goldbrick
Well-known member
SageBrush said:Heh. This brings me back to one of my most stubborn stumbling blocks -- understanding ground Vs neutral. It bugs me to no end knowing that the two wires are bonded in the main panel
I'm not sure of the exact terms used in the NEC but in general, a neutral wire (white or grey) is a return path for the current that travels through the 'hot' wires. It is a grounded conductor meaning that it is grounded and it conducts current (the return path from the load).
The ground wire, which must be green or bare copper, is a safety mechanism and in normal use carries no current. It is there to provide a return path for any wiring faults so that the breakers can disconnect the power in case of a fault.
The ground and neutral wires must be connected only at the main service entrance. If they are connected in a sub-panel, fault current may not trip the breaker.
