Why do sockets need to be earthed?
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Why do sockets need to be earthed?
Earthing is used to protect you from an electric shock. It does this by providing a path (a protective conductor) for a fault current to flow to earth. It also causes the protective device (either a circuit-breaker or fuse) to switch off the electric current to the circuit that has the fault.
What happens if there is no earthing?
If the house is not earthed, people could get electrocuted. Without an earth connection, the safety switches will not work and an electrical fault could cause a house or appliances to become ‘live’ as the current flows to earth. there is poor or no connection between the electrical wire and the earth stake.
Do you need an earth wire in a plug?
If the appliance, which has a plug connected to its power lead is double-insulated, then no earth wire is necessary, however if the appliance has a metal body, then it is best to ensure that the metal body of the appliance is earthed, just in case of a fault condition, as an earth connection to the metal case will …
Do I need to earth a metal socket?
A metal back box for a socket would be classed as an exposed-conductive part and as such it needs to be earthed. This is because of the metal strip that is on the back of the socket that links the earth terminal to the fixing holes to the metal back box fixed lug via the metal 3.5mm screw.
What do you do with earth wire if not needed?
If you are using an earthed three core cable with a unit which does not need to be earthed then the earth cable can simply be trimmed back and safely secured using electrical insulation tape.
Do metal sockets need earthing?
Can I connect earth wire to wall?
No. The only physical connection to the actual earth is to be from the single point where the neutral/grounded/earthed and grounding/earthing systems are bonded together, usually in the same enclosure as your main service disconnect breaker.
What can you do with the earth wire?
What is purpose of ground wire?
It’s purpose is to carry electrical current only under short circuit or other conditions that would be potentially dangerous. Grounding wires serve as an alternate path for the current to flow back to the source, rather than go through anyone touching a dangerous appliance or electrical box.