GFCI breaker for 2 wire non ground receptacles

[Bobd59]

The sellers inspection for my mothers house turned up 3 wire receptacles installed in several rooms at the house. In the bedrooms I just replace the receptacles with the two wire ones. For the living room I tried to add a GFCI breaker in the panel. The thought was in the living room you might be more likely to need a 3 prone outlet. The breaker will not trip. My outlet tester shows no ground at the receptacles. So far I haven't found a problem with the circuit. Pulling new romex with a ground isn't an option since the basement has drywalled ceilings and walls. I tried replacing the breaker with the GFCI breaker I installed for the garage (I know it works) with the same result. I do show 120 at the receptacles with a wiggy. Any ideas, or should I just give up and replace the receptacles. Final inspections coming up soon.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

If you are using a tester to make it trip it will not work with no equipment grounding conductor. If you push the test button and it trips then that is all you need. That means the device is working properly.

Btw, welcome to the forum

 

[LarryFine]

Bob, a GFCI device does not make an EGC magically appear in the circuit; it merely provides additional protection for loads that would otherwise depend on an EGC for that protection.

A GFCI breaker or receptacle, has access to the circuit's grounded conductor ahead of the current-comparing sensor, which is what it uses with a resistor to mimic a person receiving a shock.

A plug-inGFCI tester has no access to the circuit grounded conductor, so it must use the EGC to mimic a shock. Since your circuit as no EGC, a plug-in tester's button can not mimic a shock.

If you were to add a 3-to-2-wire "cheater" to the tester, plug it in, and connect the green wire or tang to a known ground, the plug-in tester would indeed cause the GFCI breaker to trip.

 

[tom baker]

And since the 2014 Nec, replacement recpts are required to be TR, AFCI, GFCI. I suspect the AFCI requirement is often overlooked or unkown

 

[Bobd59]

Great, thank you very much gentlemen!

 

[ramsy]

If you were to add a 3-to-2-wire "cheater" to the tester, plug it in, and connect the green wire or tang to a known ground, the plug-in tester would indeed cause the GFCI breaker to trip.

Which is exactly what you'll need to convince most inspectors of GFCI protection (using their 3-prong tester).

And since the 2014 Nec, replacement recpts are required to be TR, AFCI, GFCI. I suspect the AFCI requirement is often overlooked or unkown

Roger that, unless its an electrical inspector they don't know the difference between a GFCI and AFCI