When changing from a 2 prong to a 3 prong using a self ground plug, do you have to have wire on the ground scr

Question

We have old wiring. 2 blacks and 2 whites. We changed to the 3 prong self grounding outlets. There is not a wire to wrap around the ground screw. Are they grounded?

Answer 1

self grounding only work if the box is metal ( or the attached plaster ring ot a junction box is metal ) and the box itself has a ground wire it's self. If you had a tester and knew how to use it you could confirm this by touching the 120volt hot line ( usally the black ) while it's live to the metal box, if you get a reading, then your box is grounded, if not then it's not. ( you could also tough the nuetral or the white wire with a continutity tester with that circuit off and get a tone if the box was grounded , if not you'll get no tone ).

in absence of ground wire the only thing you could do would be to put a GFCI upline that controlled downline receptacles, this would serve as a safety to stem any current leak, but would not protect in case of a ground fault ( since there is no ground reference to begin with ), and all new 3 prong recetpacle would be marked no ground. The problem would be any surge suppressor would not hold back a surge since they also use ground as a reference.

running a copper wire back to the nearest pipe is also dangerous, as if you get a ground fault the pipes become engergized, and anyone touch it and say metal becomes shocked, it takes very little to get killed, just enough amperage to disrupt the heart rate.. and we are talkng milliamps.

ideally most older homes as such should be rewired and the panels upgraded as the odler wirinng was rated at lower temps ( as were the panels and breakers ) from 40c to 60c, modern panels are wiring are rated at 75c and 90 c. so high amperage drawing applainces and lights can run al day with ill effect in terms of heating up the insulation and then melting it and short circuits ( causing sparking causing fires ).

Answer 2

It would be a good idea to update to 3 wire at least in the kitchen. Look at what appliances have 3 prong outlets , microwave ,refrigerator are two. most everything is two prong because they are double insulated or housed in plastic like mixers.So a three prong outlet isn't necessary.
If the outlet is near a sink, 3 wire and a ground fault circuit outlet should be used.
A breaker box is easier to reset than a fuse and will also have more places to add circuits to. A 200 amp should be sufficient.
Hiring a electrician seems costly but for peace of mind it is good insurance, many people do remodeling but scrimp on the wiring upgrades only to have a fire take it all.

Answer 3

They are not grounded. In order to have grounded outlets, you would need to have three wire. It might be possible to run just a ground wire and connect to metal water lines with a clamp. Get a book on wiring if you want to work on it. You don't want to kill yourself or burn your house down.

Answer 4

NO and NO again!! you have to have a wire on that screw, on the box etc,, going to the ground in the electrical box,, which is grounded to earth ground!!! Your wiring needs to be completely changed out,, if it is too old to have grounding it is unsafe in other ways too!!!

Answer 5

Your Romex has no ground wire, therefore, there's not much you can do for grounding purposes.


ADDED:

Oh sure...it's easy for them to say "replace the wireing" they're not paying to have the walls ripped out their house.

It's been like that for years...any one died yet?

Answer 6

No. two wire romex has no ground, therefore, you are not grounded.