If you measure hot to neutral and you read 0V, you need to measure hot to ground to see if you are missing the hot or neutral.
EXACTLY!! Which only supports the use of the ground as part of a number of troubleshooting procedures.k_buz said:If you measure hot to neutral and you read 0V, you need to measure hot to ground to see if you are missing the hot or neutral.
Yeah...on this website I'll bet the number of posts about 'loose neutrals' outnumbers the posts about loose or false grounds/bonds by 100 fold. My point being, when troubleshooting, a faulty neutral conductor can be just as problematic as a faulty or improperly installed ground/bond conductor, so having both of them at ones' disposal for troubleshooting is quite nice.Its done all the time and can't think of a reason not to. You may get a better reading if you meter to ground rather than neutral.
JV...no disrespect intended...but what in tarnation are you talking about? Troubleshooting was the theme from square-1.J. V. said:Nothing requires a ground wire to work. If you are looking for power at a receptacle for example, you would measure across the hot and the neutral. Using the ground as a reference is only helpful in trouble shooting. If you read 120 volts from hot to ground, that does not mean your appliance will work.
You could remove every single grounding wire in a structure and everything would still work. So why would measuring to ground for any other purpose than to troubleshoot would be a waste of time. Using the ground can also make it much more confusing. Seems DIY'ers have a thing with this bare wire.
The ground wire does nothing but provide a safety feature in your electrical system. It is not required to operate anything.
Sorry to disagree but as an HVAC mechanic, all newer furnaces require a ground for the control module to work properly. Some modules even have an LED diagnostics code that tells you the FAU is improperly grounded. Depending on the make and model, the furnace might work but often erratically and will probably lead to early failure of the electronics.J. V. said:Nothing requires a ground wire to work. If you are looking for power at a receptacle for example, you would measure across the hot and the neutral. Using the ground as a reference is only helpful in trouble shooting. If you read 120 volts from hot to ground, that does not mean your appliance will work.
You could remove every single grounding wire in a structure and everything would still work. So why would measuring to ground for any other purpose than to troubleshoot would be a waste of time. Using the ground can also make it much more confusing. Seems DIY'ers have a thing with this bare wire.
The ground wire does nothing but provide a safety feature in your electrical system. It is not required to operate anything.
This is to reduce the effects of electromagnetic fields ranging from RFI to that from a nearby blower motor. It's the same problem that leads to hum and noise in audio systems.Sorry to disagree but as an HVAC mechanic, all newer furnaces require a ground for the control module to work properly. Some modules even have an LED diagnostics code that tells you the FAU is improperly grounded. Depending on the make and model, the furnace might work but often erratically and will probably lead to early failure of the electronics.