Ground Neutral and Hot wires explained - electrical engineering grounding ground fault

Ground neutral and hot wires explained. In this video we look at the difference and purpose of the ground wire, the hot wire and the neutral wire in a north american residential electrical system. We look at ground faults, GFCI, current, voltage and simple examples for each.
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Electrician earthing electric potential grounding electrician electrical safety, ground neutral and hot wires explained,
#electrical #electricity #engineering electronics engineering

[@EngineeringMindset]

⚠️ *Found this video super useful?* Buy Paul a coffee to say thanks: ☕ PayPal: www.paypal.me/TheEngineerinMindset

[@MichaelClark-uw7ex]

I've been in the electrician trade for over 40 years, have you ever worked on a 2 phase/ 5 wire system? Talk about confusing, that was a nightmare until I found some old books that explained it. In the 1970s I had the misfortune of working in an old trolley car facility that was converted to a factory and it still had some of the 2 phase equipment that couldn't be replaced and unfortunately I was the only one who understood it so I got the "honor" of working on it. The company built a new facility so I didn't have to keep patching it together.

[@edgarsantos4028]

Nice explanation mate! Thanks so much.

[@LeeEverett1]

Just a question on current flow. So, I get that it's the case that current flows negative to positive, but why do some people say that current flows positive to negative? Is that a special type of flow or something, or are they just wrong?

[@saadanyaminoden721]

@@LeeEverett1 Its not a big deal it was just notion... Current that says it travels from possitive to negative is called the CONVENTIONAL CURRENT While the other is the actual electron flow it is called the ELECTRON FLOW CURRENT In electronics the current actually suggest the flow of electrons... but in the past they think that it is the protons that flows... and so when the notion of CURRENT has been developed, they always have the idea of it that current travels from possitive to negative... this notion has been widely accepted by the commmunity, thus all of the symbols of electrical components, like diodes, transistors and others are meant for Conventional Current... But as the years passed they discovered that the notion of current is wrong it is the electron that travels not the proton, so after they had knew this fact that electric current actually flows from negative to possitive... they cannot adopt it easily in circuit analysis because all the symbols of electronics are meant for conventional current... so if you will use the electron flow current in the circuits analysis you will have a hard time because u will need to think in reverse, for example diodes symbols is like an arrow which points its forward biase for Conventional current but if you use electron flow you have to think that the forward biase is the actually the opposite of what it points..

[@EngineeringMindset]

@First Last either is fine, paypal will convert it. Thank you for supporting us

[@GregSr]

I am a senior technician, self-employed in the PCB manufacturing industry. Back when I was struggling with the difference between ground and neutral, I came up with an analogy using water that helped me better understand. Imagine you had an upstairs laundry room. Of course, there would be a drain in the middle of the floor just in case the washing machine sprung a leak. But, in normal use, the water in the washing machine would go down the intended path through the drain behind the machine. The drain in the floor acts the same as a ground. It's not an active part of the washing machine plumbing but if necessary it can carry the water away to avoid flooding the downstairs. The drain behind the machine acts as the neutral because it is intended to carry the water away in normal operation.

[@realphilings]

Great way to remember !

[@hectormario0102]

Thank u

[@charliestone892]

Damn my dude...im an Electrician in GA and never heard a plumbing type of explanation for the Neutral but you are dead on...props to you sir,I'm gona use this on a couple of the older fellas at work!!

[@Johnysoutherner]

God Bless you sir!

[@Arizona_Vineyard]

Sweet!!! Now we know. This should be pinned

[@zesty2023]

You just explained the difference between neutral and ground better then anyone in my school OR my work. THANK you.

[@EngineeringMindset]

Glad you enjoyed

[@MichaelClark-uw7ex]

Yes most people don't know that a neutral is just the center tap of the transformer and it can carry a voltage potential to ground. Tesla himself was asked about people getting shocked from neutrals and he asked " did you ground it?"( he meant bond the neutral to a grounding electrode), problem solved.

[@Twoface0233]

Exactly. I always asked this to my professors/coworkers and what they all said sounded like they didn’t even know either.

[@billwilson3665]

@Klik B Those that can't do..teach.

[@spruce_goose5169]

@@billwilson3665 And those that can't do can't do because they were never taught. ;)

[@ParabellumX]

Paul, you are the best teacher whom I have ever run across when trying to understand the fundamentals of electricity. I have been trying to learn this concept for years, and for years, NO ONE could teach it to me so easily as you just did in this video. PLEASE do not stop teaching people! Your method of teaching has most likely helped hundreds - if not thousands - of people in search of higher learning!

[@davew2040x]

By now, it looks like maybe millions of people!

[@commiesnzombies]

1:35 i always assumed on a battery with direct current the positive+ side was hot with current travelling outward and the negative= was the ground to complete the loop

[@zakthompson2101]

I often find, with your videos, that even if I read a title of your video and it sounds like something I’m already confident that I’m familiar with, I still learn something when I watch it. Thank you for such great information. I’m an electrician of about 10 years.

