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Electrical....?

If you have a short but a ground connected to a device. Electrical current will flow through the ground when there is something wrong with right path. Does this mean that whatever the ground is connected to have current running through it at all times or just temporarily

Update:

With the 

3 Answers

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  • 3 months ago

    The equipment grounding conductor never should have current flowing through it unless there is a short to ground, like if a hot wire in a machine contacts the outer metal casing. Then current will flow just long enough to trip the breaker to shut off the circuit.

    The exception to this would be a small trickle current flowing all the time when a light dimmer or other fancy device is wired in place of a light switch.  This is not a desired thing, but many switch boxes don't have a neutral wire in them so the ground wire is inevitably used as a neutral. I believe the NEC now requires a neutral wire to be present in every electrical box.

  • Rick
    Lv 7
    3 months ago

    a 'short' should immediately blow the circuit breaker ..............

  • 3 months ago

    to start, "short but a ground connected to a device" is meaningless. A short to ground, do you mean?

    "something wrong with right path" is also meaningless.

    and the rest is also meaningless also. try again, in good English.

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