Older home & 2 prong outlets, Help No Ground?


A good friend is moving to an older home with all two prong outlets!

Of course, stereo, computers, etc all run with three and are for grounding, yes?

How does one prevent the exposure to electrical surges without grounding? Doesn't it need to be grounded to be safe?

Clearly confused,
Dan
Ag insider logo xs@2xporschecab

Showing 1 response by gs5556

If you have armored cable and metal outlet boxes behind the receptacles, then it's relatively easy - just replace the old receptacles with the ones of your choice. All boxes are standard, no matter how old.

If you have cloth or rubber covered wires, then a rewiring is in order. Well worth the investment for practical and safety reasons. It is most likely that this house has only a 60-amp fused service; today you need 100 to 200 amps due to air conditioners, microwave ovens, refrigerators and (yes) audio/HT systems.

Surges are not the result of lack of grounding at the outlets. They're mainly caused by power distribution problems (lightning, power line faults, transformers, etc.) - not house wiring. What the ground does is safely route a fault to the earth instead of your body should the wiring inside an appliance comes in contact with the casing. There are more opinions here on how to ground even though national and local codes call for one and only one method - back to the house service panel.