[@Ranershine]

I've been in the electrical field for over 5 years now and unfortunately my coworkers and bosses have either been lousy at teaching me things or purposely keeping me ignorant so I can't progress as quickly. It's always driven me crazy not being able to fully understand the basics of electricity and how it all works. Your videos have served me so well, I'm now so much more confident when I'm working and can't begin to show my level of appreciation for all your easy to follow, informative videos. Thank you and please keep up the amazing work. If I could make a suggestion, I would love a detailed video on the steps you would take for installing a subpanel for either residential or commercial use. Regardless, any video you make will surely be great, thank you!!

[@dazeman27]

I can relate as a commercial electrician, I get frustrated by the lack of understanding by the majority of people in the field. The reality is that it's still construction and even though you attract a lot of smart people, it's a dirty and hard job that doesn't pay enough so you have to have a lot of dopes to bend conduit and pull wires. The smart guys that know what's going on usually become alcoholics and spend their free time drinking, not reading engineering books. And the amount of BS theories and principles in the industry are extremely high, so even smart people often have the wrong information if they never studied it in school. Despite the low pay and hard work, I pride myself on knowing everything I can about electrical safety and I try to correct the incorrect information that circulates in the industry. I don't like to argue with old school electricians though so I usually just take an apprentice aside and give them the correct answer when I hear someone telling them the wrong thing. You have to choose your battles and some crusty old journeyman doesn't want to hear that it's not actually magic pixies that reside in the wall holes

[@ardentdfender4116]

Kaos & Michael Not only relate to you both but in everything you said, literally! And in that it’s a bit funny to think we are the only ones go8ng through this very thing that can often be frustrating. I’m not an Electrician, but I’ve worked around them literally my entire 25+ years in plant engineering starting out as a Gas Turbine System Technician (Mechanical) since way back when I was in the U.S. Navy. I was the Mechanical to the Electrical other half or the guys that were. We worked together, we had to, but if was often like that. I got out into the civilian world and stayed in the similar related field in plant engineering and often encountered the same thing. The exception for me was the same guys that came from a military background in the Navy at the company I worked at who took the time and some patience to explain when I was confused. Later and currently I moved on into Process Automations Control Engineering and dealing with a lot of electrical in PLC Controls and dealing with the same things as you both and in learning as it wasn’t what I started my career out in field wise. Learning the ins and out of how Field Devices are wired to Electrical Control Panel and to PLC took a lot of time and understanding and re-explanation by others that had it correctly and really knew what they were talking about or who would take the time to teach you correctly. I understand what you both go through and empathize. So I find solace in these videos as well in explanation as well learning things over again.

[@Xeno_Bardock]

Check this book: Elementary lectures on electric discharges, waves and impulses, and other transients by Steinmetz, Charles Proteus

[@cat-lw6kq]

I took a home correspondence course before a became a tech at AT&T. I was lucky to get assigned to work with an old timer that really knew what he was doing. But I've also worked with techs that didn't know anything. They didn't know how to use a VOM or how to read diagrams, and had no knowledge of basic electricity. Then you have the really smart techs that won't teach you anything.

[@cat-lw6kq]

Some don't want to teach you, they want their bosses to look up to them and favor them.

[@LinusN1887]

As an electrical PE, it is remarkable how many experienced people cannot explain these concepts simply - or worse those who are stingy with their expertise. Thankfully, I had good mentors. But so many talented individuals at the entry-level don't get the help they need to understand the basics. I see that by reading the comments. I really appreciate your clear explanations and how generous you are with your knowledge. Please keep up the good work!

[@broskibro7972]

Yeah, I can never understand why people gatekeep knowledge. There will always be a way to find out what you need even if others try to keep you from it.

[@JohnPaul-ol5zl]

Ego is one reason for such a problem. Not have the talent/gift to Teach a concept well is another. A good amount of individuals can be a teacher at a school, but few can be a Good/Effective teacher. There is a big difference. The Individual that creates the videos on this channel is a valuable gem. His videos are verbally top notch and his graphics as well.

[@gustavolandazuri4302]

Stingy because you will take all the jobs all over the world and leave them broke. 😅

[@tommycollier9172]

The best example of the flow of current I've seen in my 50 years of being electrician

[@Warlion13]

This comment made this 20 year electrician watch this video. Thank you.

[@ericfiedler1215]

As a visual learner and an engineer, I truly appreciate these videos.

[@charliethompson6601]

Electrical engineer?

[@townley1017]

No such thing as a visual learner. A common myth.

[@raymondsolomon2546]

@@townley1017 This was the comment I expected to see here lol

[@townley1017]

@@raymondsolomon2546 you agree haha? 😂

[@jefftrimble8562]

Call it what you like, but you can talk to me all day and it doesn’t sink in. Show me a video like this one and (pun intended) the light goes on !!!

