no 3 prong outlets!!!

I am moving into an older home that has no 3-prong outlets. Can i replace the two prong ones with 3-prong outlets? if so, how would i do it to make it safe?

 

You cant really make the two prong outlets into 3 prong but you can buy an adapter that has to prong male on one end and three prong female on the other. I dont think that would be too safe though. I would buy three prong power strips and break the third ground plug off.

 

well.... theres safe... and then theres me- who cuts off the ground prong on the plug in when i cant find a 3 prong outlet. Never had any problems and just as safe as using your typical 2 prong plug in... but then again- you might want to make sure theres no water leaking into it if your going to do it up that way.

 

Send ReefSparky a message. He's an electrician with a great ability to explain and walk people through these sorts of things.

 

thanks packleader. i sent reefsparky a pm.

 

A three prong outlet uses a ground connection for safety. Electric current always seeks a path to ground. Normally this path is from the hot wire then through the appliance then to the neutral wire and back to the power company ground. If you touch the hot wire and you are grounded, the electric current is happy to take a short cut through your body.

Suppose the hot wire inside your dishwasher were to come disconnected and fall aginst the metal enclosure. Without a ground, you would be shocked if you touch the dishwasher. With a ground, the electric current is transferred from the hot wire to the ground wire. This trips the circuit breaker and prevents electric current from running through your body.

You can cut the ground prong off the plug or replace the outlet. Either way will work but it will not make it safe. The only way to make it safe, is to rewire the outlet adding a ground wire.

Jack

 

seems like what you have to do , remove the old ungrounded receptacles and install new gfci's . shut off breakers to the outlets and a straight swap out. since its an "older' house , does it have knob and tube wiring? if possible , you may want to run a new circuit from your panel for your tank also.

 

i am going to do some research but i was thinking of installing a gfci outlet and running a ground line from the outlet directly to a groundrod i would install right outside the house. not sure if that would work but i am going to reseach to see if it is possible.

 

the gfci is a nice piece of mind equiment , a must have in my opinion. does the wiring have a ground wire ? you can ground everything into the electrical box.

 

A GFCI will not work without a ground wire run to it.

As such, you need a ground. It is possible and easier to just run a ground wire to an outside ground rod. However this is not the best. You really need to run new line with a ground to your electrical box. This provides a good ground on the same "level" as the electrical coming in the house. I know, seems like the same thing, but not quite.

The wire itself is easy to run, but unless you have done home wiring before, I would not crack open the breaker box. Easy as hell to kill yourself, or burn the house down.