What are Ground Faults? | Repair and Replace

[@bravobanks]

Hey thanks a lot for the video! I learned more about ground faults in 5 minutes with you then I did over countless hours in school.

[@AmreSupply]

You're welcome, we're just happy to share some good info! If you're curious we have an entire series on electricity and electrical components: kzbin.info/aero/PLCo9SMjkdWBycw9hZVfYFc6Sw2Jlavaak

[@oscarmosca1234]

straight to the point videos. i like them.

[@AmreSupply]

Thank you! We're glad you're finding them helpful!

[@zerisenayhabtom7159]

Your videos are amazing clear easy to understand .....and go ahead mennnnn

[@AmreSupply]

Thank you Zerisenay, we're glad you are finding our videos helpful!

[@oneone433]

,,,,,0呀,哎呦

[@hvactechniciangroup6570]

Good explanation everything & everyone learned easily.

[@AmreSupply]

Thank you, we're just happy to share some good info!

[@saadamiens]

Thanks for the video, if the appliance is not grounded and a ground fault occurs, can you please explain how a person would be electrocuted while touching only with his left hand the appliance housing - it makes sense to me that the left hand will be at the same potential than the metal housing however I understand that in order for the person to be electrocuted, he must have his other hand or another part of his body connected to neutral for the the circuit to compete and the electrons to flow, so how would he be electrocuted by touching only the hot wire and being completely disconnected from the neutral - thanks

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. If an appliance doesn't have a ground wire, and has has rubber or plastic feet then it does not have a good path to ground. If someone's body has less resistance than the appliance's path to ground, and the appliance is shorted then the electricity might flow through their body to ground. Wearing shoes can reduce this chance of electrocution as the rubber soles disrupt the path to ground.

[@linusluo8425]

Thank you for the video. My outdoor plug just out of power while I using an electric lawn mower. GFCI and Ground fault BR breaker are both used in this line. I replaced both of them and still not working. The breaker's error code indicates there is ground fault issue. so just wondering how to narrow down and find out the ground problem. Thanks.

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. First test reset the breaker and test to see if there is voltage at the receptacle itself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXmVg5WelNJpqK8 If there is power to the receptacle try plugging a simple light first to see if that trips and creates the ground fault error code. If the code continues to show up then its possible that there's a fault between the outlet and the electrical box, or in the wiring to the breaker.

[@alphajuliet5697]

nice video... thank u

[@AmreSupply]

You're welcome!

[@biggerterry]

Thanks for your very well produced videos. I have a question you might be able to answer, since you also produced a video on condensate pumps. My condensate pump is plugged into a dedicated ground fault outlet, nothing else is plugged into it or chained off of it. For more than ten years it worked great and never tripped. I did replace the pump about six years ago when I had other maintenance work done and my contractor advised replacing it. This pump has a furnace cutoff, the old one did not. What is happening lately, for a few months now, is the ground fault trips - for no particular reason. I have not changed anything in the house for years, so I don't suspect an unintended wiring error somewhere. My suspicions are as follows: (1) The condensate motor is failing, (2) the GFI outlet is failing, or (3) the drain hose has slowly built up debris and is causing the sump pump motor to overwork at times, leading to a GFI trip. I can definitely DIY this, and can easily afford to simply replace the condensate pump and GFI for much less than bringing in a plumber or technician. But I'm wondering about the drain tube which is 25- feet long and fairly difficult to work on. It is a bit cloudy in appearance, but the water moves along just fine inside. I am "tempted" to pour something into my pump - hydrogen peroxide, for instance - and let the chemical action clean out the tubing, as is done for aquarium tubing. Does this make sense? Thanks for reading this! Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.

