Best way to change non-grounded to grounded receptacle?

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

stockexpert

Member
If you have an older house with non-grounded receptacles (eg, two prongs..hot and neutral), what's the best way to "upgrade" to a grounded receptacle and still be in code and not cost much money? I've heard that installing a GFI receptacle will do the trick? Any options?

Thanks.
 
stockexpert said:
If you have an older house with non-grounded receptacles (eg, two prongs..hot and neutral), what's the best way to "upgrade" to a grounded receptacle and still be in code and not cost much money? I've heard that installing a GFI receptacle will do the trick? Any options?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Call the Ground Buster
 
If you have a rommex without a ground or knob and tube wiring you're down the proverbial creek, if you really have to install a ground.
If it's an EMT job, just put a ground clip on the box.
I don't see how the GFI would be code compliant, the ground is not for safety, despite what most people think, but rather to create a fault that will trip the breaker on a separate path from the neutral.


stockexpert said:
If you have an older house with non-grounded receptacles (eg, two prongs..hot and neutral), what's the best way to "upgrade" to a grounded receptacle and still be in code and not cost much money? I've heard that installing a GFI receptacle will do the trick? Any options?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
The Ground wire is the most safest wire in the electrical trade. The best solution to your problem is to have your house rewired. That is why we as electricians exists. Get estimates, and allways be safe.
 
Strife said:
I meant safety as a GFI safety is intended.
Click to expand...

It still serves the same purpose as it does in any installation, even if it's connected to a GFCI protected device.

A GFCI will work without an EGC present.

BTW welcome to the forums.

Roger
 
Why do you need all the receptacles to have a ground ? Other than for a few items it is not even used. Nothing unsafe about no ground for things that have 2 prong plugs
 
A GFI receptacle can be installed on a 2 wire ckt and marked "GFI Protected, No Equipment Ground". Most GFI's come with stickers carrying that message and ones simply stating "GFI Protected"
 
Just Install a GFCI breaker on the circuit an new 3 prong devices with labels on the new devices saying that it is GFCI protected.
 
WinZip said:
Just Install a GFCI breaker on the circuit an new 3 prong devices with labels on the new devices saying that it is GFCI protected.
Click to expand...

and.................
marked "no equipment ground" (that gets overlooked a lot :) )
 
jmellc said:
A GFI receptacle can be installed on a 2 wire ckt and marked "GFI Protected, No Equipment Ground". Most GFI's come with stickers carrying that message and ones simply stating "GFI Protected"
Click to expand...

WinZip said:
Just Install a GFCI breaker on the circuit an new 3 prong devices with labels on the new devices saying that it is GFCI protected.
Click to expand...


Of course you could just do what was mentioned in post #2 ;)

Roger
 
chicar said:
The Ground wire is the most safest wire in the electrical trade.
Click to expand...

Chicar,
Originally, that was part of the idea of an EGC system.

Now that we have GFCI devices,
I suggest that the GFCI is safer than the EGC
because
(1) the GFCI trips at 5 milli Amp leakage,
whereas
(2) the OCPD/EGC trips at 20 Amps over an inverse-time period.

These figures are for illustration only, not from any table.
The 20 Amp OCPD is generally an Inverse-Time sensitive device.
The effect is that a 30 Amp load might trip in 30 seconds,
and a 100 Amp (fault) might trip in 1/2 second.
The GFCI will trip immediately at 5 milli Amps (4-7 mA range).
A human connected in the path of a ground-fault could sustain irreparable damage before a regular EGC system functions during a 1/2 second.
These figures are for illustration only, not from any table.

You probably already know these things. Le entiendes.
Sorry for belaboring the point :)
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top