Is it LEGAL in California to use cheater plugs?

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flyboysmb

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Mountain View, California
I own an older building I rent out. The kitchen & bath have 3 wire outlets, but the living room & bedrooms have 2 wire outlets. My question is is LEGAL for renters to use 2 to 3 prong adapters (cheater plugs). If it is NOT LEGAL, what NEC/CEC code section specifically states this.

I understand the safety issues, my question is only regarding the legal use of these adapters.

Thanks,
Steve
 
I'd wager the vast majority of them are not installed properly, but I'd also wager that the NEC is silent on this issue, probably being outside its scope.
 
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The cheater has a tab that the receptacle cover plate screw would be removed, and reinstalled thru, but the receptacle power circuit must be a type with an equipment grounding conductor. If not the cheater does nothing other than keeping the ground pin on the receptacle from being cut off. Suggestion is to find the package instructions and see what they say. The NEC is silent on cheaters as they are outside the scope of the NEC.
Your alternative is to install a tamper proof GFCI as it can be used to replace a non grounded outlet...depending on your adopted code cycle it may need to be a dual function AFCI/GFCI, tamper proof
 
flyboysmb said:
My question is is LEGAL for renters to use 2 to 3 prong adapters (cheater plugs). If it is NOT LEGAL, what NEC/CEC code section specifically states this.

I understand the safety issues, my question is only regarding the legal use of these adapters.
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The adapter is really kind of a red herring. When installed correctly, the adapter is simply not a problem.

The "problem" however, in a residential dwelling exists when the Premises Wiring (System) includes Chapter 3 wiring method(s) that do not provide an Equipment Grounding Conductor, AND, the occupant of the dwelling connects Utilization Equipment that is required to be connected to the Equipment Grounding Conductor.

2017 NEC 250.114(3) provides a list of cord-and-plug connected equipment that must be connected to the Equipment Grounding Conductor,

"Free Access" to the NEC is available by clicking here.
 
al hildenbrand said:
The adapter is really kind of a red herring. When installed correctly, the adapter is simply not a problem.

The "problem" however, in a residential dwelling exists when the Premises Wiring (System) includes Chapter 3 wiring method(s) that do not provide an Equipment Grounding Conductor, AND, the occupant of the dwelling connects Utilization Equipment that is required to be connected to the Equipment Grounding Conductor.

2017 NEC 250.114(3) provides a list of cord-and-plug connected equipment that must be connected to the Equipment Grounding Conductor,

"Free Access" to the NEC is available by clicking here.
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I just finished doing some work in home with old BX cable feeding two wire receptacles. Using a multi meter, I tested the ungrounded conductor to the sheath of the BX and got 115 volts under a lighting load. I feel pretty confident that with a ground wire secured to the metal box and a three wire receptacle, it would be compliant. What say you?
 
mortimer said:
I just finished doing some work in home with old BX cable feeding two wire receptacles. Using a multi meter, I tested the ungrounded conductor to the sheath of the BX and got 115 volts under a lighting load. I feel pretty confident that with a ground wire secured to the metal box and a three wire receptacle, it would be compliant. What say you?
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Not compliant unless the old BX (really AC) has a bonding strip under the armor. If it doesn't, the question is, is it safer to just go ahead and install grounded receptacles anyway or install GFCI receptacles (per code) where the ground prong does nothing?

-Hal
 
mortimer said:
I just finished doing some work in home with old BX cable feeding two wire receptacles. Using a multi meter, I tested the ungrounded conductor to the sheath of the BX and got 115 volts under a lighting load. I feel pretty confident that with a ground wire secured to the metal box and a three wire receptacle, it would be compliant. What say you?
Click to expand...

2017 NEC 250.118(8) recognizes the armor of Type AC Armored Cable as an Equipment Grounding Conductor.
 
hbiss said:
Not compliant unless the old BX (really AC) has a bonding strip under the armor.
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Going back through the historic editions of the NEC, all the way to the 1911 and the 1913 editions, Armored Cable has been designated as "Type AC".
 
al hildenbrand said:
2017 NEC 250.118(8) recognizes the armor of Type AC Armored Cable as an Equipment Grounding Conductor.
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Then what was all that discussion about armor on old AC without the bonding strip heating up like a toaster element when the load faults to ground under the right conditions? I only go to 2014, I thought this would have made it to a revision by now?

-Hal
 
While the odds of a older 2-wire receptacle being part of a grounded system is pretty slim, using a adapter is preferable to breaking off the ground prong. That is the real world unfortunately, the best practice would be to bring the buildings wiring into the 21st century,so use of adapters would not be needed.
 
The code itself appears to be silent on this issue, as it should be, since the so called cheater is not a part of the premises wiring system.

Chances are that the 2 wire receptacle does not have an equipment ground conductor run to it.

