How not to do grounding

To ground for an electrical source, no special skills are required. A large number of practical manuals and thematic information on the Internet will allow anyone to get acquainted with all the intricacies of the work, as well as offer step-by-step instructions for action. Unfortunately, in few places you can find data on how to do it and what serious negative consequences can lead to errors.

It is widely believed that if the outlet has a built-in grounding conductor, then there is no need to make any more efforts. This is absolutely not the case. In order for the contact to be grounded, it must be carried out.

A two-wire network type will require grounding from an electrical panel. Three-wire will allow you to ground using a special wire located in the socket opening. It is the first option that forces electricians to be sophisticated in their fantasies regarding the grounding method.

Taking an ordinary outlet, it immediately catches the eye of its three contacts. The first should be connected to the phase, the second to zero, and the third to the ground wire. The absence in the hole for the outlet of the ground wire, which was mentioned earlier, serves a reason to connect the phase and zero to the contacts, and using the jumper to connect the "ground" and zero.

The result of this combination is to “zero” the device. For the normal functioning of the outlet, this method does not pose a threat. However, failure of the electrical system, to the best of any reason, can lead to serious consequences.

It is common for a zero conductor to burn out. This can lead to the fact that with the help of a phase wire, electricity will spread to the case of an electrical device connected to the outlet. In addition to the fact that the device may fail, an electric discharge can affect a person. This characterizes the described method not only as undesirable, but also unsafe.

The second, no less common grounding error is considered to be the wrong phase and zero connection in the junction box. Confused contacts will cause the zero in the socket to automatically lose its function, transferring electricity to the connected device and endangering the life and health of the user.

After analyzing typical errors when connecting the ground, we can conclude that its complete absence will be less dangerous than a stupidly made connection.