Know the Grounding Cable and the Color Code of the Cable!

Understanding the different types of cables may help keep you safe. In most wiring systems, there are usually three types of wires with different colors, one of which is the grounding wire. The grounding wire is often one that most people don’t know about, as it is often not used for electric installations in houses.

However, this does not imply that grounding wires are insignificant. In fact, the grounding wires play an important role in draining the residual current from a voltage leakage or from a thunder strike. Let’s get to know grounding wires and their color codes!

What Is A Grounding Wire?

A grounding wire is an electrical cable line installed in an electrical installation to a point that connects to the ground. The usage of these wires are to provide excessive electrical currents to a safer outlet at the ground point.

An exceeding amount of electric currents happens in nearly every home. In order to protect yourself and the electric appliances at home from a jolt in currents, the exceeding electric currents will be streamed directly to the ground via grounding wires. These might be caused by lightning, short circuit, or transformer malfunction.

The dense surface of the ground possesses a negative electric charge, which, in turn, naturally attracts any positive electric charge. Grounding wires help these positive electric charges reach the ground point in a safe and controlled manner, in order for it to be released without risks of electrocution or fire breaking out.

What Are The Color Codes of Grounding Wires?

Color codes used for wires vary depending on each areas’ laws or general practice. Generally, grounding wires use the color green, green with yellow stripes, or bare copper without any color insulation.

However, because its use is not to supply power for electric appliances such as fans, computers or televisions, do not use the green-colored wires for any other purpose aside from grounding. This may cause a risk in electrocution. Furthermore, although these wires are often unpowered and safe to touch, a power surge may occur from time to time. So treat these wires with the utmost care.

Electrical appliances may still operate normally even without grounding wire, since the cable is not the main wire streaming power into the house. Even so, grounding wires have a safety function that is important to prevent dangers of electric surges by releasing excessive electric currents to the ground more safely.

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