Or perhaps insulation rubs off a frequently used item, and suddenly there is a spark when wires can no longer contain the electricity. Perhaps you stick a fork in the toaster to pry bread loose and suddenly you have connected two wires that are not supposed to touch. The fan spins, the light illuminates, your toast pops up a little burnt on that one corner, but it’s nothing a little butter won’t fix.īut sometimes things go wrong. You flip the switch and the current flows in one side and out the other, powering the item. So most of the time, your lights, toasters, computers, and fans work just fine. Photo by Tomas Wells from Pexels Grounding wires connect your house to … the ground When they suddenly discharge to the ground, the result is a brilliant but potentially deadly bolt of discharged electrons we call lightning.Ī grounding wire or system of wires in your house helps this happen in the case that one of your appliances or devices might malfunction and develop an excess of electrons.
When tumbling storm clouds rub against each other, a great deal of excess electrons accumulates.
Lightning is the most visible example of this. The ground welcomes those electrons safely. Excess electrons rush away from where they are, seeking a place where they are needed. You likely even know that it has something to do with the third, rounded prong on the top of many (but not all) of your electrical cords.īut what does it mean for something to be “grounded”? What electricity wantsĮlectricity is an imbalance of electrons seeking balance.
If you have ever worked with or around electricity, you have encountered the term “grounded”.
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