hayden
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2000
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- Kubota L5740 cab + FEL, KX121, KX080, Deere 6120M
So I am not trying to be argumentative, but what no one has answered is why. I know there is a good reason but I have yet to understand it.
In the box white and copper. (neutral and ground) are tied to the same spot. Yes there are two different terminal strips but the both are attached to the wire leading to the grounding rod.
So if there is a fault with an incorrect 2 wire 110 hookup(meaning neutral and ground on the same wire) what is the danger. If hot where to contact neutral the current would still ind up at the ground in the box.
All the best
Carl
What your are suggesting will work, and is why it's so tempting, but it's dangerous.
As someone else mentioned, wiring is set up so it takes two faults to kill you. If you use the ground for your neutral then you are down to one fault before you die.
- If the ground gets disconnected in the right place then every outlet, water pipe, switch plate, and appliance can kill you.
- If the next electrician working on your wiring trying to figure out what you did disconnects a ground as a test, he dies.
- Ground wires are typically one size smaller than the main conductors. Using it as a ground can overload the wire and crate a fire hazard.
It's also likely to raise **** with ground fault breakers.
It's simple to say it's in violation of NEC code, which makes it in violation of every building code I'm aware of. And the NEC code is actually very well thought out and takes real-world issues and faults into consideration. It's well worth following even if you find building codes objectionable.