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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rochester!baldwin
From: baldwin@rochester.ARPA (Douglas Baldwin)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Neutral-Ground Shorts
Message-ID: <28379@rochester.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 9-Jun-87 10:52:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.28379
Posted: Tue Jun  9 10:52:01 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jun-87 02:14:58 EDT
References: <820@sdcc12.ucsd.EDU> <583@inuxh.UUCP>
Organization: U of Rochester, CS Dept., Rochester, NY
Lines: 12
Summary: Electrical Codes

In article <583@inuxh.UUCP>, rmrin@inuxh.UUCP (D Rickert) writes:
> Neutral and ground should be tied together.  Look out for the outlets
> in which it isn't.  

Not according to standard electrical codes - for instance, the National
Electrical Code requires neutral and ground conductors to be SEPARATE,
with the ONLY connection between them being a single point at the service
entrance. I think the idea is to make sure the ground conductor doesn't
carry any significant current, thus avoiding noticeable voltage drops
along it, thus making sure that it really is at ground potential everywhere.
(I suppose a large enough voltage difference between different "ground"
points could explain the original poster's problems....)