Ground Wire Offers Protection

Question: I am rewiring for a dryer plug from the circuit box. My old dryer wire had only three wires, a red, black and white. My new wire also has a ground. Is the ground needed or does the white wire act as the ground?

Answer: The black and red leads each supply 120 volts of power and the white wire or “neutral” is simply there as a return feed for unused or excess power.

The bare or green wire is the ground wire and is there to reduce the chance of an electric shock when a short circuit occurs.

Electricity is attracted to substances that it can easily travel through (such as copper, aluminum and water). Since we are made mostly of water, we tend to be excellent grounds.

A ground in an electric circuit is there to collect the electricity and send it to a path other than us.The ground wire should discharge excess electricity rather than allow it to stop your heart or cook you.

In other words, the ground is an extremely important part of an electrical circuit.

Connect the ground in the electric panel to the “buss” connecting bar that contains the bare and green wires.

At the other end connect the ground wire to the receptacle or the electric box--depending on which type you have.

This general rule of grounding applies to all electrical wiring.

*

For more home improvement tips and information, visit www.onthehouse.com.