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#26575 06/15/03 11:29 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 558
G
Member
Caught the tail-end of an Hgtv show explaining current flow through a recep.

It said" The current flows in from the black wire to the load, and back out on the white wire to THE GROUND"!

It even showed the analogy with a shot of a waterfall,indicating all the return current went right into the ground.

Just makes me angry to think how many folks watched this and took it for the truth.

Russell

#26576 06/16/03 07:12 AM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 681
P
Member
Hello Russell

Misinformation is a leading factor to the problems, and the reasons some of the questions here sound like they do.
ATP- American Technical Publisher- shows in one of their text, a ground fault traveling through the person and into a ground rod driven by the location of the fault. And we wonder why there is so much confusion.
A web site showed the same thing, I emailed them and they changed it. We can not keep it all straight, but maybe you could email the station about the show and ask them to make a statement, who knows maybe they will give you a job.

Pierre


Pierre Belarge
#26577 06/16/03 07:57 AM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 558
G
Member
LOL,PC. I don't think they'ed hire an 'ol country boy like me,except maybe to sweep the floor.

Btw, the people who post here on a regular basis since I've been coming here,are pretty sharp. I don't think they'ed buy the waterfall theory.

Russell

#26578 06/16/03 08:01 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,294
Member
Unfortunately, HGTV doesn't seem to be concerned as much with accuracy and safety as they should be.
If e-mails about safety and Code violations would get a job with them, I'd be the CEO by now; I've sent a bunch. (mostly ignored)
In the defense of some of their shows, I've seen a couple that recommend the hiring of a "licensed, qualified electrician" for some of the work...S

#26579 06/16/03 12:40 PM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 10
V
Member
I recently watched a carpenter get bit by a lighting circuit on Monster House. I thought that was great.

#26580 06/16/03 05:37 PM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 175
E
Member
You might be surprised to know how many electricians believe that all current is trying to get to the earth.

This is the most persistent "electrical myth" that I have encountered in 35 years of teaching apprentices.

Ed



[This message has been edited by electric-ed (edited 06-16-2003).]

#26581 06/16/03 06:14 PM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 914
E
Member
I once saw an HGTV show demonstrate how to install a ceiling fan. The guy said the blue wire from the fan was for the reverse function. On a rerun of the show, this was edited out.

#26582 06/17/03 01:08 PM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,143
D
Member
Kind of like the nonsense where the TV/Movie bomb tech is called upon to dismantle the homemade dynamite bomb taped to the alarm clock, and he hears the voice of his instructor/mentor:

"Cut on black, you're dead, Jack...
Cut the red wire, it won't fire"

and saving the day as a result of this universally applicable "advice".

(Last I heard, there's no NEC (National Explosives installation Code) for mad bombers!)

Oh well. "A little knowledge..."

#26583 06/17/03 02:28 PM
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 30
R
Member
I love watching the mistakes they make.

you do realize that "they" dont do most of the real work... they are there for the camaras and then back to the dressing rooms, while the real tradesmen come out to do the real work !!??!!

If Dean, MarryAnne or JojO ever had to hang or finnish 50 sheets of dry wall the show would stop for a week of sundays while they did that....

About the only show thats real is NYW with Norm. but he already made a prototype before they started filming... I have caught them a few times using old tape (from the filming of the prototype) I know this because the prototype is not in the frame and he is waring a different flannel shirt.

all fun stuff.


But to your point... being misleading...

our TWO ground rods, whitch are driven into the ground DO attach to the case of out main pannel ...Yes???

the neutral and EGC buss bars are BONDED to the case of the main panel... YES????


The hot lead is black on a standard 120v branch curciut... Yes????
the white wire does return to the main panel... Yes????

So Please explain why to feel it is SO TERRIBLY misleading.

I mean the dirt is not the main path back to the transformer, but is is A path... not THE path...But Why have all these grounding rules, if its not an important part....?



[This message has been edited by RandyO (edited 06-17-2003).]

#26584 06/17/03 06:57 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 558
G
Member
Randy, the explanation was that all the return current went to the ground or the earth if you prefer. Which we all know is not true.

Russell

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