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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.
When should you use an ungrounded 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.
Can you wire a 220v ballast with a 220 stinger and a neutral Or two 110 hot legs just the same?
A stinger is linemen terminology. Do you mean transformer instead of ballast. Please be more explicit as to what you are doing.
What happens to voltage during a short to ground?
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.
Why is it that when you touch the neutral in a box that is not connect to the panel cause the test light to come when touching the power wire?
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.
