I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use connector
to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people say
that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that it
is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and the
three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks

any 3 prong 110v outlet should be physically grounded to a grounded
box.
chances are there is no ground available at the metal box.
there are testers for this if you have no meter.
if you have a meter measure 110v hot prong is smaller to the metal box.
larger prong is common terminal.

see:

blackcat wrote:
I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use connector
to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people say
that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that it
is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and the
three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks

Thanks.
I use 120V power, at the outlet prong is a metal box. Is the metal box
called grounded box?
I have never done this kind of work. Please help me. I just bought the
three-prong outlet it comes
with a grounded screw, but I am not very sure where should I connect
with the grounded
screw.
I have power voltage meter, just bought one. I just wanted to be
cautious.

Thanks

buffalobill wrote:
any 3 prong 110v outlet should be physically grounded to a grounded
box.
chances are there is no ground available at the metal box.
there are testers for this if you have no meter.
if you have a meter measure 110v hot prong is smaller to the metal box.
larger prong is common terminal.

see:

blackcat wrote:
I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use connector
to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people say
that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that it
is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and the
three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks

"blackcat" wrote in message
ups.com...

I use 120V power, at the outlet prong is a metal box. Is the metal box
called grounded box?
I have never done this kind of work. Please help me. I just bought the
three-prong outlet it comes
with a grounded screw, but I am not very sure where should I connect
with the grounded screw.
I have power voltage meter, just bought one. I just wanted to be
cautious.

It is unsafe to do this work yourself unless you genuinely
know which metal parts are live and which are grounded
and why.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Don Phillipson wrote:
"blackcat" wrote in message
ups.com...

I use 120V power, at the outlet prong is a metal box. Is the metal box
called grounded box?
I have never done this kind of work. Please help me. I just bought the
three-prong outlet it comes
with a grounded screw, but I am not very sure where should I connect
with the grounded screw.
I have power voltage meter, just bought one. I just wanted to be
cautious.

It is unsafe to do this work yourself unless you genuinely
know which metal parts are live and which are grounded
and why.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)



Simple solution is to replace the outlet with a GFCI which will provide
protection with or without a ground.

Simple solution is to replace the outlet with a GFCI which will provide
protection with or without a ground.

older boxes are often too physically small to have a GFCI fit

what you do is buy a book wiring simplified and do some reading.

to check box to see if its grounded try powering a 100 watt lamp
between the metal box and hot side of receptable.

if it powers a lamp it should be a decent ground. generally BX that
spiral would metal cover cable is a good but not perfect ground

"blackcat" wrote in
ups.com:

Thanks.
I use 120V power, at the outlet prong is a metal box. Is the metal box
called grounded box?
I have never done this kind of work. Please help me. I just bought the
three-prong outlet it comes
with a grounded screw, but I am not very sure where should I connect
with the grounded
screw.
I have power voltage meter, just bought one. I just wanted to be
cautious.

Thanks

buffalobill wrote:
any 3 prong 110v outlet should be physically grounded to a grounded
box.
chances are there is no ground available at the metal box.
there are testers for this if you have no meter.
if you have a meter measure 110v hot prong is smaller to the metal
box. larger prong is common terminal.

see:

blackcat wrote:
I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use
connector to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people
say that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that
it is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and
the three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks



Bases on your couple of posts, you should not be messing with home
electricity. I don't mean that as a slam. You could hurt yourself, hurt
someone else, or create an unsafe condition unknowingly. Also, assuming
this is your house, you could set something up wrong, by that I mean
functional but a code violation, and when you go to sell it a home
inspection will catch it and hold up the sale.

And with a handle of "blackcat", your luck sounds doomed :-)

On 11 Oct 2006 18:40:22 -0700, "blackcat" wrote:

I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use connector
to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people say
that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that it
is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and the
three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks


Questions like this imply to me that you aren't up to speed with the
code. Have a qualified electrician check for proper grounding in the
box, or upgrade your outlets via GFCI protection.

