I have an open ground


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Old 02-17-10, 05:34 AM
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I have an open ground

I have a few three pronged receptacles in my living room with an open ground and need to be wired correctly.How can I correct the problem.
 
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Old 02-17-10, 05:38 AM
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Welcome to the forums! It is possible to trace down a true open ground by locating the first receptacle in the line showing the fault and pulling it. The grounding wire may not be securely attached. I am assuming you are using a plug type three light indicator. In addition, the circuit may come through a light fixture in which the grounding wire was not attached and left in the box. If you have a closet light, check that out first, as you may find a gap in the grounding conductors there.
 
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Old 02-17-10, 06:17 AM
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open ground

Thanks for the info Chandler.Let me tell exactly what I haveI am selling my house and the inspecter came in his report it said that three pronged receptacles in the livingroom and left rear bedroom have an open ground and need to be wired correctly.I opened one of the receptacles and I only have two wires running to the receptacles no ground wire.It is an older home.So how do I fix the problem?
 
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Old 02-17-10, 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by chandler
Welcome to the forums! It is possible to trace down a true open ground by locating the first receptacle in the line showing the fault and pulling it. The grounding wire may not be securely attached. I am assuming you are using a plug type three light indicator. In addition, the circuit may come through a light fixture in which the grounding wire was not attached and left in the box. If you have a closet light, check that out first, as you may find a gap in the grounding conductors there.
Thanks for the info Chandler.Let me tell exactly what I have I am selling my house and the inspecter came in his report it said that three pronged receptacles in the livingroom and left rear bedroom have an open ground and need to be wired correctly.I opened one of the receptacles and I only have two wires running to the receptacles no ground wire.It is an older home.So how do I fix the problem?
 
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Old 02-17-10, 06:31 AM
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I opened one of the receptacles and I only have two wires running to the receptacles no ground wire.It is an older home.So how do I fix the problem?
Simplest is to replace them with ungrounded 2 prong receptacles. You could also use a GFCI receptacle and mark them "GFCI protected- No equipment ground". Labels for that come with the GFCI receptacles. If you can find the first receptacle that feeds the rest you can use just one GFCI there or you could use a GFCI breaker.

In some early grounded installations the ground wire was terminated outside the receptacle junction box so look in the breaker box to see if the cable for those circuits have a ground wire at the breaker box.

Or you could run ground wires back to the panel for each or best run new cable.
 
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Old 02-17-10, 01:35 PM
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Depending on the year of your house and how it was wired you might be able to run connect a grounding jumper to the metal box. This would require your home to be wired in AC or BX cable with a bonding jumper installed in the cable. Or, if your home is wired in flex conduit (Greenfield) you could add the needed ground wire.

A last option is to install 2 wire (2 prong) receptacles. You can still find them in most hardware and big box stores.
 
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Old 02-18-10, 12:31 AM
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I'm going to assume that it was a buyer's inspector who pointed out the ungrounded receptacles, right? If so the repair is a negotiable item between the buyer and the seller.

The least expensive and simplest would be to replace the three-prong receptacles with two-prong models but the buyer may balk at this because they want to be able to use the receptacles for three-pronged appliances.

Next level up would be to replace three-prong receptacles with GFCI receptacles as earlier noted. GFCI receptacles cost between ten and fifteen dollars each and are sometimes available for a slight discount when bought in a multiple package. Be sure to use the stickers as previously noted. While the GFCI receptacle is definitely safer than either a two-prong receptacle or an ungrounded three-prong receptacle it still does not provide the earth ground that some electronic devices and all surge suppressors require. This may (or may not) be acceptable to the buyer.

The most expensive and most difficult remedy is adding a grounding conductor (back to the originating circuit panel) or replacing the entire cable that supplies these receptacles.

Remember, this is negotiable and if the buyer insists on nothing but the full cable replacement you have the option of requesting more money (to cover the costs) or back out of the deal.
 
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Old 02-18-10, 05:53 AM
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Odd how all the answers are the same, huh? Even my PM verified it. Now, you need to do it. I would probably not go to the expense and trouble of installing a ground nor GFCI's, but return the wiring to the original 2 pronged receptacles. Your house is grandfathered in, I am sure, and let the new owners deal with installing the 3 pronged receptacles if they want. I don't believe they cannot make you upgrade the wiring, but it could be a local thing, too.
 
 

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