Mixed Wiring

[jmellc]

Did a job this week where original wiring was done late 1950's or early 1960's. All 2 wire receptacles. About half the cloth NM cable was grounded, half not. Customer wanted grounded receptacles all over, so we ripped the old and put in the new. Too bad for him they didn't used grounded cable all through. We could have just replaced receptacles.
The grounds that were in cables were either cut out, left hanging or grounded to the box. Some boxes had a grounded & ungrounded NM cable. Some grounds were intact, some cut out, some grounded to the box.

Good for me, but a shame for the customer. If all had been grounded, we could have simply changed receptacles to 3 wire. I'm sure this was the in between years, when some houses began having grounded receptacles & more cable was being made with grounds. Some of these cables had insulated grounds too. I've only seen bits & pieces of that over the years.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

There was a time when only the kitchen receptacles req. the ground, I think, so why if they went thru the trouble of running a ground did they cut it off. This is very common situation in older homes. Glad you made some money.

In fact, those grounds were probably undersized anyway.

 

[jmellc]

There was a time when only the kitchen receptacles req. the ground, I think, so why if they went thru the trouble of running a ground did they cut it off. This is very common situation in older homes. Glad you made some money.

In fact, those grounds were probably undersized anyway.

Yes, the grounds were reduced.

Correction; kitchen counter receps were 3 wire & had grounded cable. I used the old feeds, remade w/j boxes under house & split them to 2 sabc, then replaced with GFI receps. Ran new HR to 1.

Kit ctrs and 1 other recep had intact grounds. The 1 other, I j boxed with new ckt for that room.