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

[charlie hill]

Alright,  I'll buy that.  It's starting to make sense now.
Like wiring a boat.  You don't always have a chassis or earth ground on a 
boat so you have to run ground wires (or I guess we could call them 
neutrals) from everything back a buss bar.  But then to avoid current leaks 
and possible electrolysis of propellors and stuff some boats also have a 
sacrificial zinc (or many) that is in contact with the water and is "bonded" 
to the buss bar.

I guess my concept of the neutral was flawed.  It's funny how you get 
something crossways in your head and can't get it straightened out.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Offiler" <soffiler at gmail.com>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 10:14 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] While we're on the subject of generators


> 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.
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