[Amps] Question about safety ground connection

[Will Matney]

Rich,

Same here if I'm only running 240 vac and don't want to pick up 120 vac from it. Three wires is all you need in that case. If you want the availibility to get either voltage (120 or 240), I run the 4 wire so I have a different frame ground wire than using the neutral. Actually, the NEC says the neutral and ground supposed to be seperate even though they tie together in the breaker box. In romex though, you'll have a red, black, white, and bare ground wire. Then when you transfer from romex to SO, the bare ground turns to green. The NEC wants to see all recepticle boxes, and junction boxes grounded with the bare, then carried on to chassis ground on the equipment. It will work other ways, but in house wiring, I always want to know a neutral isn't hot unless it's going to a switch leg which I think is the only NEC exception to the rule.

Best,

Will

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 11/15/05 at 8:48 AM R.Measures wrote:

>On Nov 15, 2005, at 8:26 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 07:51:49 -0800, Bill Turner wrote:
>>
>>> I believe the safest
>>> and best way to wire a 240 volt circuit is to have the two hot wires
>>> and a ground wire and not to use a neutral at all. In other words,
>>> everything on the 240 volt circuit should be made to run from 240
>>> volts, not 120  volts connected between a hot wire and neutral. If I
>>> am mistaken on this, please comment.
>>
>> There is nothing wrong with connecting a 120 volt load (for example, a
>> 120v fan) between one of the 240 volt legs and neutral. What you must
>> NOT do is connect the neutral to ground.
>
>Amen, Jim.  At last a voice of reason.  I have been running the 120v 
>outlets in my radio room off of half of a 240v circuit for the past 
>30-yrs.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>>
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>
>Richard L. Measures, AG6K, 805.386.3734.  www.somis.org
>
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