Many new homeowners who are renovating their homes don't have much knowledge about home renovations. Some, to save time, simply hire a renovation company. However, this requires consideration of potential future issues. Depending on the situation, you can actually do the wiring yourself, which can save time and money. First, you need to understand how to distinguish a ground wire. Let's learn more about this with our editor.
How to distinguish a ground wire?
1. Color Identification
This method is for reference only. Red isn't necessarily the live wire, as many electricians don't follow standard wiring.
Live wire (L): Must be red, yellow, or green.
Neutral wire (N): Must be black or blue.
Ground wire (PE): Must be two-color, yellow and green.
For a three-outlet socket, the neutral wire is usually on the left, the live wire on the right, and the ground wire in the middle.
2. Residual Current Circuit Breaker
Install a residual current circuit breaker on the busbar. Connect a light bulb to the live and neutral wires, or to the live and ground wires. If the residual current circuit breaker activates, it indicates the ground wire; otherwise, it indicates the neutral wire.
3. If you are at home
(1) Use an electronic test pen to test three wires. The one with high voltage is the live wire, the one with low voltage is the neutral wire, and the one with almost no voltage is the ground wire
(2) Take a 220V light bulb. After using the test pen to determine the live wire, connect two wires and the live wire to the lamp holder. You can determine the neutral wire and the ground wire by the brightness. The bright one is the neutral wire, and the slightly darker one is the ground wire.
(3) Set the multimeter to the AC position of 250V, hold one test pen in your hand, and touch the power wire with the other test pen. The one with high voltage is the live wire, the one with low voltage is the neutral wire, and the one with 0 voltage is the ground wire.
Where should the ground wire be connected in home decoration?
1. According to the specification, when the wire diameter is equal to or less than 16mm2, the ground wire diameter must be the same as the live and neutral wires, that is, the three wire diameters must be the same.
2. When installing water and electricity in a house, the three wires (live, neutral, and ground) must be led to the indoor distribution box. The yellow and green wire is the ground wire.
3. With the exception of lighting (some drawings also show three wires for lighting), all other sockets, including those for the low-voltage power supply box, have three wires.
4. During the plumbing and electrical inspection, the supervisor must inspect all circuits. A socket tester can be used to verify the ground wire; if the ground wire is not connected, the system will not pass inspection.
5. Ground wires can only be connected in parallel, not in series. This ensures that grounding is always present to ensure electrical safety.
6. Sockets must have a ground wire. This is basic construction common sense and a requirement. Construction teams often cut corners on wire diameter, such as using 1.5mm² wire instead of 4 or 6mm². However, they dare not omit the ground wire, as they will be held responsible if something goes wrong.
7. Carefully check the wiring in the socket box to see if the ground wire is connected to the socket.
8. The absence of a ground wire does not affect the operation of the appliance, but it can be very dangerous if a leakage occurs.
9. If there's truly no ground wire, you can file a claim with the construction team or request a re-wiring. Even if the renovation contract doesn't specify a ground wire, you can still file a claim, and you'll win no matter where you file the lawsuit.
10. If you can't find the construction team, or if you're renovating the house yourself, we recommend re-wiring the wiring to ensure safety. It's inexpensive, and after all, you only live once.
I believe you already have a general idea of where to connect the ground wire during home renovations. While it's common for non-professionals to have limited knowledge of plumbing and electrical wiring, this aspect is crucial.
