On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 09:32:10 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Nov 7, 10:45*am, "Bill" wrote:
"Nate Nagel" *wrote in message
can you use metal switch plates and receptacle covers on an ungrounded
circuit protected by a GFCI, or ONLY on a grounded circuit?

New code for "new wiring" is that all metal associated with electrical
devices is grounded.

With that said, it is safer when using metal plates if the outlet or switch
is grounded. And it is safer if the circuit is on a GFCI if it is not
grounded.

What happens is sometimes wires can melt and come loose. Then touch a metal
object inside an electrical box. For the times when this may occur, it is
best that all metal parts be grounded or the circuit protected by a GFCI.

So yes people have in the past been shocked by touching metal plates when
certain malfunctions occur. Thus the reason they want these to be grounded -
just in case!

"With that said, it is safer when using metal plates if the outlet
or switch is grounded. And it is safer if the circuit is on a GFCI if
it is not grounded. "

Please re-read what you wrote and notice how it could be taken the
wrong way - especially the second sentence:

"And it is safer if the circuit is on a GFCI if it is not grounded"

The first time I read that I did a double take.

It could be read as "It's safer to have an ungrounded GFCI than a
grounded GFCI."

I know that's not what you meant - I know you meant that a GFCI is
safer than an ungrounded circuit - but I think you can see that it
could be read in a slightly different way.


Actually, I he may have meant an ungrounded GFCI is safer than a
grounded non-GFCI circuit, which may me true for many (most?)
instances (kid fingers in outlet/lamp socket, toaster falling into the
sink, etc).

An internal wire breaking and touching the case may be a tossup --
with a grounded circuit it may short to ground and trip the circuit
breaker, or at least provide an *additonal* path to ground besides
your body (but depending on the resistance in the ground wire to the
real ground vs the path your body has, and the amount of current, you
could still get a fatal shock from the case). On the other hand, an
ungrounded GFCI won't trip until your body makes a circuit, but will
do so *very* quickly and at a very low current.

A grounded GFCI is the best of both, as even a small current flowing
through the case would trip it before you even touch it.

Josh