Grounding is one of the most important elements in the field of electrics. In the ground wires there is no voltage or electricity to flow in them, yet. In every flat, house (at least in new construction), hundreds of meters of grounding conductors are run. For what purpose? What does it mean that the socket, devices are grounded? What are the risks associated with the lack of grounding? How can you ground the electrical installation? The answer comes proper when it comes to the residential electrician now. The options are there and now you will need to know the best of it. The choices will be the best there now.
What does it mean that the electrical installation is grounded?
Imagine a house. House in which to each socket, to each lamp, in addition to the phase and neutral wires, through which we can power the electrical components, there are ground wires. These cables – usually – do not affect the operation of devices. They are for this, all without exception, connected together without the mediation of any electrical components.
All elements connected directly to the ground
The connection of earthing (protective) wires is usually carried out in the home switchgear, and from there, with a single cable straight to the metal element connected to earth.
What is the purpose of this?
Grounding is done for two reasons:
- Protective – the main reason for the use of earthing in home installations
- Working – for the proper functioning of electrical devices (in homes only a few devices require grounding for proper operation, eg computer power supplies)
- We are mainly interested in security, which generates another question: How can the wire stuck in the ground protect us from anything?
We will start from the beginning. Let us assume that the earth, the soil, has an electrical potential at the level of 0V (and this is true in 99.99% of cases, and for other situations we are writing here). So if we dig wire into the ground, there will be no electrical potential in all the grounding conductors routed in the house.
Going further, through sockets or electrical connectors (in lamps) we connect these wires to the devices. Inside these devices, protective (ground) conductors are usually connected to the casing (metal) or to any other metal element, which during normal operation of the device is easily accessible to man and therefore cannot be under voltage.
Excellently! Since we have connected the housing to the ground, the potential of which is 0V, the housing will also have such potential, right? Truth. If the housing has a zero potential and we have a zero potential, then when we touch the housing, no current will flow, i.e. electric shock will not threaten us.
