Editing Ground and neutral (section)

===Fixed appliances on three-wire circuits===
In the United States, the cases of some [[kitchen stove]]s (ranges, ovens), [[cook top]]s, [[clothes dryer]]s and other specifically ''listed'' appliances were grounded through their neutral wires as a measure to conserve copper from [[copper wire and cable|copper cables]] during [[World War II]]. This practice was removed from the [[National Electrical Code|NEC]] in the 1996 edition, but existing installations (called "old work") may still allow this to remain in place. Canada did not adopt this system.

Using the neutral conductor for grounding the equipment enclosure was considered safe since the devices were permanently wired to the supply and so the neutral was unlikely to be broken without also breaking both supply conductors.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}