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.
If the wiring system into which you are installing an outlet has no ground available, use an ungrounded outlet. In an ungrounded system, an outlet with a ground contact would allow the outlet user to mistakenly, and perhaps dangerously, assume that a ground was present. A suitable ground may be available as a ground wire accompanying the hot and neutral wires in the cable, or a ground may be available via conductive conduit and a metal outlet box. In any case, use a tester to confirm the integrity of the assumed ground. A voltage test from the hot wire to the ground should show the same voltage as between hot and neutral (the black and white wires respectively). If you are replacing an ungrounded outlet, you need not assume there is no ground present. You may find, in the box, ground wires that were not connected to the outlet. You may come across grounded outlets that have no ground wire attached because they rely on grounding via the mounting screws through the outlet ears to the metal box. This is a less reliable grounding method. It is better to buy a ground-wire "pigtail," fasten the wire directly to a hole in the metal box with the supplied screw, and attach the other end of the ground wire to the outlet via the outlet's ground screw.
A stinger is linemen terminology. Do you mean transformer instead of ballast. Please be more explicit as to what you are doing.
Basically, the same as if you had a short to neutral, since the neutral and ground are tied to the same bus bar in the breaker panel. The breaker should trip, or the fuse should blow. Supply of voltage then stops.See the answer to the Related Question about GFCIs - shown below - for information about circuit protection when even a small current flows to ground.
It shouldn't. The open end of a non connected neutral should have the same potential as the voltage feeding the circuit. The only time a voltage will show is when the return neutral is tested with a meter to the neutral bar or the ground return bar. It will then show what the supply voltage to the connected load is. Once this neutral is connected to the neutral bar there will be no voltage shown across the test meter between the neutral and the neutral bar or the ground bar.
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.
If the wiring system into which you are installing an outlet has no ground available, use an ungrounded outlet. In an ungrounded system, an outlet with a ground contact would allow the outlet user to mistakenly, and perhaps dangerously, assume that a ground was present. A suitable ground may be available as a ground wire accompanying the hot and neutral wires in the cable, or a ground may be available via conductive conduit and a metal outlet box. In any case, use a tester to confirm the integrity of the assumed ground. A voltage test from the hot wire to the ground should show the same voltage as between hot and neutral (the black and white wires respectively). If you are replacing an ungrounded outlet, you need not assume there is no ground present. You may find, in the box, ground wires that were not connected to the outlet. You may come across grounded outlets that have no ground wire attached because they rely on grounding via the mounting screws through the outlet ears to the metal box. This is a less reliable grounding method. It is better to buy a ground-wire "pigtail," fasten the wire directly to a hole in the metal box with the supplied screw, and attach the other end of the ground wire to the outlet via the outlet's ground screw.
The hot and neutral wires may be reversed at another outlet or junction box along the circuit. This is because the tester is picking up the reversal of polarity elsewhere in the wiring system. It is important to check all other outlets and connections on the same circuit to ensure proper wiring.
To wire a single toggle switch and outlet with a two-wire system, you will need to connect the hot wire (black) to the brass terminal of the switch. Then connect a short jumper wire from the brass terminal to the brass terminal of the outlet. Connect the neutral wire (white) to the silver terminal of the outlet. Finally, connect the ground wire (green or bare copper) to the green screw on the switch and the green screw on the outlet.
When the neutral is connected to the ground they are at the same potential which is zero volts. If the neutral gets disconnected from the ground then a potential of 120 volts will be measured from the open neutral to ground. This voltage is being measured from the neutral side of the load that is on the circuit. because they are actually the same cable at sub station, but split by the time they come to the board, long answer involved but that's the jist of it!
The main electric panel is where neutral is bonded to ground. There is usually a screw or strap that connects the two so the same type panel could be used as a subpanel and have the neutral and ground unbonded in subpanel.
1. SafetyWhen there are separate wires for neutral and ground it is much less likely that a problem in electrical wiring causes a dangerous situation which will cause electrical shock or fire.If the ground and neutral were the same conductor, the cutting only the neutral wire (for example by accident) would cause the grounded metal case of the equipment to be on mains potential just because there is only live connected to equipment and that voltage can go through the equipment to the cut neutral cable and from there to equipment case.When ground and neutral are separate, then cut neutral causes only the equipment to stop working and no dangerous situation. If ground gets cut by accident, there is no danger caused before some equipment gets damaged. So when there is separate wires for neutral and ground, a singe wire fault (cut or short circuit to other wire) on any wire going to outlet does not cause immediate danger to the user of the equipment:2. Minimizing the ground potential differences between outlet groundsIn an ideal separate grounding wire system there is no current flowing in ground wire network, so there is no voltage difference between grounds on different outlets. Unfortunately in real life systems there is always some current leaking to ground, but that current is very small (only probably milli amperes) compared to the current flowing on line and neutral wires (usually amperes).If the neutral and ground were shared on same wire, the current flowing on neutral wire would easily cause a large voltage difference (up to many volts) on different outlets grounds. The ground potential on any outlet will then depend on the load current, neutral wire resistance and the mains phase it is connected to.
Tools without a ground wire may not provide protection against electric shock in case of a short circuit or malfunction. Ground wires are designed to direct excess electrical current safely to the ground, preventing potential hazards to users. It is important to always follow safety guidelines and use tools that are properly grounded for increased safety.
No, the ground and neutral wires should not share the same bus bar in an electrical panel. The ground wire is for safety and should be connected to the ground bus bar, while the neutral wire is for returning current and should be connected to the neutral bus bar. Mixing them can cause dangerous conditions like electrical shock or fires.
To ensure proper installation and safety, the electrical wall outlet should have the same hook-up as the wiring in the electrical box. It is important to follow local electrical codes and guidelines, and if you are unsure, it is recommended to consult a licensed electrician.
The distance between the neutral and ground pins in a plug is not the same to prevent accidental short circuits or contact between the neutral and ground wires. This helps to ensure safety by reducing the risk of electrical shocks or fires. Additionally, it helps maintain the proper functioning of electrical circuits by preventing interference between the neutral and ground connections.
In 120/208V 3 phase system you have 5 wires: three hots, one neutral, and one ground. You have 208V between any two hots and 120V between any hot and neutral. The neutral is the same as in a single phase system. Clarification: Only 4 wires maximum come from the pole - 3 phases and a neutral, and then only if the transformers are on the pole. The ground is always locally derived from a ground rod(s) and/or cold water pipe ground. Most of the time, only 3 wires come in from the pole - the 3 phases in a Delta configuration (Delta has no neutral). The neutral is then derived from a local transformer connected in a Delta-Wye setup. The neutral is the center connection in the Wye. So, from the utility feeder to the transformer - 3 wires. From the transformer (wherever it is located) to the building service entrance panel - 4 wires. The ground is connected at the service entrance panel, and from there to the rest of the building you would have all 5 wires. Clear? In the US, 208/120 is a standardized mains voltage, but in some parts of the world, the phase-to-phase voltage is 220. In that case, the phase-to-neutral potential (in a 3-phase system) would be 127 Volts, not 120.