survival of fibrillation events is possible with emergency defibrillators.
2) The safest options with 3-wire 230v Neutrals Bonded to appliance frames, will not be apparent to contractors accustomed to code minimums, who are only aware of 4-wire alternatives, which may require construction contracts.
Even though 6mA GFCI protection is several orders of magnitude safer, & 2-Pole GFCI's have been around for years, contractors won’t offer it unless required by code minimum. Ignorance is bliss, regardless if bonded neutral energizes appliance frames, or parallel paths.
Further, since gas hookups are common in domestic laundry rooms, a gas dryer may be in the consumer’s best interest. Home Centers accept returns, including the 230v electric dryer; therefore a Tamper-Resistant GFCI plug may be all that existing laundry needs. However, no contractor, much less employee would dare suggest losing money.
Regardless of gas appliances operating at lower cost, contractors don’t down sell a job to a simple GFCI outlet, after being dispatched for a 4-wire rough-in project. Neither do Master's expect rewards from clients they’ll never see again; much less expect any appreciation for such goodwill in the public domain. There is rarely any reward for such deeds.
3) Without incentive or reward who would consider the consumer’s best interests.
Perhaps the only time such drastic down selling is offered in the consumer’s best interest, is with experienced contractors deliberately avoiding new work & rough-in projects all together. Perhaps, wiser one-horse shows that keep busy with minor maintenance, are experienced enough to avoid construction, for simpler solutions, such as putting A/GFCI’s on multi-wire branch circuits, that Panel Flippers can’t figure out, without re-wiring construction.
In the age of GFCI reset-button safety, I would put Neutral-Bonded appliances and their energized frames in the same risk category as Pushmatic Bolt-on breakers, and 2-wire cables; easy pickings for construction contracts, or perhaps from a wiser horse, a pleasant surprise in the consumer’s best interest.
Neutral-Bonded appliances, which normally energize frames & people, won’t cause electrocutions until; 1) A parallel path exists - bare hands frame to plumbing, or to concrete slab in garage, 2) Current flows for controls, less for digital controls & LED lights, and even less in parallel paths, and 3) 20+mA must travel thru the heart.
Before Amperage is high enough, or skin contact in series with plumbing or slab becomes the only path, controls or lights must short out, bulbs get damaged, or neutrals come loose anywhere between appliance and utility substation, which happens periodically. Further, the shock must usually be between two hands or hand and opposite foot, before current travels thru the heart.
Granted most people make contact in that manner, and while 120v is the most lethal by fatalities, getting zapped by 115 volts does not always cause heart fibrillation. It depends on timing, state of heart muscle, and letting go is possible, unlike higher voltages. Further survival of fibrillation events is possible with emergency defibrillators.
2) The safest options with 3-wire 230v Neutrals Bonded to appliance frames, will not be apparent to contractors accustomed to code minimums, who are only aware of 4-wire alternatives, which may require construction contracts.
Even though 6mA GFCI protection is several orders of magnitude safer, & 2-Pole GFCI's have been around for years, contractors won’t offer it unless required by code minimum. Ignorance is bliss, regardless if bonded neutral energizes appliance frames, or parallel paths.
Further, since gas hookups are common in domestic laundry rooms, a gas dryer may be in the consumer’s best interest. Home Centers accept returns, including the 230v electric dryer; therefore a Tamper-Resistant GFCI plug may be all that existing laundry needs. However, no contractor, much less employee would dare suggest losing money.
Regardless of gas appliances operating at lower cost, contractors don’t down sell a job to a simple GFCI outlet, after being dispatched for a 4-wire rough-in project. Neither do Master's expect rewards from clients they’ll never see again; much less expect any appreciation for such goodwill in the public domain. There is rarely any reward for such deeds.
3) Without incentive or reward who would consider the consumer’s best interests.
Perhaps the only time such drastic down selling is offered in the consumer’s best interest, is with experienced contractors deliberately avoiding new work & rough-in projects all together. Perhaps, wiser one-horse shows that keep busy with minor maintenance, are experienced enough to avoid construction, for simpler solutions, such as putting A/GFCI’s on multi-wire branch circuits, that Panel Flippers can’t figure out, without re-wiring construction.
In the age of GFCI reset-button safety, I would put Neutral-Bonded appliances and their energized frames in the same risk category as Pushmatic Bolt-on breakers, and 2-wire cables; easy pickings for construction contracts, or perhaps from a wiser horse, a pleasant surprise in the consumer’s best interest.
Last edited:
