What is an isolated ground?

Answer 1

When devices are grounded in most electrical system the grounds are combined without order or separation. The same ground that connects the metal box, the yoke of the electrical device and other devices is the same ground that is used at each outlet. This rarely causes any sort of problem except for sensitive electronics such as hospital equipment, high end computers and high end musical equipment.

In an isolated grounded receptacle the ground wire is insulated and comes directly from the panel to the ground connection of the receptacle. This type of grounding should produce less electrical noise on the system.

Answer 2

An isolated ground has all the devices connected together via an earth wire for safety, but the earth is not connected to the ground. An example is the earth system for the electrical supply in an aircraft.

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In North America on an isolated ground receptacle there are four terminals to be connected. These types of receptacles were used for computer power connections in business systems. The black and white wires were terminated like a normal receptacle. The bare ground wire in the cable set went to the ground terminal as normal and it grounded the receptacle's frame to the systems' ground bus. The fourth wire goes to a terminal that is connected to the isolated ground pin of the receptacle, which is isolated from the receptacles frame. The cable set used was a three wire and every receptacle was a dedicated circuit. This forth wire is then directly connected to the distribution's ground bus, with no other devices connected to it. These types of receptacles were introduced in the 70s and 80s when the building power system was considered "dirty" by an electrical engineer and there was a chance that small currents could flow in the ground system. This leakage current could interrupt or effect the computers if they were plugged into a normal receptacle. They were distinguished from ordinary receptacles as their colour was orange. Today with the improvements in computer technology and the use of uninterrupted power supplies ordinary receptacles are now back in use as a source to power ordinary desk top computers

Answer 3

An isolated ground is a separate grounding path for electrical equipment that is not connected to the main electrical system ground. It is used to reduce electrical interference and maintain a clean power supply for sensitive equipment. This type of grounding is common in computer and medical facilities to prevent disruptions in electronic devices.