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An electrical ground system should have an appropriate current-carrying capability to serve as an adequate zero-voltage reference level. In electronic circuit theory, a "ground" is usually idealized as an infinite source or sink for charge, which can absorb an unlimited amount of current without changing its potential. Where a real ground ...
A ground loop is caused by the interconnection of electrical devices that results in multiple paths to ground, thereby forming closed conductive loops through the ground connections. A common example is two electrical devices each connected to a mains power outlet by a three-conductor cable and plug containing a protective ground conductor for ...
An isolated ground (IG) (or Functional Earth (FE) in European literature) is a ground connection to a local earth electrode from equipment where the main supply uses a different earthing arrangement, one of the common earthing arrangements used with domestic mains supplies.
The US National Electrical Code permitted the use of the supply neutral wire as the equipment enclosure connection to ground from 1947 to 1996 for ranges (including separate cooktops and ovens) and from 1953 to 1996 for clothes dryers, whether plug-in or permanently fixed, provided that the circuit originated in the main service panel. Normal ...
Galvanic isolation is used where two or more electric circuits must communicate, but their grounds may be at different potentials. It is an effective method of breaking ground loops by preventing unwanted current from flowing between two units sharing a ground conductor. Galvanic isolation is also used for safety, preventing accidental electric ...
Electrical equipment may be designed with a floating ground for one of several reasons. One is safety. For example, a low-voltage DC power supply, such as a mobile phone charger, is connected to the mains through a transformer of one type or another, and there is no direct electrical connection between the current return path on the low-voltage side and physical ground (earth).
A ground conductor only carries significant current if there is a circuit fault that would otherwise energize exposed conductive parts and present a shock hazard. In that case, circuit protection devices may detect a fault to a grounded metal enclosure and automatically de-energize the circuit, or may provide a warning of a ground fault.
A telegraph line between two telegraph offices, like all electrical circuits, requires two conductors to form a complete circuit. This usually means two distinct metal wires in the circuit, but in the earth-return circuit one of these is replaced by connections to earth (also called ground) to complete the circuit. Connection to earth is made ...