A ground wire provides a continuous, low-impedance path for fault currents to travel safely to the earth, preventing dangerous voltages from appearing on accessible metal parts. In transmission lines, it also refers to the static wire run along the top of pylons to shield the phase conductors from direct lightning strikes.
The inspector flagged the installation because the main ground wire to the copper rod was undersized for the service.
Also heard as
- earth wire
- earth conductor
- grounding conductor
Related terms
Ground
A direct, low-impedance electrical connection to the earth, establishing a zero-voltage reference point for a system.
PE
The designated conductor used to connect exposed metallic parts of equipment to the main earthing terminal.
Equipotential bonding
Connecting metal parts together so they sit at one potential and no dangerous voltage appears between them.