Understanding the Functions of Ground Bars
Ground bars are essential in both industrial and residential electric panels. They are used in order to eliminate the white return wires in all of the multiple load electric circuits present in the system. These bars are not involved in protecting the circuit and the system from any overload. For protection from any overload, fuses and breakers are used which are located in the panel box.
How do ground bars work?
Ground bars represent the location of the zero voltage. In any single phase current, the number of volts in the black wire is considered ìhighî. The voltage can reach up to 110 volts. An electric shock happens when this amount of voltage enters the human body. The role of the ground bars is to create zero voltage locations which make it very hard to get shocked. On the other hand there is a very high possibility of being shocked with the black wires. Electric currents are like water and creeks, they have to start at one point and they will keep moving until they reach the end. Electricity comes from your power supply source and it runs through your house until it plunges into the ground through the neutral bar.
What are ground bars made of?
Most ground bars in the U.S are made from plated aluminum. Although some countries other than America use brass but brass has a conductivity of twenty eight percent of the conductivity of copper while aluminum has forty three. This clearly makes plated aluminum the best choice when it comes to ground bars.
The installation process
It is advised to hire the services of a technician or an electrician to install these bars for you. This is due to the fact that there are professionals who know how to install it properly without any hassle. It is also the safer choice because if you decide to do it yourself, you might get electrocuted. This is due to the fact that you will be dealing with the electric current itself, which can be very dangerous. This is why there are a lot of insurance companies that would obligate you to get your ground bars installed on the hands of a licensed professional.
In order for the installation process to go smoothly you might want to buy an installation kit. This kit contains all the things that you might need to install the ground bars. It also contains all the accessories needed such as brackets, cables and other accessories. Also, you might want to ask for pre drilled holes in the ground bars according to your needs and measurements to save the time and effort that it will take to drill them yourself.
