ground wiring

[CarlS]

Is there anything wrong with running one ground wire out from the ground block? This wire would loop around making junctions at each fixture, more or less daisy chaining it's way around.
The reason I'm asking is that it seems as though all the diagrams show a lot of repetition of runs. It seemed as though the same would be accomplished without an overload.
Carl

[Ageless]

I can't see a problem as I'm gonna run a single ground loop. It's the + that is fused anyway

[wannabefree]

If your single ground wire fails at any point you lose power to everything downstream. Wire is pretty cheap. I went the other way and ran separate runs to every fixture.

The other thing to think about is you will have more current flowing in the ground run that is closest to the ground block than anywhere else in the system. That portion of the run must be sized to carry the combined current of every fixture you plan to have on at once. So if you have three 5A loads that will be on simultaneously, you will have 15A in flowing between the ground block and the first load, 10A between the first and second fixture, and 5A between the second and third.

[Ageless]

ummmmmm, not quite, Just because you are fused for 10A doesn't mean that is the load. My water pump draws a max of 2A. If you have every accesory turned on at once; not likey that you would overload as each appliance would consume some of that amperage. While a break in your single ground wire would disable a few units; a loop ground break would not as both ends of the wire is attached to the round block.

[Miriam C.]

Are you talking about 120vac or 12 vdc? I did my 12 volt DC in single runs that ground to the frame of the trailer........

[Dale M.]

Simplicity (although using more wire) is individual run of ground wire run at same time, same path as the "hot" wire (+12volts) in you DC wiring....

Do not do single ground run for 120 V AC wiring. Stick to convention where every plug or device has basically a "home run" to breaker panel...

Using a good duplex wire (two insulated conductors in a single sleeve) for your DC circuits make life easy....

http://www.delcity.net/store/Duplex-Bra ... 97.a_1.t_1

250 Ft of 16/2 is only $40... Its pretty good deal and makes life easy to use....

Dale

[Ageless]

My original response was meant for 12V. Always use ground to each fixture with 120VAC