Discolored bare ground
#1
Discolored bare ground
Just took out a 4 year old fixture to see how our house was wired. The fixture has a bare(no jacket) 18AWG ground. It it a stranded but solid wire. It appears to be discolored, has blackish suite on it. Should I be concerned? I have seen these fixtures brand new and know that the color is copperish. The electrician did not ground the box, he has the fixture directly wire nutted to the incoming ground and the incoming ground is not screwed to the box. This is a metal box.
#2
The solid grounding wire in the box should be attached to the box via a green grounding screw in a threaded hole in the back of the box. Easy fix. As far as the discoloration on the copper, it is mostly natural, but can be brightened up for a better connection by pulling it through a folded piece of sand paper. You only need to do the last inch or so, as that is where your connection will be made.