Thank you SO MUCH for making it so simple to figure out if my outlet is even grounded and where to attach a pigtail. Every video just glosses over that and never actually shows you where you would screw in a pigtail or whether you can even do it. Replacing every 2-prong with a GFCI is too expensive so this saved me so much headache and money from somethin so simple that no one else would show in their videos!
We’re buying our first home and it was built in 1925. So, this was really useful seeing as we close soon and the outlets are our own hang up! Thank you for this!
An African American electrician taught me a trick to remember wiring the outlets: he said Green aliens like earth, white people like silver, and black people like gold. We both laughed and I can never forget about it.
That is one I have never heard but it is funny. A phrase I remember to remember the color coding on an resistor is : Bad Boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly for gold and silver.
Gfci are $30 a piece. Old houses don't have a ground nub in the metal box. I usually drill and tap inside the box and put a ground pigtail, like he showed, pretty quick,
Thank you for your comments. I have an old house with a lot of two prong outlets and they all have a 120 ground showing. Just ordered a bunch of Raco pigtails along with a drill and tap because I'm pretty sure I won't find the hole ready in the boxes. Thanks for the tip!
@@waltzb7548 cool glad to help. Don't forget tapping oil for drill and tap, you don't need much, qtip with rubbing alcohol to clean up oil in new thread, again just a bit you don't need to go crazy. Lastly small wire "cup" brush on a drll to scratch metal near hole if it's dirty/oxidized/cement around the hole
you ..my friend can explain things in the simplest form possible. No jibber jabber like some idiots who over think their crap. Thank You and god bless.
Thank you for a very concise and informative video. We have an old house with quite a few two pronged outlets still, and they all show a good 120 volt ground. Just ordered a bunch of Raco pigtails along with 10/32 drill and tap in case I don't have a hole in the boxes. Thanks again!
The GFI WILL still work without a ground because it measures current leakage between the hot and neutral to trip the receptacle. It can be used in a bathroom or kitchen wherever a GFI is required. That’s why it’s code legal even without a ground.
I did just what he showed doing adding a ground wire. I had several outlets the electrician that rewired the house did not swap to romex because they were metal conduit and metal boxes. He said they were grounded by the conduit and changing them was an unnecessary expense. I have added a ground wire and swapped out for three hole outlets for all of them. No issues have occurred.
The problem with the GFCI outlet is how it is placed in a Series or Parallel circuit. Generally, most homes are in Series. You need to locate the First direct electrical connection coming from the Fuse Box/Circuit Breaker Panel and install that GFCI as the first outlet. Now, the other problem that follows if you replace other 2-prong outlets with a GFCI is when the circuit trips. Nothing like going around from room to room and pushing the reset button. As you also mention having No Ground, must use the sticker "No Equipment Ground" which starts another problem as those stickers fade, become damaged and unreadable, are removed, or the adhesive glue eventually allows the sticker it fall off. With small children around I would prefer not to use metal plate coverings for the child's safety. Spend the $5,000 to have a new breaker panel put in and the $20,000 to $25,000 to rewire your home. Yes! it is expensive as today you are better off buying a home built in the 1980s to the present. Older homes also use galvanized or copper water pipes. However, older homes can withstand environmental weather conditions better because they were not built with Twiggs and Staples. Got water, plumping, sewage, electrical, insulation, weatherization problems all the time. The Three Little Pigs scenario is a straw, a wooden, and a brick house. The Pros and Cons of Owning a New or Old Home. Housing Code Violations are bound to occur sooner or later. Plant your trees at least 50 feet away from the house and a distance from the electrical lines/pole. Buy a house on high grounds above flood zones, homes within 1/4 mile or near water tend to get flooded, and beware of Tornado and Hurricane geographical locations. Life is full of What If, And, But? Rule of Thumb... Safety comes First. As of 2023, do not live in Florida or California as many Insurance Companies are abandoning the state and leaving homeowners with No Insurance. Be careful about grounding your outlet to a nearby water pipe as you do not know if that pipe is metal all the way to the surface as ground. Some people have gotten electrocuted or shocked because of the ground being attached to a nearby water source. Again, safety first.
You can also use a dual function breaker that provides GFCI and AFCI protection and replace the outlets with standard outlets on the circuit the breaker is installed but be sure to label each outlet No equipment ground and GFCI and AFCI protected outlet
Thank you thank you. I was looking and hoping someone would make this video. Only I didn't hear what gage or awg type ground wire u use ,but I kept doing my research. I got worried about codes and installation. Your video helped me Thx again.
4:55 Didn't get this part. NY Lease Housing Department came to our apartment with an inspection. Now they are demand us to ground all our outlets. How this GFCI and a sticker will help us to solve this issue? Outlets still won't be grounded...
You mentioned this doesn’t protect your electronic devices… I just need to understand this more.. what does that mean exactly… lol is there still not a breaker pop on those outlets to shut off power?
Great video; my home is old through the house I have some three prong out lets, and some two prong outlets my question since I know the house is grounded can I just install a polarized plug adapter to my two prong outlet then I can used the outlet as a three prong outlet? Thank You
I want to ground my outlets in my studio. Can I run a ground to the first outlet and make it 3 prong? And then the other 2 outlets I. The room that daisy chain to it will now be grounded too? Or do they need individual grounds themselves? They have the metal cord housing. Thank you
My girl had her 3 prong outlet change out broken and exposed wiring in the wall and they put a 2 prong outlet instead smfh. So it’s safe for me to just switch it back to the 3 prong right?
