Here is a great example why an isolated dedicated equipment ground rod should never be used. (A separate equipment ground rod that is not connected to the main grounding system of the electrical service)
If the short in the PC was from the hot conductor to the equipment grounding conductor the fault current would have had to travel out to the separate ground rod, then travel though the earth and find its way back to the source, (the utility transformer). It may simply travel through the earth and re-enter through the earth ground the electrical service is connected to. Or if your neighbors earth ground is closer it will travel up the ground wire to his electrical panel then on out to the source.
At any rate because of the resistance of the earth I doubt very much if the fault current flowing will be high enough to cause the branch circuit breaker to trip open and stop the current flow.
So now we have a case where current is flowing because of a short condition of the hot conductor and equipment grounding conductor, bared conductors touching one another. The connection is poor at best. Still could have several amps flowing, maybe 5, 10, 15 amps?? While all this is going on the two conductors are arcing. Heat is being generated. More arcing, sparks begin to fly. Carpet, nylon?, begins to burn.......
If the short in the PC was from the hot conductor to the equipment grounding conductor the fault current would have had to travel out to the separate ground rod, then travel though the earth and find its way back to the source, (the utility transformer). It may simply travel through the earth and re-enter through the earth ground the electrical service is connected to. Or if your neighbors earth ground is closer it will travel up the ground wire to his electrical panel then on out to the source.
At any rate because of the resistance of the earth I doubt very much if the fault current flowing will be high enough to cause the branch circuit breaker to trip open and stop the current flow.
So now we have a case where current is flowing because of a short condition of the hot conductor and equipment grounding conductor, bared conductors touching one another. The connection is poor at best. Still could have several amps flowing, maybe 5, 10, 15 amps?? While all this is going on the two conductors are arcing. Heat is being generated. More arcing, sparks begin to fly. Carpet, nylon?, begins to burn.......