[@AmreSupply]

Hi Terry, thank you for watching,, we're glad that you're finding the videos helpful! 1) The condensate motor is likely failing and is shorting to ground. These motors and the casing around the motor are not the most robust, so that's the most likely point of failure 2) GFCI outlets can fail, if you think this is the case you could try plugging a simple fan or device into it to see if it trips from something other than the condensate pump. 3) Its good to clean out debris, but this is unlikely going to trip a GFCI outlet. If the motor works harder, the current will rise slightly but there won't be any current leaking to ground just because the motor is drawing more amps. The drain pipe will get cloudy, but if the water is moving freely then its likely not a huge issue. Doesn't hurt to clean out any debris though.

[@edwardquintana8609]

how many amps is the new pump? and what size wire and breaker is it on?

[@lauadvincula2113]

Hi! I have a new solar hybrid inverter installed last month and it is not in the final position yet so the grounding wire is not yet installed. Its been raining hard at our place now for week and I noticed that every time I touch a bare metal part of the inverter like screws I can feel a tingling sensation. Is this a ground fault caused by moisture? Its not there when I first installed it. Will it be fixed if I install the ground wire? Thanks!

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. In this case, installing a ground wire should provide a path to ground preventing a shock but its best to double check all the connections as there could be a short somewhere. You can also use a multimeter to test to see if there is a short to ground by testing continuity between the bare metal part of the inverter and the leads.

[@lauadvincula2113]

@@AmreSupply Thank you for your reply. I tested it a pen tester (don't know what it's called) and it lights up very slightly. My guess that it could be due to moisture might be correct because the tingling sensation is gone now and its been sunny here. Just waiting for the parts now hoping to install the grounding before it rains again. Thank you and more power!

[@AmreSupply]

@@lauadvincula2113 You're welcome! We're happy to help. The pen tester is a NCVT (Non contact voltage tester). When it lights up there means that the surface is live and has a potential difference or voltage. When things are dry it definitely makes it harder for electricity to pass though. Cheers!

[@tariqmasood2816]

Good morning my question is .what is capacitor value of furnace blower moter .we need mfd and voltage

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. The capacitor values vary between furnaces. The capacitor value is written on the side of the capacitor. We have a video that explains capacitors in more detail: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJzKqYGCeNegqJI As well we have a video that shows how to replace the blower motor and capacitor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoS8aZ-IoZ17jJI

[@tedlahm5740]

Short to ground after the load. Interesting. Will be thinking about this for some time since that are the same.

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching, we're glad that you found the video interesting.

[@camaroseller481]

No, it’s when an unintended electrical path is created between the power source and a grounded source. The wire doesn’t have to make physical contact, it can even arc due to proximity and increased conductivity.

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching.

[@benrogers714]

Hi I was wondering if you can help me I have put I GFCI in my board. There is no problem until I use either the kettle or the Microwave the GFCI will trip but it will not trip with any other appliance. I done a insulation resistance test on the cables and found a short between the neutral and the ground cable this was due to corrosion in the socket on the wall that they were plugged into. I changed the socket and reterminated the cables the short has cleared but the GFCI still trips when you use either the microwave or the kettle. Can you give any advice?

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. If you have another GFCI in your home, then it would be best to test the microwave and kettle on that to see if the GFCI trips there as well. It is unlikely that both the microwave and the kettle are leaking enough current to both trip the GFCI, so it could be a faulty GFCI outlet.

[@heroknaderi]

Very informative thanks 🙏 I’ve also seen some people bypass a dead short by cutting the ground wire which creates a dangerous situation. I appreciate your video 👍😎

[@AmreSupply]

You're welcome Kevin, we're glad that you found the video helpful!

[@goldfish5606]

Can you please explain why the current increases when we have a short ??

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. Voltage = Current x Resistance V=IR so resistance and current will decrease proportionally. Within the circuit, the load offers resistance. During a short, there is no resistance, so the current is unrestricted and it rises. Its easier to visualize if we use the water analogy like what we showed in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJDQmpqZqcaSf9U Voltage is the, pressure, and current is the flow of water through the pipes. A restrictive pipe would have a low flow rate. If you cut a giant hole in the side of the water supply you'd have all the water trying to burst out at once. That is what is happening during a short.

