neutral grounding receptacle

[topend]

I have a customer who just purchased a residential rental property. It is an up/down double, each suite with a circuit breaker panel in the basement feeding an 8 circuit fusebox inside the suite. Turns out that the 3-wire receptacles throughout the house have the neutral jumped to the grounding terminal. Is it feasible to disconnect these jumpers and install a two-pole GFCI breaker in the basement panels to feed the sub-panels?
Thanks.
Rich Ellis

[infinity]

What type of wiring method is present at the box with the receptacles? Is it the old Romex without a grounding conductor or could it be type AC cable with the cable sheath as the grounding conductor and someone improperly installed the receptacles?

[George Stolz]

If no grounding connection is present, as infinity suggested, then the method you propose would be acceptable to the NEC. See 406.3. :)

[topend]

Wiring is knob & tube.

[jimwalker]

I see lots of call backs if you try that.Why not just replace them with non grounded receptacles or gfci receptacles.

[topend]

customer really likes having the 3 "prong" receptacles. I'm just looking for as many alternative solutions as I can get.

[topend]

jimwalker, are you talking about potential nuisance tripping of the gfci breaker?

[iwire]

I am a big fan of GFCIs however I strongly recommend not installing a GFCI main.

1)If it does trip for a legitimate reason you lose much more than the problem circuit.

2)Cumulative leakage current.

All circuits and equipment add some 'leakage' current. All these circuits running through one GFCI may have enough total leakage to either trip the GFCI constantly or have it 'running on the edge' so it trips to easily.

IMO the best method would be a GFCI outlet at each location, or a GFCI breaker (or receptacle at the first receptacle on the line).

You could buy quite a few GFCI receptacles for the price of one two pole GFCI breaker.

[mdshunk]

I'd opt to replace most all the 3 prong recs with new 2 prong recs and run a few new grounded circuits to the kitchens and bathrooms. Most of the living room and bedroom loads are 2 prong anyhow.