Re: [Phys-l] home wiring catastrophe

[Bernard Cleyet <bernardcleyet@redshift.com>]

This question has been raised before, the answer, IIRC, was grounding 
appliances bypasses shocks (electrocutions), and makes possible the use 
of GFI.   Detail.:  Shock is likely to come from exposed metal that 
accidentally contacts the high side.   The GFI works when one contacts 
the high side and ground.  The mfg.. can't make it idiot proof.  i.e. 
contacting the high side and the return is done by idiots.

bc, was an idiot when he stuck his finger into the socket of a Ruby 
LASER flash tube supply.  The safety officer said they made stuff fool 
proof, but not idiot proof, and has forgotten how they do it in Europe.  
UK has three prong plugs tho. and the outlets are switched!

fred bucheit wrote:

>    Why does the USA use a grounded system in the first place? If we 
> used a non-grounded system we would not have any of these problems, 
> AND we would not need GFI's. Thousands of lives could be saved.  The 
> entire system would act as if it was on an isolation transformer. 
> Comments anyone?
>
> Fred Bucheit,  retired
>
> ~I think is the antidote to I believe~