Safest answer is rewire/replace receptacle with grounded receptacle or at least replace 2 wire receptacle with a GFCI receptacle. Cost wise this is not going to be pleasant for you though.
 
Thanks for the replies!

I agree that the California Electrical Code does NOT clearly state that the use of cheater plugs is a violation. I have an inspector saying they are a "violation" that I (property manager) must resolve by assuring they are removed and not used. I asked for the code section I can reference when I tell the residents they can not use these plugs and the inspector quoted 406.8, specifically the last sentence ("....Non-grounding-type receptacles and connectors shall not accept grounding –type attachment plugs").

In turn I said that it must also be a violation of the same code for the resident to plug in a 3 prong chord into a properly labeled (UN-grounded) GFCI outlet and the inspectors response was:

"No, there is no violation if a grounding type of cord (three prong) is used with a non-grounded GFCI receptacle as it provides ground fault protection to the corded item plugged into the GFCI.
This is the only method for use of a power strip as they all are of a grounding type and extension cords can’t be used."

I feel this inspector is interpreting the code to meet his desired outcome of not wanting the cheater plugs to be used.

Thanks,
Steve
 
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The use of grounding adapters (what you call "cheater plugs") has been frowned upon for almost as long as I can remember. The only time you would need them is when the wiring and electrical system is sub-standard which is the real problem, not the use of the adapters.

I agree with your inspectors interpretation of 406.8. A grounding adapter does not make a two prong receptacle grounding.

So the bigger problem I see here is that you, as the property manager, are unwilling to do what is necessary to protect your tenants and would rather argue with the inspector. That would be either making the owner replace all receptacles with grounding receptacles if there is a suitable EGC present, or rewire if necessary.

I would also think that if there was an incident where a tenant was shocked or electrocuted and the sub-standard wiring was shown to be the cause your insurance company would deny any claims and the lawyers for the family would have a field day.

All they have to do is Google this thread to see that you had prior knowledge.

-Hal
 
I was actually trying to get the inspector to allow the residents use a grounding adapter with a portable GFCI so they can use their 3 pronged equipment. This will function the same as installing a labeled GFCI outlet. We are installing GFCI labeled outlets but it is not an instantaneous fix. It requires time and money but that work is in progress.

Thanks again for the replies.
 
hbiss said:
The use of grounding adapters (what you call "cheater plugs") has been frowned upon for almost as long as I can remember. The only time you would need them is when the wiring and electrical system is sub-standard which is the real problem, not the use of the adapters.
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There is another time one is needed, although admittedly it's something most folks will never encounter. If you play guitar through two amplifiers with, say, a stereo chorus stomp box into both of them, the amps see two paths to ground and one path is through the shield of the two hi-Z cables connecting them together at the chorus pedal. Guitar amp input circuits are very high gain, and even a trickle of current through the shields can cause one or both of the amps to emit a lot of 60Hz noise. Lifting the ground on one amp or the other usually makes the noise go away and I don't know another remedy for it.

EDIT: Well, there is another way, I guess. You could transform one of the cables to low-Z with a couple of transformers, make the connection with a mic cable, and put an XLR ground lift at one end of the mic cable. That might work.
 
flyboysmb said:
I was actually trying to get the inspector to allow the residents use a grounding adapter with a portable GFCI so they can use their 3 pronged equipment. This will function the same as installing a labeled GFCI outlet. We are installing GFCI labeled outlets but it is not an instantaneous fix. It requires time and money but that work is in progress.

Thanks again for the replies.
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A grounding adapter is ONLY effective if the screw tab gets connected to something that is grounded. If the yoke of the receptacle is properly grounded so that the middle screw of the faceplate is grounded, then you could just install a standard 3-hole receptacle.

As for using a GFCI instead, this is Code-compliant, but I've heard there are some computer and audio equipment that actually want the reference of the ground. I don't know that stuff, but if that was the issue, the GFCI won't provide that.

An electrician should be able to install GFCI receptacles where needed in a timely manner, but one issue may be the physical size of the box. I've done some where the GFCI filled the entire box and I was a magician with the wiring.
 
flyboysmb said:
I was actually trying to get the inspector to allow the residents use a grounding adapter with a portable GFCI so they can use their 3 pronged equipment. This will function the same as installing a labeled GFCI outlet. We are installing GFCI labeled outlets but it is not an instantaneous fix. It requires time and money but that work is in progress.
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I am concerned here that there are gaps in what is being described by the OP. There is no analysis of the Branch Circuit wiring method(s) in this Premises Wiring (System). Rather, there seems to be an attempt to get around 250.114.
 
ggunn said:
There is another time one is needed, although admittedly it's something most folks will never encounter. If you play guitar...
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Yup, the ground lifter. Also comes in handy on the electronics test bench where you have a bunch of instruments connected.

But these are the only places for those things as far as I'm concerned. When used by knowledgeable people.

-Hal
 
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