Reply With QuoteThat is simply "shocking" LOL. Drick is correct, there must be something missing in what you heard that provides the return; guess I'll have to Google it.Originally Posted by hj
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Power HAS TO return to where it came from. The earth is a really really lousy conductor. Sticking a ground rod outside your house will not allow the power to travel through the earth to another ground rod at the power plant. The ground rod is there for protection in the event of a lightening strike.
-rick
That is simply "shocking" LOL. Drick is correct, there must be something missing in what you heard that provides the return; guess I'll have to Google it.
I am definitely not a pro plumber, but I am a pro crastinator
It's called Single Wire Earth Return http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWER
Last edited by ActionDave; 04-01-2012 at 07:14 PM. Reason: couldn't post differnt link
Heh, well I guess that shows you what I know. I'd never heard of it before now. Thanks for the link.
-rick
"A good earth connection is normally a 6 m stake of copper-clad steel driven vertically into the ground"
6 meters is about 20'. Imagine trying to drive that damned thing in with a sledge?
Yes, but most of that if not all, is used for medium or high voltage power grid or transmission lines over long distances. In the US, the grid is multiphase, with transformers used for the user's voltages and neutrals that are tapped off the transformer and grounded locally. The ground itself here, at least does not carry any power. I would not my house powered with a single phase and returned to ground though a lake, nor would I want 220v receptacles in my house for our normal plug in appliances. This conversation is still shocking, but interesting.
Thanks Dave for that info.
I am definitely not a pro plumber
Yet it is common. It certainly reduces on the cost of the copper to wire a home.nor would I want 220v receptacles in my house for our normal plug in appliances. .
Thanks Dave for that info.
I built my house using steel studs just so I could use a one wire system.
Zip, zap, pow!
In the abstract, I suppose you could treat the whole frame of the house as the ground system.....
I don't see any smiley faces Dave!
I am definitely not a pro plumber
Earth is a good Ground if the voltage is high enough, and that proves it.
The Power Utility company is the only one allowed to use the earth as ground/neutral, as far as I know.
Don't pay someone to do a job fast, when you can do a half-fast job yourself.
Oh and Samuel Morse did too, right?
I am definitely not a pro plumber
That was before AC was used.
DC was tried before they figured out AC was better for transmitting.
Later Morse used RF, so it was AC. Just not 60hz, Subs used that frequency.
Last edited by DonL; 04-04-2012 at 06:02 PM.
Don't pay someone to do a job fast, when you can do a half-fast job yourself.
I rarely smile. The last time I remember feeling one come upon my face was about eight years ago when I was informed of my mother-in-law passing.
Those Colorado Winters didn't give you that cold heart did it? Just kidding (or am I?). I guess I was lucky, I had a great Mother In-Law. If everybody had a Mother In-law like I had, there'd be no mother in-law jokes. That'd be no fun though
I am definitely not a pro plumber
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