In your case you probably want to connect the ground wire to the metal case of the disconnect. In most panels, the main breaker is a large 240-volt circuit breaker that is located at the top of the panel. The neutral wire is connected to the neutral/ground bus bar. 6 wire under the ground lug, and tighten it securely. Turn off the main breaker of the breaker box. Plenty of excess wire is pulled into the panel to allow for connections to be made anywhere in the box. The appliance will operate normally without the ground wire because it is not a part of the conducting path which supplies electricity to the appliance.

Strip a half inch of insulation off the No. 6 wire. Having a ground wire that connects to neutral back at the breaker box provides an alternative path for the electricity to flow. The ground wire and a fuse or breaker are the standard safety devices used with standard electric circuits. The actual wire to the earth ground can leave whichever box is most convenient. Check to ensure the main breaker is off if the light on the tester lights up.

These wires connect in the electric meter and then extend inside your home via a connecting wire to fuse box or circuit breaker equipment.

There is generally a marked place on the case for a aftermarket terminal. Is the ground wire necessary? Place the No.

Step 5 Scoop out about three inches of dirt under the meter base to make a shallow hole. Step 2 Remove 1/2-inch of insulation from the white "neutral" wire and the black or red "hot" wire with a pair of wire strippers.

It is also connected by a metal clamp to your pipes and/or a copper-plated steel rod outside that is driven 8-10 feet into the ground. If there’s no ground screw in the junction box, there should be a grounding clip to secure the ground wire to the edge of the metal junction box. You can’t just connect the ground to the receptacle and believe that the screws connecting the receptacle to the box will make an adequate ground. We connect ground and neutral in our electrical panels for safety.


The electrician now bends the two black service wires for easy installation to the main breaker.

Touch one "hot" and one "ground" wire in one electrical circuit with the leads of a voltage tester. Leave enough slack to connect it to the small ground lug.