RobL Newbie
Joined: 19 Jun 2013 Posts: 24 Location: Indiana
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2014 10:03 pm Post subject: Ground...Neutral...Earth? System Ground or Equipment Ground? |
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I'm just about done with my new Protoform build and the easiest part was also the most dangerous, the electrical system. The instructions are great, and the wiring schematics are clear, but they are not a "how to" guide for residential wiring, and I wanted to have a better understanding of electrical systems before I plugged anything in. I thought it was worthy of its own separate thread because there seems to be a lot of confusion or misinformation out there.
It is a 240 volt system, and some circuits run on 120, and I was using a 3 wire outlet, but there are 4 wire plugs available and code changes and .....yuck. I didn't really have any questions about the power side of the circuit, but I did have questions about the neutral and ground wires. How do they interact with each other, why do they ultimately connect, and how does this all work? Is a system ground different than an equipment ground? Why are we sticking rods and wires in the ground?
It really is simple, but like anything else you have to become familiar with the terminology and fundamentals. This isn't a video on basic electrical theory, but this is a video about what the neutral wire is for and also what the ground wire is for, as well as just what the ground wire actually does, ( as well as the ground rod outside any building/structure.)
The video is just over an hour long, but for any newbies like me (or seasoned pro's,) it is well worth it, I've watched it twice so far and it eliminated any hesitations I had about what wires go where and why. I did inspect my new build with a volt meter as I went through the power up procedure and all was perfect. Thanks to Doug's instructions and Mike Holt's video.
Mike Holt, Electrical Fundamentals-Protection against electric shock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpgAVE4UwFw _________________ generalleerc.com
I love the internet....helping the ignorant and uneducated like myself get a little less dumb, one post at a time.... |
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