| ??? 11/07/05 15:52 Read: times Msg Score: +1 +1 Good Answer/Helpful |
#103378 - Safety ground is not for current Responding to: ???'s previous message |
Vignesh Prasad said:
...instead of Neutral, I connect, say a 40W incandescent lamp between Red Phase and Ground? This will work. That, however, does not mean it is a good idea. Much of the benfit of having a safety ground lies in the fact that it is ordinarily not a current-carrying conductor. Because the neutral wire is not a superconductor, and is more appropriately modeled as a resistor, it is pssible for its potential at the point of use to rise a notable amount above ground. While this is acceptable for a neutral, from which the user is electrically insulated, it is not acceptable for a safety ground, which the user may very well come into contact with. By using the safety ground as a current path, you introduce the possibility for the potential of the safety ground to rise above true earth ground, meaning the user can get an electric shock if simultaneously touching the elevated safety ground and another object at true earth ground potential! Note also that the situation you have described will trip ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) devices. --Sasha Jevtic |