Just curious, do you have Armored Cable [AC] also called BX wiring?

later,

tom @ www.MyFastCoolCars.com

"Al Bundy" wrote in message
...
"blackcat" wrote in
ups.com:

Thanks.
I use 120V power, at the outlet prong is a metal box. Is the metal box
called grounded box?
I have never done this kind of work. Please help me. I just bought the
three-prong outlet it comes
with a grounded screw, but I am not very sure where should I connect
with the grounded
screw.
I have power voltage meter, just bought one. I just wanted to be
cautious.

Thanks

buffalobill wrote:
any 3 prong 110v outlet should be physically grounded to a grounded
box.
chances are there is no ground available at the metal box.
there are testers for this if you have no meter.
if you have a meter measure 110v hot prong is smaller to the metal
box. larger prong is common terminal.

see:

blackcat wrote:
I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use
connector to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people
say that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that
it is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and
the three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks



Bases on your couple of posts, you should not be messing with home
electricity. I don't mean that as a slam. You could hurt yourself, hurt
someone else, or create an unsafe condition unknowingly. Also, assuming
this is your house, you could set something up wrong, by that I mean
functional but a code violation, and when you go to sell it a home
inspection will catch it and hold up the sale.

I'll second this one- OP is clearly in over their head, which is not a slam,
everyone has to start somewhere. Either hire somebody, or put off doing any
rewiring till they take a 'basic home wiring' course at the vo-ed center or
something. Is is possible to kill oneself or burn the house down, now or
20 years later, by doing this stuff wrong. I've found a few things here that
the previous homeowner did that made me shudder - the only reason they
didn't burn the place down is because they were on low-draw circuits. I can
do basic stuff, but for complicated stuff, I pull out the dummies guide with
diagrams, or consult the actual experts I happen to be related to.

aem sends...

Tom The Great wrote:
On 11 Oct 2006 18:40:22 -0700, "blackcat" wrote:

I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use connector
to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people say
that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that it
is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and the
three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks


Questions like this imply to me that you aren't up to speed with the
code. Have a qualified electrician check for proper grounding in the
box, or upgrade your outlets via GFCI protection.

Just curious, do you have Armored Cable [AC] also called BX wiring?

later,

tom @ www.MyFastCoolCars.com

Modern Armored cable has a bonding strip inside the armor that assures a
low impedance path through the cable's metal jacket for any fault
current that is likely to be imposed. BX cable is the original form of
that cable that was manufactured at the Bronx plant of the General
Electric Company hence the name BX. BX has devolved into a common trade
name for armored cable but the early BX does not contain a bonding strip
and is not an adequate path for equipment grounding. Testing grounding
pathways with actual loads such as light bulbs can cause arcing along
the cable jacket. Such test loads should be applied only long enough to
get a stable voltage reading with which to calculate the voltage drop in
the grounding path. If that voltage reading does not stabilize at once
remove the test load and resort to a testing device such as the Ideal
Sure Test.

The grounding pathway through unbonded BX cable can change impedance
quite rapidly in the presence of water or other corrosive influences.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

blackcat posted for all of us...

I have two-prong outlet(old outlet) and like to change to grounding
three-prong outlet. Since I have a lot of
appliance that require three-prong outlet. I know I can use connector
to covert to three-prong. I would
rather change the power outlet.
I got a three-prong grounding outlet from Home Depot. Some people say
that I can just wire the third wire to the metal box and
the grounding outlet, but some people consider I should not do that it
is not safe.

Should I just wire the third wire, connect between metal box and the
three-prong grounding outlet?

Thanks


Did a lot of research didn't you? NOT Google broken at your house?
--
Tekkie "There's no such thing as a tool I don't need."

Which kind of GVCI should I have, 15 Amp or 20 Amp?
Thanks in advnce.


wrote:
Simple solution is to replace the outlet with a GFCI which will provide
protection with or without a ground.

older boxes are often too physically small to have a GFCI fit

what you do is buy a book wiring simplified and do some reading.

to check box to see if its grounded try powering a 100 watt lamp
between the metal box and hot side of receptable.

if it powers a lamp it should be a decent ground. generally BX that
spiral would metal cover cable is a good but not perfect ground