[Heathkit] ground

[WB6BLV Central California]

I also have a very old house, originally wired during WWII.... the neutral
and the ground are the SAME connection, tied together in the meter box;  a
heavy copper line runs to the ground rod beneath the box, and there is a
local requirement for a 'eufer' (various spellings) ground that is actually
the re-bar in the stem wall and foundation for the building... at the
utility pole, the center tap of the step-down transformer secondary also is
earth grounded by a heavy wire running down to pole...   yea, I know, kinda
odd...

whenever I run electrical to new construction, I run only three wires for
220... the two hot sides and the neutral/ground... so far the electrical
inspector has signed off all of it with no hesitation, even though I am not
convinced the national code is being met... frankly, my concern in any
3-wire 220 system is that the neutal must carry the full current of BOTH
sides when they are split into 2 separate 110 sets of circuits... and it is
often NOT larger guage wire that the two hot wires...

John