[@garydunken7934]

After high school, I resisted the thought of doing engineering. But currently, I am a graduated electrical engineer. I think these videos are very powerful for anyone having difficulty on these topics.

[@noahdilworth8847]

Yeah it’s important to remember that everyone has the potential to make a difference. I’m often shocked how negative I can be towards myself, and in those moments I remind myself that no matter where I’m at now, as long as I take charge, I can power through.

[@jamesmarshall9629]

This guy explains tons of electrical concepts better in these short little videos than tons of books and most blow hands on the subjects! Love your videos Paul!

[@FilterExel]

I've tried to understand residential electrical systems for years. My dad keeps trying to teach me, but the neutral wire never made any sense to me, so I would keep forgetting what I was taught. With this simple explanation, everything just clicked into place. Everything makes sense now! Thanks!

[@FlatEarthMath]

What a fantastic, informative video. I've done some handy work on my own property for years, and you've taught me more in just 11 minutes than I've learned in the past year. Thank you. Excellent animations and diagrams, too!

[@nofutureproductions9242]

This was explained in the clearest manner that I've ever come across. I wish my college professor, back in the day, explained it this way. He was ready to retire, and we were the last class he taught. This was one of those concepts that had eluded me for some reason; for quite awhile. I had an easier time with understanding calculus than this one thing.

[@jfh400]

omg THANK YOU! Up until 11 minutes ago, I had been trying to understand this for YEARS!

[@dolamike584]

You deserve to be accredited so you can be giving tests and certifications with information like this. IM SUPER GRATEFUL!!!!

[@njalsen]

I work as a Controls Engineer with a primary education in Mechanic Engineerin, so the electrical stuff has alaways been a bit hazy. This was awesome, thank you very much.

[@lucasjohnson2939]

I just wanted to say thanks, I’m in school to be an electrician and the simple theory lessons have really helped.

[@EngineeringMindset]

Glad it helped, good luck

[@mhz459]

I'm shocked! But on a serious note , even though i am not an electrician or going to be , these information is always good to have in my brain

[@EngineeringMindset]

Well spotted 😉 and glad you enjoyed

[@CREZT7734onXboxlive]

You have singlehandedly ended my search for real anwsers I couldn't find anywhere else. Thank you The Engineering Mindset.

[@stevenjulie4698]

I have learned more in 10 minutes about this stuff than I have from school or books in the past 10 years. Wow! Thanks!

[@eabbat]

These are very good videos, I highly recommend them for simplicity in understanding electricity. Keep in mind that ground rods are used mainly east side of US and in the western states with rock they do not use ground rods but use a ufer ground in which Florida is now requiring them with the Delta ground. A ufer ground is copper wire cadweld to rebar 20' in length and is encased in concrete, i.e. footers, of course this is commercial and not residential.

[@srideepprasad]

One of the best explanations of neutral and ground i’ve heard..Excellent work. KZbin is a gold mine of amazing content, only one needs to know where to dig or be lucky enough to stumble upon the right channels and content.

[@dpolendo]

yes, I would like to thank the publisher of this video along with anyone who took part in it. In my short 2 years of being a low voltage electrician (self trained lol), I have never understood the function of the ground wire until now.

[@NickFrom1228]

Probably the best explanation I have heard. This covers a couple pet peeves of mine. For instance, you often hear "Electricity always takes the path of least resistance." No, no it does not. This video does a good job showing people this concept. Another is that people think ground is there to save them. Again no, at least in the direct sense. Excellent video.

[@roberthintz6057]

This is the best video I've found on the grounding process and the best explanation overall of how the electrical system in homes work. I've been searching for a video like this for over 2 years, thank you for making this.

[@EngineeringMindset]

Hit that sub button there's more coming

[@ardentdfender4116]

Your videos are so very well explained and easily understandable I’d love to see you do a series eventually on Electrical flow with/in 4-20 MA circuits in Industrial Control Panels with PLC’s and Electrical flow to Field Devices wired to them. That would be cool.

[@jonathanj.7344]

I was an electrician for many years here in the UK. I watched this video out of curiosity to see how things were wired up over in America/Canada. No more complex than here really, just different. Thanks alot for the vid.

[@DFWanderingKid]

This DIY'er thought he knew stuff. After watching some of your more advanced videos, I've realized I needed to come back and watch some of your basics too. They're all high quality, well thought, and well made stuff. Thank you.

[@darrenhenry9734]

Did electrical courses twice.... Only now I've learnt something watching this. Excellent explanations 👍👍

[@franciscodecio4113]

Been looking for a good, understandable explanation of a single-phase circuit. I'm really glad I finally found this great video. Nice work and thanks a lot!!!

