Electrical Appliance Grounding Wiring

All electrical appliances, from microwaves to hair dryers, have a grounding system. The grounding system trips the circuit breaker in the event that a high current hits the appliance. This protects you from electric shock. In most appliances, the third prong on the outlet plug serves as the grounding system. Grounding wires, such as those found in hot tubs, air conditioners and other large home appliances, serve the same purpose. Georgia State University notes that, although most appliances will function without a grounding wire, hooking up a grounding wire when installing large appliances decreases your risk of electric shock.

Wire stripper

Instructions

- 1
  Turn the appliance off. Turn off the circuit breaker that controls the power to the particular appliance you plan to wire.
- 2
  Locate the ground wire and the neutral wire. The ground wire is generally green and the neutral wire is generally white. These colors may vary, however, depending on the type of appliance you are wiring and the appliance's manufacturer. Check your appliance's user manual for a wiring diagram if you are not sure which wire is the ground wire and which is the neutral wire.
- 3
  Strip ½ inch of plastic from the end of the ground wire and the neutral wire with the wire stripper, exposing the bare copper wiring beneath.
- 4
  Twist the stripped end of the grounding wire together with the stripped end of the neutral wire. In the event of high voltage, the current will flow through the grounding wire to the neutral wire and back to the breaker – tripping the breaker.
- 5
  Attach the wires to the proper terminal on the appliance.

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