Re:Why we ground electrical systems (2015)
by shreddish on Friday August 02, 2019 @03:43PM
(#20595973)
Yes instinctivly it wasn't making sense as I knew the circuit needs to be "completed". So if that's the case then what is the point of the ground rod that the neutral bar/wires in your breaker box are connected to?
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Re:Why we ground electrical systems (2015)
by NobodyNada on Friday August 02, 2019 @04:26PM
(#20596321)
This article posted in a comment above explains it well: http://amasci.com/amateur/whygnd.html
Essentially, the ground rod acts as an "anchor" holding the neutral wire and the ground at the same electric potential. If there was no ground rod, the earth and the circuit would be "floating" relative to one another, and a dangerously large voltage could develop between them.