[@user-sb5xt2mt8v]

Dear Paul, I was never clear how my electrical system worked. Your video enabled me to run a 240V line from my cabin to my shed in the backyard and it WORKED! I also tapped into that line and made a 120V outlet work to run the lights there as well. Thank you for this fantastic elucidation of a very difficult subject to understand. -Paul

[@Youtuber69428]

Bruh

[@user-ux1qv8rw6y]

As a visual learner and an engineer, I truly appreciate these videos.. As a visual learner and an engineer, I truly appreciate these videos..

[@120masterpiece]

This is so much better than sitting in a class.

[@vedantsgoodlife7302]

This is just to tell u that your videos are precise, highly informative. Please keep them coming.

[@keithcaldwell7187]

Wow. Thanks for this. I'm fairly knowledgeable with electricity, but I have never seen such a great video simplifying home electricity. You did an exceptional job breaking it down. Great job. You have a new subscriber. 👍

[@shmehfleh3115]

These are some spectacular videos! I've learned a ton by watching them.

[@BlackElon1]

After 2 years taking IBEW apprenticeship classes. Was still unclear about much of this.... I can't tell you how much I appreciate the way you've explained this....

[@Ruataniwha]

Why is positive wire earthing out on negative earth on izuzu mu

[@wendyortiz736]

I would like to save this video in my heart forever. I saw a few videos to try to understand this but never got this valuable explanation. You started from very important points to have in mind and then used it through the explanation. Thanks for your work.

[@altuber99_athlete]

You could save the video in a KZbin playlist.

[@wildernessradio1653]

I've been an Electrician for a thousand years and I still found this video to be very informative. I also played chess with Michael Faraday and Ben Franklin. They were very good.

[@antoniodavila5001]

I hope this comment blows up

[@alexandermilleriii499]

How did I just find this channel? Great content my man.

[@youtubecommentsectiondebates]

This is a fantastic video and explains things very well. The one thing that is potentially not accurate, though, is that in a DC circuit the wire going from the negative terminal of the DC power supply to the negative connection of the load/circuit is called the negative or ground wire, not "hot wire". While it is correct that electrons flow from negative to positive, all voltage (difference in potential) has been dropped across the load or circuit so that there is no voltage at the negative or ground wire. The "hot" wire in a DC circuit is synonymous with the positive wire, or the wire that carries the difference in potential.

[@TubeBrowser2]

Thanks. The pic at 1:49 messed me all up.

[@eugeneoreilly9356]

The hot line in DC is the positive.The negative is called ground.There is no actual ground (earth) in a DC circuit as negative is always zero volts.

[@da8ish1]

the best explanation & graphics for neutral/ground wire i have ever come across . thank you!

[@kirby5329]

thanks so much for this. I'm about 8 weeks in a 17 week electricity for hvar course and we never talked about this because my teacher assumed everyone knew it and after having to rebuild my electric baseboard 3 times and blowing up a transformer i just now know what these wires are and how to connect them. i wish i saw these videos before i started the class but at least once i try and rebuild my board for the fourth time now I'll understand what the wires are for and why they matter (and hopefully not blow anything else up)

[@0012erick]

This is a fantastic explanation that makes my life a lot more comprehensible. Thanks!

[@saadanyaminoden721]

Thank you for creating easily understandable educational videos like this, I have just been motivated to get an electrical engineering course. Keep up the good work. Really love it.

[@TheDawg1994]

How was the course?

[@inertia_creep1050]

I can’t even tell you how much these videos have helped to better shape my understanding of various electrical systems and concepts. Thank you!

[@sonnyfung5135]

You are just better than all the teachers and MIT.

[@stevengilliam9327]

Best damned explanation I think I have ever heard let alone watched with detailed visuals my hats off to you sir well done all the way around

[@donnie-sherrieclinton9457]

Excellent Video and explanations!!!!!!! Very seldom do you find a video THIS useful!.... Please keep up the great work!!!!

[@VictorLopez-vc6cf]

Awesome video! I’m currently working on getting my Journeyman license in the U.S. and this video explains the basics very well

[@ozzy5368]

Great video! It raised 2 questions in my feeble head: 1) Why aren't ground wires insulated? Seems like that could potentially make them useless should they be in contact with something grounded. 2) So what happens when a hot touches a ground? You mentioned it wouldn't trip the breaker, but didn't mention what would happen.

[@robertbrandywine]

The answer to one, I believe is that ground has no voltage and neither does the ground wire that runs through the house because it is all connected. Any voltage getting on it from, say, a loose power wire would run directly through that wire to the ground. It would have no tendency to move off that wire, so it doesn't need to be insulated.

[@ozzy5368]

@@robertbrandywine Sorry, maybe my question wasn't clear. If a ground wire is touching something that is earth grounded, electricity might follow that path rather than returning to the origin. Guess it wouldn't do that since still lower resistance to the origin....answered my own question.

