0
There should be no reason to install two ground wires in the same conduit. Code requires that only a single path should be required if it is to carry a fault current. This ground wire should be single and continuous from the device back to the distribution panel. It is the fault current that is carried on the ground wire that trips the breaker or fault protection device. Don't confuse grounding wires with bonding wires.
Still curious? Ask our experts.
Chat with our AI personalities
Jordan
Steve
RafaAdd your answer:
Earn +20 pts
How do you install a 20 amp switch for well pump?
Black/White/Ground power in and the same out. Tie the incoming and outgoing white wires together under a yellow wire nut and push them back in the box. Tie the ground wires together under a green wire nut and connect the pigtail from those ground wires to the ground screw on the switch. Connect the 2 black wires you have left to the 2 screws on the switch. Doesn't matter which black wire you connect to which screw.
Are neutrial and ground wires to be separated in electric main box?
Yes, if possible, connect the grounds to the ground bus bar and the neutrals to the other side on the neutral bus bar. This is just in case you ever install a sub panel. It is not a violation of the NEC code to connect them to the same bus bar but IMO it is unprofessional and can cause problems later on.
Why not hook ground to neutral since they are hooked on same spot in breaker box why not in outlet box.?
The "hot" wire and the neutral wire both carry current (the same amount, in fact) when a load is connected to complete the circuit. The ground wire never carries current except when a fault-to-ground situation occurs. Yes, neutral and ground wires should both be at ground potential, but NO they should not be connected at the outlet.
Can the ground wire pass through the same conduit as feed wires from panel to meter?
If you are asking simply a technical question the answer is no, because ground wires do not exist from the panel to the meter. My advice to you is this: If you have an inspector telling you to do something a certain way, do it his way unless in your professional opinion you believe to do so would be unsafe. What is properly called a ground wire, or what the NEC calls a groundING conductor (as opposed to the groundED conductor) does not run from the meter to the panel. From the meter to the panel you will have the groundED conductor, which is the neutral, and possibly a bonding jumper. The bonding jumper is probably what you are referring to as the ground wire. The code requires that all components of a service be bonded together. The components for a common home are just the meter and panel, but may also include a separate disconnect, junction box, or CT box. Typically the bonding jumper is run in the same raceways as the service conductors, but since the NEC prohibits any other conductors in a raceway that carries service conductors some jurisdictions do not allow the jumper to be inside the raceway or conduit. Technically the bonding jumper is not a conductor even if it is a wire. Grounding and Bonding are 2 of the largest sections of the NEC and the most misunderstood. To the untrained eye they look alike as they both often use green or bare wires to accomplish their tasks. Understanding the difference, the proper difference, between grounding and bonding is a step in the right direction but many professional electricians use the terms improperly and cannot make a reasonable explanation of what is the purpose for each. I invite answers from other electricians as I'm sure my explanation is much more complicated than the questioner wanted or needed.
Does a GFCI give over-current protection?
GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interruptor. It inherently works by detecting ground current; when ground current is detected above a low threshold, the GFCI will trip. Some GFCIs also may provide phase overcurrent protection (such as the two phase wires being shorted together) as well. *************************************************************** It is a differential current detector. The line (or live, phase or hot) and the neutral wires of an a.c. supply should both be carrying the same value of current. (The current comes from the generator and goes to the load through the line and neutral wires and goes back to the generator.) If there is a difference in the in the two wires, it can only be because there is a fault which has allowed some current to flow to Earth ("ground"). As long as the two currents are equal, the interruptor stays closed. Once an imbalance is detected, the interruptor operates and disconnects the supply.
