[VAC] Re: Water & electric

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer]

Another reason the trailer neutral and ground should not be connected,
is that if they were, then the return current for any loads would be
shared by the neutral and the ground wire. Then the current in the
neutral would be smaller than the current in the hot wire and that is
what trips the GFCI in the pedestal (on the 20 amp receptacles).

The safety rules always want NO current to be carried by the ground
unless there's a failure in equipment. Its unsafe if the normal load
current is carried by the ground wire and the ground wire opens. That
puts 120 on the "grounded" equipment. If the neutral opens and was
carrying current properly, then the equipment stops but the shell
doesn't become energized.

I've been involved as an expert witness in cases where the neutral and
ground were improperly connected away from the service panel, the
ground/neutral wire broke, fried tool users on a construction site. The
widows weren't pleased.

Gerald J.



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