[@ozzy5368]

@@okaro6595 Not to be rude, but your reply made no sense.

[@itsnotallrainbowsandunicor1505]

My body has completed a circuit a number of times.

[@markanthonyvaldez4517]

Do you know the wattage you are rated sir?😁

[@slatsgrobneck7515]

@@markanthonyvaldez4517 Maybe he is still experimenting on that! LOL Seriously Pea Stone - be careful out there man!

[@redpepper007]

same - not the best feeling, I think you'd agree

[@space_engineer17]

Electroboom:

[@itsnotallrainbowsandunicor1505]

@@slatsgrobneck7515 I know the reply is late, but thanks man. Had another experience with a faulty fridge electrical cord the other day.

[@jcolterh]

I just started trade school and this helped a lot.

[@JustinShaedo]

I like learning something new. But unlearning something wrong? Wow. Huge respect to the creator of this video!

[@WOok2a]

I'm an accountant who just bought a house. I'm not handy at all, but your videos are giving me a (perhaps unearned) sense of confidence that maybe I can do this after all!

[@whogavehimafork]

There's a reason I'm a mechanical engineer. Electricity is practically like magic to me. I've always struggled with understanding the concept of grounding. This was an excellent video, I definitely understand it better but I know for sure I'll get confused again 😅

[@brownisaac6604]

lol

[@EngineeringMindset]

See our new video on how to build mechanical versions of electronic circuits? Watch here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKecgmqfnZlri8U

[@spaceghost8995]

I need to watch this about twenty times to make sure I actually absorb it all.

[@jaiminiviles2635]

same

[@TribalG]

Same here. I’m a slow learner.

[@brianlittle717]

Great way of explaining. I didn’t realize that the neutral only carries the difference of the current. One word about ground wires, I’ve learned not to trust them and be careful disconnecting them because if someone is using a ground wire to carry current, it can go to full potential once it’s disconnected. So never assume a ground wire doesn’t have voltage, especially when you disconnect it.

[@WizzRacing]

I been an Electrician for 40 years.. Someone finally shows how it works and why.... Yeah it's a simple explanation..But it sure helps new engineers understand the why part. As America and European have different types.... By the way.. It's why we only bond the Main Service Panel..It's need a path back to the transformer..All other sub panels are not bonded...

[@EngineeringMindset]

Check the new *SUB PANEL EXPLAINED* ➡️ video kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIa2f5RjbK2Ymdk

[@alsen99]

Thanks, now every every question in my mind is answered. I should learn more about basics

[@BlackElon1]

Thank you for this.... This was better then my apprenticeship classes.... I wish they explained it like you and had animated pictures like yours

[@avimango46]

In India it’s 220 AC . My electric iron has a small leakage in it’s metal body. This is observed when I disconnect the ground wire. With a three pin plug having phase neutral and ground wire ( we call it earth) the residual current in the metal body travels via ground wire and makes it safe to handle. This shows that the ground wire in house hold circuit always carry some current to earth. This is because of poor insulation in motor of refrigerator, AC,Iron or toaster.

[@darrellcherry9172]

"All paths" you get a gold star and a subscriber, thank you.⭐👍

[@jdillon8360]

Thanks so much! This video made so much sense. Best explanation of the difference between neutral and ground I have ever come across.

[@MAD62XEDX]

Thank You -- This is the best video I have ever seen for this subject

[@GREG.ORY.]

I’ve asked my boss and co workers, how split phase power works. Non were able to explain it as well as you. Thanks!

[@gregorywu3319]

This is an EXCELLENT video. Thank you so much. I took so many notes to explain it to my students. So well explained!!

[@radarman]

What a find …. Your whole site that is ….. This year marks 50 years in Electronics!!! 20+ years career in Air Force as Radar technician which helped me walk into a 25+ year career at The ElectroScience Lab of Ohio State Univ as a Radar Tech and then small jobs on the side!!! I could ….. but I won’t bore you with stories of working with giant tube rectifiers, capacitors, resistors to discrete parts no bigger than salt ….. thank you for keeping this old brain sharp using very concise, factual but also very entertaining methods!!! -signed -RADARMAN

[@EngineeringMindset]

Check out NEW resistor video, everything covered! ➡️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/eorGfXl-nLt2pJI

[@timg6850]

The only thing I would like to mention is that by connecting the Neutral to the Earth Rod via the Earth Bus (Ground Bus) it ensures that the Neutral is always at Earth Potential (0 Volts).

[@JetNmyFuture]

This is a level 11 genius presentation! Awesome. I am an electrical engineer and can only dream of being able to communicate this well.

[@UR4AnEpicF4il]

Graduated last year as an EE, and can definitely say I barely learned anything as well as this video, thank God I found this KZbin Channel.

[@najahshikamaru103]

@@UR4AnEpicF4il how has obtaining a job after graduation been?

