Re: ground question here...

["tesla" <tesla-at-cyberverse-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

Sundog:

A 220 outlet is normally two hots, (180 degrees out of phase with each
other) and a nuetral or ground. You  can run 120vac from either 120vac leg
to the neutral. Just don't try paralleling both 120v legs together. That
will cause sparks.
The bare copper wire he added *should* be grounded at the mains box, as well
as the pole or a ground rod at the mains box.

Sounds like the electrician did everything right. If you still have doubts,
call a electrician over to check his work.

Gene
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 1:04 PM
Subject: ground question here...


> Original poster: "sundog" <sundog-at-timeship-dot-net>
>
>
>  Hi all...
>
>  Made a rather disturbing discovery the other day.
>
>     I'm putting in a workbench (maybe this weekend?), and have a 240v drop
> right over where it's to go.  I was going to run that into a panel and
give
> myself a few 15A 120v breakers.  But I found that the "genius" that wired
> the garage ran 2 hots and used the bare copper wire as the ground &
neutral.
> Not good.  I can pull 120v from either hot to the ground/neutral, but will
> that be a "safe" ground for the variac or other stuff?  I truly hate
gettin'
> shocked.
>
> Sundog
>
>
>
>