You are a fool to play with such odds. The NEC is there to reduce the
chances of you getting hurt in the case of a fault.

The combined ground/neutral can open anywhere, not only the breaker box
(surely you heard that every so often someone loses their phone connection,
water mains or gas line bursts - these happen because either the earth moves
or some cuts into them. The same can and does happen to wiring in the house.
Just check some of the safety standards UL published in the last 100+
years).

You don't need to be well grounded, just sufficiently to allow ~50 mA to
pass through your body and start giving you trouble.
People not always pay attention to how and if appliances work when they
operate them, not every person on this earth is mechanically or electrically
inclined - that is why they write all those 'XXX for Dummies' books.

You may have a circuit in your home that has the ground and neutral using
the same conductor. If undisturbed, this is still acceptable (knob & tube,
asbestos, UFFI, etc come to mind - if left alone are OK).

"Toller" wrote in message
...
If there was not a problem with it why was it changed. Every time you
use
a
ground as a neutral you ask for problems. Granted it does not happen
very
often. But it does happen.

I know the problem is that if the neutral connection at the breaker box
opens, the chassis is potentially hot. Aside from being unlikely (what is
the last time you had a neutral connection at the breaker box open?) it is
dumb. If the chassis is hot, it is because there is an open circuit. If
there is an open circuit, the appliance will not be working. So, you have
to have an open neutral, not notice the appliance is not working, and be
well grounded (since you will be in series with the appliance.)
Sure, with 50,000,000 such circuits out there, there is probably a problem
now and then, but you probably have a bigger risk of being hit by
lightning.

The industry has learn a few things in the last 30 years and all that
the
NEC does is set a mininum standard. When followed the installation will
be
safe for all concerned.

Excuse me, No they are not.
A ground is a non current carrying conductor most of the time. A neutral
carries current and voltage. That is why it is insulated all of the time
a
ground can be both insulated or bare.

Sure they are the same wire on my 240 circuits; weren't you paying
attention? Contrary to what you just said, my neutral is not insulated.