Is it true that the grounding conductor carries normal circuit current?

The grounding conductor is specifically designed to provide a safe path for electrical fault currents and to mitigate the risk of electric shock. Under normal operating conditions, the grounding conductor should not carry current; rather, it is intended to only activate during fault conditions to direct stray or excess current safely to the ground.

Under typical operational circumstances, the current flows through the conductors that are part of the circuit designed to power devices, while the grounding conductor remains inactive. Its primary role is to ensure safety; in case of wiring failure, such as a short circuit, the grounding conductor can carry the fault current back to the source, triggering protective devices like circuit breakers or fuses to disconnect the circuit.

This function illustrates that the grounding conductor is critical for safety but does not participate in the normal operational current of the circuit. Therefore, it is accurate to state that it does not carry normal circuit current, affirming the true nature of the grounding conductor's purpose.