On Tue, 18 Jul 2017 18:04:05 +0000, Stormin' Norman
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2017 12:33:27 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2017 15:34:14 +0000, Stormin' Norman
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Jul 2017 11:21:28 -0400, wrote:


You were always allowed to use the tab for grounding if at least one
of the fiber, screw retention, washers was removed and the tab was
made up tight to a metal box. (not hanging out on "drywall ears")
What changed was the product. As Trader points out, newer spec grade
devices have a metal spring in one of the mounting tabs that makes
direct contact with the mounting screw and gives you a better ground.
It is legal but I am still not sure I would trust my life to it with
anything but a GFCI, although an Arc Fault breaker is to some extent a
GFCI. It operates at a 30ma level on a ground fault.

I do not disagree with what you have written. However, I have seen
many older installations with poorly grounded or ungrounded boxes.

My perspective of code is; it is the bare minimum acceptable to pass
inspection. If one makes good, wired ground connections, with a
degree of redundancy, it will not only meet code, but exceed it.

Ungrounded boxes have not been legal since the Eisenhower
administration but I agree there has always been bad workmanship and
sloppy inspection.

Well, he is in Mass with metal boxes so, who knows how old his
electrical system is?

It is easy enough to test. I recommend something like the good
Suretest or an Ecos and not a regular VOM tho since they actually test
under a load. Unfortunately they may not detect a bootleg ground tied
to the neutral if that happens more than ~20 feet from the place you
are testing. It will find one right in the same box tho. They want 1
ohm but more than zero.