Is The Neutral In Breaker Box The Ground?
The white or neutral wire is called the grounded conductor while the ground is called the grounding conductor. The difference is that the neutral is used to carry out the unbalanced load left from lights and appliances not using all the power supplied to them, and the grounds main purpose is to make sure that if a hot touches anything metal it gives it an unimpeded path to ground, which causes the over-current device to trip instantaneously. There are people who think it's o.k. To use these wires for the same purpose, but this is like playing Russian roulette, eventually the inevitable will happen.
The neutral and ground bar ARE NOT the same although most fly by nigh electricians put the ground wire with the neutral bar and vise versa. If your panel has both, wire it correctly as the neutral has potential for carrying current.
