bought a house with grounding issues


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Old 06-08-06, 07:34 AM
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bought a house with grounding issues

I posted on a here a few months ago asking abotu the cost to rewire a ranch i was looking at and ultimately determined id better hire a profesional

well now ive bought it and moved into it and have a little bit better info

there is a panel outside of the house that feeds 200amps to a panel in the garage this panel has 3 or 4 double breakers in it (240v?). 1 of them feeds feeds a 100amp panel downstairs the breaker feeding this panel is only 70amps
the panel in the garage has the breakers for the garage lights the great room and 1 of the bathrooms on it. the basement panel has the rest of the house on it. heres where it gets wierd

the bathroom on the south end of the house (fed from the basement) is grounded. the garage is also grounded as well as outlets in the basement (the basement used to be finished but was torn out due to water damage.) the basement outlets have the neutral and hot reversed as well as 1 outlet behind the stove. nothing else in the house is grounded as far as my plug in meter can tell. There is a gorunding rod in the basement right below the box and one outside the house right below the box as well. I took out a wall while renovating the bathroom nearest the garage and found 2 cappep wires hanging in the wall Live they are 2 wire wires maybe 14 guage

so is the reason some things are ground and some arent simply because the wiring is old 2 wire stuff and some is the new 2 wire plus ground?

oh also i have well and septic
abotu the double breakers in the garage, i cant figure out where the other 3 go to
this is a foreclosed house so the owner is MIA

ALSO
can i just attach new wires to the old ones at the box and pull them through the wall that way to get the newer wire to each room? or are the wires secured inside the walls alot of timeS?

It seems to me that alot of the wires in this ranch run from the attic down to each room which is easily accessible
 
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Old 06-08-06, 07:11 PM
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#1) How old is this dwelling?
#2)The wires that are just "hanging" what do they look like (cloth on the outside, plastic, 2 insulated conductors, bare copper...etc).

Appears you have your hands full. Are you familiar with electrical at all? This could be a great undertakeing.
 
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Old 06-09-06, 04:30 AM
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Years ago most houses were wired with two wire cable. They didn't ground most general purpose circuits because very few items needed a ground. Eventually the rules changed, and now all circuits must be grounded. Even so, with the exception of computer equipment and appliances, most home devices do not have grounded plugs.

The best way to find what a circuit breaker controls is to follow the wiring. With an open attic and with an open basement that is usually not a problem. Another way is to to simply turn off the breakers or remove the fuses. Eventually you will find something that doesn't work.

Wires hanging in the wall that are live are a serious problem. You need to either find the other end and disconnect them, or put those wires into a proper junction box. Proper means permanently accessible with a cover on it.

No, you cannot usually use old wire to pull new ones. Wires installed when a wall or ceiling is open are stapled to the studs or joists, and cannot be pulled out. However, you can often use the same holes into the attic or basement and run new wires next to the old ones. You probably have to add some new receptacles, but knowing exactly where the walls are makes that not too bad. Leave any wires you abandon in place in the walls, but push them out of boxes and remove any portions in the attic or basement you can easily get to.

Finally, consider leaving any existing wiring that is in good shape in place, and simply adding additional receptacles where needed. You are not required to bring existing wiring up to code until and unless you do significant remodeling. Simply painting a room does not require bringing the electrical up to code.
 
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Old 06-09-06, 05:52 AM
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Originally Posted by lectriclee
#1) How old is this dwelling?
#2)The wires that are just "hanging" what do they look like (cloth on the outside, plastic, 2 insulated conductors, bare copper...etc).

Appears you have your hands full. Are you familiar with electrical at all? This could be a great undertakeing.

HOUSE was built in 59
the are 2 insulated wires with another insulation around them i believe it is a cloth insulation. I can easily pull them up out of the wall from the basement and thats likely what i will do.



I dont have extensive knowledge about electrical work but i believe i should be able to run wires and hook up outlets. I am going to leave the actual box to a pro. I am interested in learning about these things
 
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Old 06-09-06, 06:05 AM
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Originally Posted by 98vert6spd
I am interested in learning about these things
Start with the book Wiring Simplified, available in the electrical department of most big box stores. Then buy and read at least one other book. The books will provide much useful information.
 
 

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