Two Ways To Fix 2-Prong Outlets
Homes built through the 1950s had ungrounded (2-prong) receptacles. That was the norm then but is an inconvenience today. Chester County Home Inspections often find outlets with Open Ground faults or other anomalies in these old homes. That’s because homeowners often simply install 3-prong outlets in the place of the 2-pronged ones, which leaves the grounding conductor open. Here our electric tester shows open ground in a house that does not have ground wiring but has grounded outlets. Can you address the ungrounded receptacles issue without having to re-wire the house? Yes. You can use GFCI receptacles, as the National Electrical Code (NEC) says in section 406.3(D) paragraph (3) Non-Grounding-Type Receptacles. Here is that section of the code with excess text removed for simplicity:Non-grounded receptacles shall be permitted to be replaced with:(a) a non-grounded receptacle;(b) a GFCI type of receptacle. These receptacles shall be marked “No Equipment Ground”; or(c) grounding-type receptacle where … Continued