[@ActOfTodd]

This video is SUPER easy to understand and extremely well made. Thank you!!

[@jobi013]

Thank you so much. You explained it better than all my teachers combined.

[@f143744]

Hello, nice presentation. On the subject of Neutrals and Grounds, I’d like to insert something. True, electricity follows the path of least resistance, to a point. To be correct electricity follows all paths available, some carry more current due to less resistance. So, a Neutral Wire in America carry’s the Unbalanced 240 volt current back to the source, ie... generator. The ground in that system will also carry part of the unbalanced load, not as many amps as the neutral only because of resistance, ground wires are allowed to be smaller sized. Make no mistake, if you disconnect a home ground wire from the connection point and connect a multimeter you will read current flow. Just my 2c’s worth, be safe.

[@EngineeringMindset]

Check our new Multimeter tutorial out ➡️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/ap2kqq2IrdiVesU

[@fellipec]

How curious. Here in Brazil I was told to never connect the ground rod to the neutral wire, as it would be a bad and unsafe pratice. Never got a decent explanation, but yours make sense.

[@niranyaroberson332]

I'm a garland has never thought I would interested in this VDO but watch the video from beginning to end and then subscribe to your KZbin channel.

[@denisegaudette6286]

Thanks for helping a homeowner understand what her electrician is talking about!

[@justsomeguy.8670]

As a electrician I always wondered how the ground wire would trip a circuit breaker due to it being hooked up to the neutral in houses but I see due to low resistance it cause the influx in amps cause th breaker to trip very nice 👌🏻

[@askandy7952]

The ground wire never has less resistance. The video is not accurate about that. In many applications the conduit is used as the ground which has a far greater resistance than copper. In larger wire applications (10GA and larger) it is very common to have the ground wire be 2 sizes smaller. It simply needs to hold current for a fraction of a second up to 10x rated load if the ground becomes the return path due to a fault and trip the breaker. It is the same gauge in residential to make it easier to work with.

[@MyNameIsMEG329]

So if I have a hot and a neutral wire light fixture and I’m trying to attach it to a lighting housing box that has hot, neutral, and exposed ground wire. Should I leave the ground wire not connected and just shove it back in thr box unused? Or should I connect neutral and ground wires all together in same wire clamp? And hot with hot?

[@slump6982]

So ground is basically an emergency neutral... thanks man

[@buzzincalifornia]

The ground is a backup in case the neutra wirel fails or the positive wire insulation either melts or breaks and touches the metal EMT conduit

[@andreaalessandrini6769]

L’ ho sempre detto che siete un gradino sopra a noi italiani! In un video ho trovato la spiegazione che stavo cercando da mesi!Compimenti per la spiegazione e grazie!

[@DarrenSteele-mx3ks]

That was NOT easy to follow but the animations are so good I keep watching/learning

[@ke6gwf]

I am impressed by how much you got right, on normally misunderstood subjects such as the the current flow "to ground" and return to source, it would almost think that you watched some of Mike Holt's rants on this lol I do have 2 nit picks however. You said that current uses the ground wire because it is very low resistance, and so it returns via the ground wire instead of the neutral, and that's not correct. A ground wire has the same resistance as the neutral, because they are both the same type of copper, and in cases of reduced size Grounding conductors, the resistance may even be higher. It doesn't matter, because all it it has to do is flow enough current to trip the breaker, and that doesn't require lower resistance than the neutral. If a hot is connected to the ground and the neutral during a fault, current will flow back on both, but since assumably the neutral is still connected via the load, it will be the load limiting the current flow through the neutral, but hot to ground has no current limiting, and that's what trips the breaker, bypassing the load, not the resistance in the ground wire. The other thing is, I know it is technically correct that the electrons flow the opposite direction that we say, but you are confusing things putting the batteries in backwards, especially in an ac system with reversing current. So please just put the batteries in the way everyone else does, and don't confuse the visuals lol

[@Awesomekid2283]

I don't know how they're confusing things by putting the battery in upside down since they do that every time they put the battery in. It's also not _technically_ correct that electrons flow from negative to positive, it's _absolutely_ correct, since the electrons want to get to the positive charge to get away from the other negatively charged particles in addition to being attracted to the positive charge. The only reason we say current goes from positive to negative is because we did the math first and assumed that that was the how electricity worked but found out later that it actually goes the other way, but we didn't want to change all the math we already had. I think if anyone were experiencing confusion from the battery, it would be because the battery is even there when explaining an AC system and not its orientation.

