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lorddrago

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I've heard something mentioned from a home inspector allowing you to fill in the grounding socket of a 3 prong receptacle in order to make it a 2 prong ungrounded receptacle. Has anyone heard anything about this or have any facts on the issue.
 
1. Welcome to this forum.

2. Since you're here, you won't have to listen to a home inspector again.

3. See Article 406.3(A). All new receptacles are to be of the grounding type. Non-grounding receptacles are permitted to be used as replacements for non-grounding existing receptacles.

Why would someone "fill" the ground hole?
 
georgestolz said:
Why would someone "fill" the ground hole?
Click to expand...

Maybe they just couldn't decide whether the ground hole was supposed to be up, down, left, or right, and opted for "none of the above" instead. :)
 
lorddrago said:
I've heard something mentioned from a home inspector allowing you to fill in the grounding socket of a 3 prong receptacle in order to make it a 2 prong ungrounded receptacle. Has anyone heard anything about this or have any facts on the issue.
Click to expand...

Before we break out any textbooks..think about it...

"..fill in the grounding socket of a 3 prong receptacle in order to make it a 2 prong ungrounded receptacle...."

What would be the point? You can still buy 2 prong receptacles.
What does it accomplish? Nothing, either way, the receptacle would still be ungrounded.

Now if we want to break out the reference materials:
- 406.3(D) Replacements.

Now you "know".
 
georgestolz said:
3. See Article 406.3(A). All new receptacles are to be of the grounding type.
Click to expand...


True, but irrelevant. See below.

celtic said:
Now if we want to break out the reference materials: - 406.3(D) Replacements. Now you "know.
Click to expand...

No you don't.

I think the point is being missed here. 406.3 does not apply. The OP did not talk about installing a new receptacle or replacing an existing non-grounded receptacle.

The issue involves a house (like mine, for example) that was built before grounding receptacles were required. The owner puts the house on the market, and the prospective buyer hires a Home Inspector. The HI takes note that there are 3-prong receptacles throughout the house, but that none of them have the ground wire connected (i.e., the tester shows "open ground"). So the HI includes this on the inspection report.

What next?

Well, you do not (yet) have a code violation. But you do have a potential hazard, in that the new HO might plug in a device (light or tool or toaster oven) that has a grounded (3-prong) plug, believing (incorrectly) that the device can now be safely operated. The HO is being deceived by the existence of the 3-prong receptacle.

What is the solution? Well if the receptacles were being replaced, and if no EGC is available, then 400.3(D) gives us two options that involve marking the receptacle, "No Equipment Ground." Why mark it so? The only reason is to inform the user of the situation, so that the user will not be deceived into believing that a ground wire is present.

Is there another way to make sure the user does not use a 3-prong plug while thinking (incorrectly) that the circuit will be grounded? Yes. Prevent the user from plugging in a 3-prong plug. How? By blocking the third hole, and thereby preventing the 3-prong plug from fitting.

The problem here is that this particular Home Inspector is telling clients (i.e., prospective buyers) that this is an allowable technique. In other words, the HI is giving out bad information. Is it dangerous information? Perhaps not. It certainly does not create a hazard more severe than the existing situation of there being no ground paths. Is it a violation of the NEC? I think so, as I said at the beginning. 110.3(B) would prohibit this "solution."
 
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lorddrago said:
I've heard something mentioned from a home inspector allowing you to fill in the grounding socket of a 3 prong receptacle in order to make it a 2 prong ungrounded receptacle. Has anyone heard anything about this or have any facts on the issue.
Click to expand...

I've heard of this & its quite popular to do.
70% of the grounds are never even used due to 2 prong cords

SQD makes a filler for this especially
http://www.squared.com/us/services_support//LookupFiles/convertgroundedtoungrounded.pdf/groundedfillermaterial/ungroundedHighR.pdf
 
Charlie,

If the original installer of these 3 prong receptacles, violated 406.3(d)(3)(a) by installing them, how can leaving a code violation or modifying a know code violation, be any safer than just making it code compliant?
 
Charlie, I think I got lost in the "replacement" posts...

The OP doesn't state anything about the wiring in the boxes, it could have an egc in there, just not connnected to anything.

Then this would violtate 406.3(b), and/or 250.146 wouldn't it?

Then you still have a violation that needs correction...
 
Dnkldorf said:
Charlie, if the original installer of these 3 prong receptacles, violated 406.3(d)(3)(a) by installing them, how can leaving a code violation or modifying a know code violation, be any safer than just making it code compliant?
Click to expand...
We have no real facts here. We don't know when the 3-prong receptacles were installed, and thus we don't know the code version that was in effect at the time. Installing them might not have been a violation. It is possible that they were installed shortly after they became available, but before the NEC picked it up as a requirement.

And my point was not about one thing being safer than another. I simply believe that "being not as safe as possible, but being aware of that fact" is better than "being not as safe as possible, but thinking you are safe."
 
Not Instructor topic

Not Instructor topic

This is not an Electrical Instructor topic, so I am moving it to a NEC area. Please feel free to continue your disucssion there.
 
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