[@AmreSupply]

As well this is covered in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHTUmZJ6aKdjl9E Hope this helps!

[@goldfish5606]

@@AmreSupply Your explanation was crisp and clear. Thank you so much. Great videos keep up the good work

[@AmreSupply]

@@goldfish5606 Glad that you're finding the videos helpful, we're just happy to help!

[@Graphitegrey]

Hi I just need some clarification, so basically since the frame is metal, it is allowing the hot leg to draw more amperage than the breaker itself causing it to trip when properly grounded? People tell me that since the ground wire has less resistance it trips, with out explaining/mentioning that it really has to go hand in hand with the metal frame of the load or a single gang box being the reason why it is less resistive? Please correct me if I'm wrong thank you

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. The issue is that a circuit normally has a load. This could be lights, a motor, or a heating element etc. A load component will have a certain resistance and will consume power. If there is a short circuit and it bypasses the load, then all the flood gates are open the the current begins to increase past the point that the circuit can handle. At this point the breaker trips to protect the circuit to prevent the wires from heating up and burning out.

[@Graphitegrey]

@@AmreSupply Okay makes a whole lot more sense thank you very much

[@AmreSupply]

@@Graphitegrey You're welcome!

[@benrogers714]

Hi I don't understand how the current increases if the ground fault happens before the load?

[@AmreSupply]

Hi Ben, thank you for watching. The load offers resistance to the circuit, without the load, the resistance is nearly 0 and the current increases until it trips the circuit breaker. Ohm's law is V=IR or Voltage = Current x Resistance, A useful tool for demonstrating this is an Ohm's Law calculator which you can plug in two numbers to see see what changes. www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/ohms-law-calculator.html For example if we have a 120 volt power supply and run a small 500 watt appliance, the resistance will be 28.8 ohms. In this case the current flowing through the circuit is 4.1 amps. Now lets say we bypass the load (shorted to ground) this might decrease the resistance to 0.1 ohms, the current will increase to 1200 amps! This is way more than the circuit can handle so the circuit breaker will trip. We also made 2 videos that you might find helpful, one on electricity basics: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJDQmpqZqcaSf9U and another one on circuit basics kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ-1iXdjZdSLkNE

[@benrogers714]

@@AmreSupplyAh Yes! Thanks for explaining that so clearly.

[@AmreSupply]

You're welcome Ben!

[@TiberiusStorm]

"If the component has continuity between the terminal and the metal frame, then it's Shorted to Ground and will need to be replaced." Your DMM says 22 ohms...so is that a short to ground? I thought a short meant little to no resistance like 0 ohms. 1:32

[@AmreSupply]

Hi Shaine, thank you for watching. Typically a short is a very low resistance path close to 0 ohms but that is not always the case and some shorts will have higher resistance.

[@vanivasil2718]

How can you check for ground fault if you do not have a gfi

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. With the power off, you can test a wire for continuity between ground. Alternatively if you have a clamp meter then you can test the current and see if there is a difference between the hot and neutral.

[@stephenmichael3211]

I just received my amplifier. There were only two wires, life/hot wire and neutral wire. There was no earth/ground wire to the amplifier. When I touch it, I was electrocuted due to current leakage. Do I need to add earth/ground wire to the body of the amplifier to solve the problem or look for the source of the leakage?

[@AmreSupply]

Hi Stephen, thank you for watching. If the shock only happened once then its possible that its static electricity that caused the shock. To verify if the current is leaking then you could use a multimeter to test from the case, to a ground source. Overall you can add a ground wire but its still not ideal to have any current leaking, so its best to try to narrow down the source.