[@ke6gwf]

@@HelloKittyFanMan., the batteries are backwards, because the positive terminal of a battery is connected to the Red "Hot" wire in nearly all real life circuits DC circuits, and the negative terminal is nearly always connected to the ground wire, which is the opposite of the hot wire. And AC also has a hot and a ground, and while the color codes tend to be different, with some overlap (red is hot in both), the concept of Positive being Hot is always the case, except for some old British cars... So putting the Red wire on the negative terminal is backwards, according to all standard uses. And that's obviously a Duracell battery, so it's taking a theoretical concept of the flow of electrons (which is correct, but unimportant for practical house wiring, since you need to know Potential, not direction of electron flow) and mixing it into a practical electrical system, and reversing what anyone who actually works with electricity is used to. For clarity, when you are connecting a battery, ALWAYS connect the Positive + terminal to the Hot wire!! Bad things happen otherwise. Lol

[@ke6gwf]

@@HelloKittyFanMan. Oh, and Grounding was capitalized because it is a term of art, referencing specific language in the code book. That is to differentiate it from the Grounded Conductor, which is also sometimes called the Neutral wire, usually white.

[@ke6gwf]

@@Awesomekid2283 the confusion is that every single Duracell battery out there is actually properly installed so that the Positive terminal is connected to the Hot wire. Here he is showing the Negative terminal to the hot wire, which will cause bad things to happen in real life. If this were just a theory video, ok, fine, but he's trying to show how practical electricity works, but he's connecting the negative terminal to the hot wire. It's backwards in other words.

[@stevenattanasso2003]

@@Awesomekid2283 That is not what I was told ..... I was told when Benjamin Franklin did His famous kite experiment with lightening and the key at the end of His string , when lightening struck and flowed from the sky to the "Grd" He just guessed that the clouds were positive and the Grd was negative and He guessed wrong ..... The major charge carriers are the electrons and the EMF moves along the electrons at basically the speed of light .... "Conventional Flow" from Positive to Negative and Actual Electron Flow from Negative to Positive .... I've never heard Your version .... One thing I would nit pick with this video is the fact He said in America We have 2 phase 240 volt feeds .... This is not always true ..... I live in Ridgewood , Queens , NYC and We only get 115 V feeds .... If You want 220/240 V you have to have another "leg" run in ( Which can take months depending on Con Eds mood ) .....

[@radar536]

If internet existed when I was a boy, I would follow my father steps and become an electric engineer.(because he died when I was a child, so, could not show me this fascinating world himself). Really nice videos.thumbs up, and you have anew follower.

[@MrUnknownuser164]

You should also consider being an electrician. Being an engineer is hard, both in terms of finding a job and doing the job. Electrician work is more plentiful, and its application is completely hands-on.

[@tejonBiker]

Very clear explanation, congrats, I will install a refrigeration cabinet with some 120 VAC instruments inside, I build the three point ac plug acording with the position of hot, neutral and ground, and was trying to understand the connection of ground with 120 VAC derived from threephasic 220 VAC + ground, now is clear, thankyou very much.

[@humanbeing5300]

Man this video cleared up so many little points of confusion I had. Such high quality content. Thanks!

[@groundrodshorts]

Great videos! Thanks for the content! One thing, (minor -nitpicky even) the 2 single pole breakers you have on the diagram are actually on the same phase in the breaker box which would mean 35 or 30 amps (depending on which scenario you're speaking of with amperage to each device) being carried back on the neutral?

[@benchociej2435]

6:53 The ground wire doesn't have less resistance than the neutral wire, generally. In fact some circuits will have a smaller gauge ground wire than those that normally carry current.

[@nelsonjohnmichael]

I think the author was confused because most ground faults where the hot touches the casing will carry much larger currents than normal operation. This is just because the hot is touching the casing directly and not going through a highly resistive load like a light bulb.

[@SnowLobo95]

Probably the best explanation and video I've seen on this subject. Well done and thank you!

[@omarmuhammad786]

Your explanation is really great and straight to the point, good job man. Thank you so much !

[@MrRexquando]

Not to be that guy but ground wires are never less resistance than neutral. Commercial wiring you generally use the conduit which has far greater resistance than copper. In house wiring they use the same gauge so it is easier to work with. Anything larger than 12GA will generally have a ground conductor up to 2 sizes smaller (6 Gauge generally has an 8 Gauge ground). The design is to provide 10x rated current flow for enough time to trip the breaker. So yes path back to the bonding bar but not because it has less resistance.

[@j5892000]

Hmm that doesn't make sense. Wouldn't copper be a better choice for ground? Is it possible that pure copper is attached to conduit when it goes into the ground?

[@EngineeringMindset]

We were referring to to path not the material it's made from. We discussed this later in the video.

[@askandy7952]

@@EngineeringMindset You're making this worse. The "path" will always be the least resistant under Kirchoff law the lesser resistant path carry less current the higher resistant path will carry less current.

