ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Grounding a non grounded receptacle

I have recently bought an older 60's home. There are only 2-wire receptacles throughout the home. I wish to ground some of these receptacles, especially in my workshop and maybe add some exterior outlets. A friend told me to just replace the old 2-wire outlets with new grounded ones and just jump a piece of copper wire from the ground screw to the neutral screw on the new outlet and it would be grounded. Is this true, or should I replace the old outlet with a GFCI until I can get the place rewired?

Thank you for coming here. While this is not a DIY forum, you came to the right place.

Your friend is WRONG. What he suggests will only fool a cheap tester. It does not "ground" the receptacle; it makes whatever you plug in part of the 'neutral' wire. A fault anywhere in the house, and you will get shocked.

The correct solution is to find the first receptacle in the series, and replace it with a GFCI receptacle. The others can then be replaced with three-prong types.
The GFCI comes with little stickers that read 'no equipment ground.' Place one on each ungrounded three-prong receptacle.

Your receptacles will still not be grounded- and a plug-in GFI tester will not work.
The NEC allows use of GFCI's as a substitute form of protection in this situation.
Even though the tester will not work, the GFI function of the device will still work.

If you are using certain equipment, like some surge suppressors, that use a ground wire for normal operation.....they will still not work properly, and will need a new circuit run.

If you prefer, you may install GFI breakers in the panel, rather than GFCI receptacles. This may be preferred, especially if the house is old enough that the boxes are too small for the GFCI receptacle to fit.

Thanks for the info. I'm about to add a dishwasher to this old home. The dishwasher has no plug but is a hardwire type. Can I replace the old non-grounded receptacle near the dishwasher opening with a GFCI, and then wire out from the GFCI to a junction box and then to the dishwasher?

I will bet you that the dishwasher comes with an instruction book that informs you that it MUST be grounded. It is a code violation to ignore the manufacturer's instructions when connecting any appliance.

Lee, Reno gave you good advice on the receptacles, but as he said this is not a DIYer site. You should hire an electrician to visit your home and advise you further.

As Macmikeman points out some appliances must be grounded, this is also covered in NEC 250.114.

It is difficult if not impossible to know if the right questions are being aked or if the answers given are being understood.

There are DIY sites on the web that can help.

Good Luck with your project

I'm closing this thread.

Roger