Let us quickly cover ungrounded outlets. In this post, we will cover what are ungrounded electrical outlets, how we communicated them to our clients and what are acceptable alternatives.
1) What are ungrounded electrical outlets:
The grounding of outlets have been a code requirement since 1962 as it reduces the chances of equipment damage or shock. It provides an alternative path for electricity in the event of an issue. Typically, systematic ungrounded outlets occur in houses that have a two wire system (hot (black) and neutral (white)). Current houses are equipped with a three wire system (hot (black), neutral (white), and ground wires (green or copper)). Note, there is a way to ground a two wire system to the electrical box. This is not allowable to current standards, however, it is allowable for the time period of the house.
2) How does DwellInspect Arizona communicate to clients:
There are ungrounded or 2-prong outlets observed in the property. The purpose of a grounded outlet is to improve safety against shock in the event of either a short circuit within the appliance or a surge delivered to the appliance due to a malfunctioning device attached to the grid. Although this condition may have been commonly considered safe or acceptable at the time the home was originally constructed, building standards have changed to reflect the current understanding. We recommend a licensed electrician evaluate the installed system and consider updating to meet current standards.
3) What are acceptable options for ungrounded electrical outlets:
1) Install three-slot receptacles and wire them so that they’re correctly grounded. This would require re-wiring the affected areas.
2) Install ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). These can be installed upstream or at the receptacle itself. GFCIs are an accepted replacement because they will protect against electric shocks even in the absence of grounding, but they may not protect the powered appliance. Ungrounded GFCI-protected receptacles should be identified with labels that come with the new receptacles that state: “No Equipment Ground.”
3) If there are any ungrounded three-slot receptacles, replace any existing three-slot receptacles with two-slot receptacles. Two-slot receptacles correctly represent that the system is ungrounded, lessening the chance that they will be used improperly. This does not ground the outlet, however, it will meet with the requirements of the house at the time of construction.