Okay. I know enough to know it's important but I'm starting to get into the actual science and am trying to understand some things about grounding and how they relate to circuits as a whole.
Some background on my question:
I know that the hot comes in through the main, as does a neutral circuit. Those go to the sub panel where the hot ties to the hot bus bars, the neutral to a neutral, and the ground bus bar has a wire which ties into the neutral (bonding?) and also into something grounded to the earth. What I don't quite understand is basically... how does this whole thing work-- in English, not in scientific hooplah.
I get that current flows from the hot, through the object using it, and returns over the neutral line. When an abundance of energy (over the amount a breaker is specified to let through) is drawn, the breaker trips. I think, that a ground is around to serve a similar purpose, in that if there is a problem with the neutral return, the electricity follows the path of least resistance (I assume copper wire is less resistant than a human being) and so the electricity follows the ground, and in attempting to complete the circuit, lands on the ground, into the earth which I read is a source of an infinite energy dump. That said, over 20 amps on a 20 amp breaker could flow to the earth, however, once that point hits, the breaker trips, canceling out all power.
What I don't understand is why the ground ties into the neutral as well, and why as I read, "Electricity naturally flows to the earth." I know there's something about lightning and it's connection to Ben Franklin and all this, but I can't remember and google is at the point of a migraine-inducing headache to sift through all this and make heads or tails of it.
Anyways- if anyone can help to clarify this to me in relate-able analogies or something, that would be appreciated. I've tried understanding the wikipedia page on grounding but I just don't seem to understand how Electricity naturally wants to flow to the earth and so forth. The more I try to understand, the more my head starts hurting.
Some background on my question:
I know that the hot comes in through the main, as does a neutral circuit. Those go to the sub panel where the hot ties to the hot bus bars, the neutral to a neutral, and the ground bus bar has a wire which ties into the neutral (bonding?) and also into something grounded to the earth. What I don't quite understand is basically... how does this whole thing work-- in English, not in scientific hooplah.
I get that current flows from the hot, through the object using it, and returns over the neutral line. When an abundance of energy (over the amount a breaker is specified to let through) is drawn, the breaker trips. I think, that a ground is around to serve a similar purpose, in that if there is a problem with the neutral return, the electricity follows the path of least resistance (I assume copper wire is less resistant than a human being) and so the electricity follows the ground, and in attempting to complete the circuit, lands on the ground, into the earth which I read is a source of an infinite energy dump. That said, over 20 amps on a 20 amp breaker could flow to the earth, however, once that point hits, the breaker trips, canceling out all power.
What I don't understand is why the ground ties into the neutral as well, and why as I read, "Electricity naturally flows to the earth." I know there's something about lightning and it's connection to Ben Franklin and all this, but I can't remember and google is at the point of a migraine-inducing headache to sift through all this and make heads or tails of it.
Anyways- if anyone can help to clarify this to me in relate-able analogies or something, that would be appreciated. I've tried understanding the wikipedia page on grounding but I just don't seem to understand how Electricity naturally wants to flow to the earth and so forth. The more I try to understand, the more my head starts hurting.