During the discharge of a battery, the current in the circuit flows from the positive to the negative electrode. According to Ohm’s law, this means that the current is proportional to the electric field, which says that current flows from a positive to negative electric potential.

The flow of electrons is termed electron current. Electrons flow from the negative terminal to the positive. Conventional current or simply current, behaves as if positive charge carriers cause current flow. Conventional current flows from the positive terminal to the negative.

The direction of an electric current is by convention the direction in which a positive charge would move. Thus, the current in the external circuit is directed away from the positive terminal and toward the negative terminal of the battery. Electrons would actually move through the wires in the opposite direction.

Current is flow of electrons, but current and electron flow in the opposite direction. Current flows from positive to negative and electron flows from negative to positive. Current is determined by the number of electrons passing through a cross-section of a conductor in one second.

Since current can be the flow of either positive or negative charges, or both, a convention is needed for the direction of current that is independent of the type of charge carriers. The direction of conventional current is arbitrarily defined as the direction in which positive charges flow.

The ground is an attractive place for electricity to flow because it is positively charged, only more so when the tiny particles in the atmosphere collide, filling clouds with negatively charged particles.

The grounds have to be connected for flow. Yes, electricity flows in loops only. In the event of an electrical fault in a mains appliance, the loop is hot wire -> equipment -> short -> case -> ground wire -> house fusebox -> transformer -> hot wire which hopefully blows a fuse.

If a live wire touches the earth wire, you get a spark and the circuit breakers blow. There will be a big flash of light and a bang and the circuit protection device will cut the power, whether it’s a fuse, over-current protection circuit breaker or a residual current (ground fault) detector which trips.

As the wire is made of copper, the earth wire provides a low resistance path to the ground. In the event of a fault, the live current passing through the case will follow this path to the ground instead of passing through a person. As the earth wire has virtually no resistance, a large current flows.

Earth faults may occur for a number of reasons. For example, a fault to earth in PV cabling systems may arise due to insulation damaged during installation, subsequent impact or abrasion damage to the cable sheath, or vermin damage.

A ground fault (earth fault) is any failure that allows unintended connection of power circuit conductors with the earth. Such faults can cause objectionable circulating currents, or may energize the housings of equipment at a dangerous voltage.

Earth fault loop impedance is the path followed by fault current when a low impedance fault occurs between the phase conductor and earth, i.e. “earth fault loop”. The higher the impedance, the lower the fault current will be and the longer it will take for the circuit protection to operate.

The main reason for earth loop impedance testing – which is often simply called loop testing – is to verify that, if a fault occurs in an electrical installation, sufficient current will flow to operate the fuse or circuit breaker protecting the faulty circuit within a predetermined time.

If the resistance in the earth return circuit is too high, the fault current may be too low to be detected, and the fault current will continue to travel around the main circuit – causing a short circuit. If the resistance is too high, the circuit protection may not operate.

Step 1: Locate the furthest point on the circuit to be tested (such as the furthest socket) Step 2: With the appropriate Earth Fault Loop Tester, connect the test leads to the Line, Neutral and Earth terminals. Step 3: Measure and write down the test results on the Schedule Of Test Results.

To test for ground loop:

1. Set your volt meter to the most sensitive AC setting.
2. Disconnect the camera you want to test.
3. Place one contact on any exposed metal of the chassis.
4. Place the other contact on the outside of the connector on the coax from the camera.
5. Any value above 0 indicates a ground loop.

Measuring Resistance in Seven Easy Steps

1. Turn off and unplug your appliance.
2. Remove the potentially faulty part from your appliance.
3. Turn on your multimeter and set to the lowest resistance setting.
4. Test your multimeter is working by pressing the probes together.

How to Test Electric Components with a Multimeter

1. Continuity tests measure if electricity can flow through the part. Plug the two probes into the multimeter and set the dial to ‘continuity.
2. Resistance tests how much current is lost as electricity flows through a component or circuit.
3. The third common test is for voltage, or the force of the electric pressure.

You can check if an electrical appliance is designed to be grounded or not. If the appliance is equipped with a three-wire cord and a three-pronged plug, then the third wire and prong will provide the ground link between the metal frame of the appliance and the grounding of the wiring system.

How to identify electrical faults

1. Switch off the main power at the consumer unit/fuse box.
2. Or switch off the breaker and lock it if you can.
3. Attach a note to the unit to advise you are working on the circuit.
4. Check the circuit is dead with a socket tester or voltage tester/meter for lighting circuits.

This may seem a bit obvious, but a common cause of a big increase in your monthly electric bill is the use of new electronics. This might include using a new computer often, watching more TV than you normally do, and more.

Different types of faults include: normal (extensional) faults; reverse or thrust (compressional) faults; and strike-slip (shearing) faults.

10 Tips for Identifying and Fixing an Electrical Short

1. Shorts Occur in a Circuit. Electricity flows in a circuit.
2. Isolate the Circuit. When fixing an electrical short, first try to isolate the circuit.
3. Check the Appliances on the Affected Circuit.
4. You Need the Proper Tools.
5. Remove the Wires.
6. Check the Wires.
7. Remove the Breaker Wires.
8. Check the Breaker.