How To Install Gfci Outlet Without Ground

Luckily metal boxes attached to armored or bx cable a type of wiring commonly found in old houses generally are grounded.

How to install gfci outlet without ground. Press the test button. Installing a ground wire from the gfci outlet ground screw to the mounting screw of the outlet really is not necessary if the circuit does not contain a bonded ground source. A gfci without ground wire isn t ideal but it s better than a 2 prong outlet. If the outlet shorts out for any reason it will still trip for safety even without ground.

In the united states a separate ground wire may only be run to an existing receptacle to provide a ground for a gfci receptacle if the wires are installed following the national electric code nec. A gfci outlet will work without a ground wire and it s legal. The cable s flexible metal jacket serves the same purpose as a dedicated ground wire. Turn off the power at the main circuit panel and remove the old outlet.

Installing a gfci outlet doesn t have to be confusing. It s important to. The easiest way to upgrade an ungrounded 120v receptacle to get ground protection is to replace it with a gfci outlet. Replace the cover plate then check to make sure the gfci is operating properly.

I read an article about how to change a 2 wire receptacle with a ground for a gfci and it said it needed the green wire to connect the ground wire from the gfci outlet back to the box. Here s how to properly wire a gfci outlet without the ground wire and label it to meet code. When i use the white wire to connect the ground wire back to the box it is not working. Connect the bare wire to the grounding screw.

Closeup photos show how to install a gfci without getting line and load connections confused. By depressing the test button on a gfci without ground the metal cover plate would be energized. Yet it is possible to retrofit a new three prong or gfci receptacle into the same outlet box without any rewiring as long as the box itself is grounded. Electrical troubleshooting will be required to find the problem so it may be corrected to prevent the tripping circuit breaker.

Be extremely careful while testing a gfci outlet or any receptacle with a metal trim plate. Reset to resume current flow. A gfci outlet installation does not protect equipment from power surges. Disconnect the wires by clipping them close to the outlet.

In many homes necessary circuit breakers and gfcis are already installed but they can stop working unexpectedly so it is important to know how to replace gfci outlets when this happens. If you have a ground wire usually a bare copper or green wire in a cable or conduit arriving in the box it may or may not be grounded which means you should test that for ground. I am trying to install a gfci outlet to a 2 wire circuit that does not have a ground wire. If it happens to be a gfci without ground or the circuit not properly or at all protected by a gfci device and you accidentally touch that metal plate while pushing test button you might get shocked.

This doesn t turn an ungrounded outlet into a grounded outlet but it does provide protection against shock.