[AT] While we're on the subject of generators

[Stephen Offiler]

On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 9:49 AM, charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com> wrote:
> Steve, you said "the neutral conductor normally carries current and the
> ground does not."  I'm not doubting what you say but this is where it
> becomes confusing to me...

>  If you connect the neutral to the ground then the
> neutral becomes part of the ground and in my mind at that point can not
> "carry" current except to carry it to ground.

EXACTLY.  The purpose of the neutral IS to carry current to ground.

Think of the simplest circuit in the world:  a battery and a lamp.
Old tractors got 'em (some at least).  Don't even bother with a switch
for our purposes here.  The battery (+)  Hey this is an old
postive-ground tractor - connects to the chassis of the tractor.  From
the battery (-) a single wire goes to the lamp, and from the lamp, a
short wire straight to to the chassis.  Thus the chassis completes the
"loop" that is needed to establish a circuit.  Current doesn't flow
unless you have a completed loop.  Voltage can be present on a single
open-ended wire, but current cannot flow until you complete the loop.

Household wiring is similar.  AC power source has a "hot" and a
"neutral".  The black wire "hot" goes to the lamp and the white wire
is like the chassis of the tractor.  You can certainly allow a large
piece of the tractor chassis to contact the earth (let's say, a plow?)
with no impact whatsoever on your circuit.  In the same manner, you
can purposely connect the white "neutral" wire to earth and not change
a thing.

Steve O.