[@stephenmichael3211]

@@AmreSupply hi thanks for your kind reply. It happened all the time. I tested it and there was 60V of AC current leakage from one of the board. I was wondering where was it come from because the only source that the board are getting are 18v of DC. I added a new earth wire to the body of the amp and the multimeter showed no more leakage. The only problem was the micropohe port have noise and connection issues. So, I have no coice but to removed the earth connection and I was planning to conceal the amp with a new wood box. Misteriously, after I removed the earth wire, there was no more current leakage until today. Maybe I accidently moved some of the component and make it right. I'm not sure. The onlybthing that I remember is that I have removed the paint in every connection of the body to improved the earth connection and that seems to solved the problem even after I removed the earth. The only thing that I was wondering is, if this happened again in the future, do I need to ground it with earth wire or with neutral wire?

[@AmreSupply]

@@stephenmichael3211 You are right that any current leaking can definitely create noise and interfere with the microphone. The ground wire should connect to the ground and not the neutral. If there is leaking current you should fix which ever component is loose or defective. Its best to sort it out as the the leak could become worse over time and could cause a more serious shock. It would be best to reach out to someone with experience repairing these types of amps.

[@stephenmichael3211]

@@AmreSupply noted with thanks 😃

[@edwardquintana8609]

yes if you were electrocuted you would not be here. The correct term is shock.

[@earthage3020]

Do you or does anyone here know if I can simply use a (say) 250 VAC / 1 amp fast acting fuse to protect the "ground" circuit of (or to) a Pure Sine Wave Inverter (that does NOT want the ground wire to be connected to neutral OR to anything other than ground?

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. This question is beyond the scope of the video. Even though a fuse would offer protection if added to the ground wire, we can't add any recommendations specifically to how this would be done.

[@lightning1896]

thank you!!!

[@AmreSupply]

You're welcome!

[@VannilaLotte]

Ground fault could occur when the ground cable not connected and the component conductive...

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching.

[@venky2144]

Thank you.. In single phase circuits, what ever current is passing through phase wire must flow back through neutral wire, considering no leakage currents. This is Electrical standard or even GFCI principle. If so then how any, load will consumes electicity if IN Amps (thru Line) = OUT Amps (thru Neutral) ?

[@AmreSupply]

You're welcome! Voltage = Current x Resistance V=IR so resistance and current will decrease proportionally. A load will just decrease the overall current in the circuit. Its easier to visualize if we use the water analogy like what we showed in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJDQmpqZqcaSf9U Voltage is the, pressure, and current is the flow of water through the pipes. Resistance is any restriction to the flow of the water. If we connect a turbine to the pipes it will decrease the overall flow of the water as its using some of the stored energy to spin the turbine. The rate of flow will be the same before and after the turbine (water cannot be supplied faster than it is discharged through the pipes). Now if we had a small leak several feet after the turbine the flow rate would decrease in the downstream pipe. In that case we could also measure the flow rate of the leak, which is essentially what the GFCI is doing.

[@HAm-ru8qk]

before the load is DC issue when such a fault contact of a naked wire to metal frame ..happens when device is off or unplugged definately this will not cause any breaker to trip other tan those named GFCI or RCD.... ...when ..............device.....on after it has been plugged in while already faulty

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. It all does depend on the circuit and how the device is wired so its not going to be the same in every scenario.

[@HAm-ru8qk]

You were right I just meant that short isnt accurate term because such fault circuits are not the shortest closed circuits in lengh outthere .They trigger mcb not because this circuits are too short, long enough . Overcurrent sensing breakers dont allow Line and N or another touching eachother without any resistant material inbetween

[@edwardquintana8609]

it does not take the least resistance it takes all paths!

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. Yes you are correct that it will take all paths including the path of least resistance so the line could have been worded slightly differently in the video.

[@Mauriciovargasjr]

What if it trips and you have a freezer full of meat...... should mention that

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching. That is one scenario where you'll have to reset it once you notice that it trips. It may not be something that is noticed right away until some things start melting a little. Fortunately a full freezer has a lot of thermal so it will keep itself cool for days.

[@jpross4]

Lit

[@AmreSupply]

Thanks for watching