[@askandy7952]

@@j5892000 generally grounding rods are a copper coated steal, nickel or even galvanized. But that is Earth ground. At the box it will just galvanized steal where conduit is used as the ground. It does not need to efficiently carry current it is for safety. In residential it is wire and in smaller branches the same gauge so you don't have to have different size connectors. If you look inside a light fixture the ground is usually a tiny piece of braided copper. As mentioned just enough to carry up to 10x rated load for a fraction of a second to trip the breaker in a fault condition.

[@GH-oi2jf]

@@j5892000 - Copper for a ground wire throughout a large commercial installation built using conduit would be an unnecessary expense. The conduit is a sufficient ground conductor. How the connection is made to Earth is a separate matter.

[@GaryDBrewer_SquareBiz]

Don't ask me how I got here or why I couldn't stop watching. I'm still trying to figure that out.

[@Yazidn]

Very simple explanations, and confusion free! Appreciated.

[@Chungustav]

I cut a wire that I thought was disconnected about 10 years ago outside in my garden after I watered and was barefoot. I could barely released my hand after about 5 or 10 sec. Oh yeah, and the diagonal cutters were old school uninsulated one. I pretty much did everything wrong and now have a healthy respect for these videos

[@andrest2003]

the moment you said electricity flows from negative to positive, I immediatly subscribed.

[@xzy7196]

Current flows from positive to negative. While electron flow negative to positive.

[@anthonypape6862]

@@xzy7196 I thought he could have spent more time on that. Along with how fast electrons go from negative to positive which is a crawl. I've read 1 foot every 20 minutes or so. Yet the current due to so many electrons doing this lazy ride travels at basically the speed of light.

[@farmerdave7965]

I always talk about electron flow rather than hole flow so I say current flows from negative to positive.

[@ROMANERUIZA]

I second @Adnan MX, current exists due to potential difference, and it'll always go from higher potential to lesser potential (Kirchhoff and Ohm laws expand more on this), therefore, one could say that current "flows" from positive (higher potential) to negative (lesser potential). The reason for it to be like this is found in a subatomic level, where electrons flow towards a positively biased charge and are repelled from a negatively biased charge (ie battery terminals). Every time an electron moves towards the positive charge, a "blank slot" is left behind in its previous place, having this "slot" populated by the next electron being attracted towards the positive charge. Since every time electrons move they'll leave a "blank slot" in their previous positions, one will easily notice that a given "slot" will appear to be moving from the positive charge towards the negative charge, whereas electrons will appear to be moving in the opposite way. This "blank slot moving" behaviour is described as current, therefore, the reason for it to be represented in the previously described way.

[@jackmeijer]

yea, and I hope that it was just an editing mistake in the animation when the neutral and ground were connected to the positive terminal on the battery.

[@kxewws7681]

It is shocking how this video caused the light bulb to go off in my head! I feel brighter!

[@parjitkhakh6970]

Same! I see what you did there haha 💡

[@ShivamYadav-in2jg]

You made the concepts so easy and fast to understand , thank you so much

[@mistersir8342]

Smart, clear and very instructive. Thank you.

[@KingJellyfishII]

This is great but I have one criticism: in a DC circuit, although electrons *do* travel from the negative to the positive, we tend to ignore that and imagine that it is the other way around. And I'd prefer to call the terminals positive and negative in electrical circuits and for digital logic/electronics it's usually high and low or 5/12/3.3v/power and ground.

[@EngineeringMindset]

You want us to teach you incorrectly?

[@DeLaCruzer11]

One is conventional current flow and the other is electron flow version. The video is going by the electron flow version.

[@danielwhitehead5767]

The Engineering Mindset considering that power is disconnected at the positive terminal YES.

[@KingJellyfishII]

@@EngineeringMindset not exactly I'm just staring the convention. I'm not saying you *should* do anything and anyway I don't really know what I'm talking about tbh.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

1024 The electron flow model (negative to positive) is thanks to Rutherford's model of the atom, where electons are assigned a negative charge and protons positive. The current flow model (positive to negative) was, I believe, thanks to Edison, who likely knew nothing about atoms. It's too bad a consensus between the two models hasn't been decided upon.

[@Vendemiair]

I'm looking for the link to "Need these countries?" (i.e. those using a 220/240V system) but it isn't anywhere in the links

[@Digital_boob_Tube_]

These videos are very clear to understand, thank you.

[@multidayticket]

You should explain that electrons flow in the direction opposite of the current flow convention. That may help some people. - or confuse them further.

[@multidayticket]

By convention, If you have a wire and a positive current is measured going from left to right in the wire, then electrons are moving right to left (opposite direction) in the wire. This is how the convention defined. In his example with the battery and light bulb, a positive current will be measured coming out of the positive terminal (cathode) of the battery, through the light bulb, and back into the negative terminal (anode). Electrons are moving the opposite direction as he shows it. Learn more about it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_current

[@ericscaillet2232]

Then to really confuse,there is no 'flow' really😉

[@randigustavson3653]

@@multidayticket I think the confusion is using both DC and AC currents in the example.