Consult an electrician. How can anyone tell if it is safe when you provide no information? Maybe it was changed improperly to thee prong at some point. There is some reason they used a two prong one. Off it is an old house you should use the GFCI method.
this is not the same type of wiring I see in any other videos. What happened to the black, white, and copper (ground) wires? are they all in that metal tube?
This type of house wiring is called flexible bx it’s two conductor black and white wires inside a flexible metal tube which is the ground, it was intended to be used with metal boxes with a clamp so when you installed the outlet in the box it became grounded without the use of a ground wire.
Could I install a three prong outlet into a two prong spot if meeting code doesn't matter? Or is it actually dangerous I only plan on plugging my 2 prong phone charger into ir
In testing the outlets in my old 50's house I do get a reading from the slots to the outlet box. Yours read 122v, but mine reads 61v on the big slot. The small slot reads 19v. The two slots together read 123v. I can't make sense of it. Lol. Any ideas?
i just came into the comments to see if anyone else was experiencing something similar. ive gotta watch another video or two before i feel comfortable testing further...
@@michellechristine4841 In my case my outlets are not grounded. Its just 2 wires going to the outlets. The outlet box is not grounded so it must be creating some phantom voltages.
I switch a 2 prong outlet to a 3 prong outlet a year ago, I’ve zero experience dealing with electrical stuff but I watched it on YT and tried it so far it works and there’s no issues. I just want to ask why is it not allowed to switch a 2 prong outlet to a 3 prong outlet?
Two reasons that I'm aware of. 1. A 2 prong receptacle identifies that there's no equipment ground. Replacing it with a 3 prong receptacle falsely indicates that there is an equipment ground. 2. Many electrical products have a 2 prong plug and are safe because they are covered with a non metallic case and/or are double insulated. However, it's also true that many electrical products have 3 prong plugs and are relying on the equipment grounding system in the building to protect against a shock or electrocution, should a ground fault occur in the appliance. The ground wire provides a low impedance path to the main electrical panel and will trip the breaker. Otherwise the breaker will not trip and the appliance will remain energized until the cord is unplugged. Sometimes the metal box will be grounded even though there's no ground wire visible. You can check this easily by using a 3 prong receptacle tester.
Di mo na kelngan e ground rod yung ground wire nyan. Mas delikado yun kase pag nag kidlat sa labas example tinamaan yung ground rod mo sa labas eh papasok yung kuryente papunta bahay mo. E lagay mo lng sa metalic utility box yung ground in case na mag ground yung casing ehh mag trip sya.
@Bevins Build, if my outlet box is not grounded, and I want to install a GFCI, can I ground it by running a green ground wire from the box to the GFCI if its metal?
@@surferdude642 I think you lost a bit I think first you said yes to my question then you said no I was told if the box is metal you could ground it with the wire and green screw
You mean a GFCI probably, but that doesn't mean it's grounded. You need a conductor or path that goes all the way to the panel. The metal sheath he showed does go back to the panel and is grounded to the panel itself.
Do you have the box properly grounded. A self-grounding receptacle just connects the receptacle to the box in a way that it is grounded automatically if the box is grounded. It does not somehow magically provide ground where there is none.
Why doesn't anyone talk about the rust on BX cable connections that is inevitable in all the old homes here in the northeast, and that relegates the boxes all ungrounded..
Does anybody know what it means if I get a reading in the high 90s but not quite 122 also I for sure have metal boxes and one of my Outlets reads 96 when I do the test and the other only reads 6 volts
![Complete Guide On Replacing/ Upgrading old 2 Prong Outlets [Short Wires, No Ground and more!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gwFTBDo9pKE/mqdefault.jpg)
Very nice garage.
Thanks
Thank you SO MUCH for making it so simple to figure out if my outlet is even grounded and where to attach a pigtail. Every video just glosses over that and never actually shows you where you would screw in a pigtail or whether you can even do it. Replacing every 2-prong with a GFCI is too expensive so this saved me so much headache and money from somethin so simple that no one else would show in their videos!
We’re buying our first home and it was built in 1925. So, this was really useful seeing as we close soon and the outlets are our own hang up! Thank you for this!
Wow, 1925, not only an ungrounded system, you probably have a knob and tube system. That might call for a total upgrade yikes!
Same here... 1927... two prongs abound and lots of knob & tube. Some upgraded, some not... ugh 😭
ought to keep the outlets you replace, their cool things to have
Great video, straight to the point. Informative with everything necessary & nothing extra, easy to follow along and comprehend.
An African American electrician taught me a trick to remember wiring the outlets: he said Green aliens like earth, white people like silver, and black people like gold. We both laughed and I can never forget about it.
That is one I have never heard but it is funny. A phrase I remember to remember the color coding on an resistor is : Bad Boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly for gold and silver.
?? Whoa
@@BevinsBuilds ??????
@@BevinsBuilds what the fuck
@@BevinsBuildsDude that is fucked up. Come up with a different saying damn.
The most straight forward, informative video for this topic I’ve found. Thank you.
5And a
The best video for this issue. Hands down. Well explained. THANK YOU.
Gfci are $30 a piece.
Old houses don't have a ground nub in the metal box.
I usually drill and tap inside the box and put a ground pigtail, like he showed, pretty quick,
Thank you for your comments. I have an old house with a lot of two prong outlets and they all have a 120 ground showing. Just ordered a bunch of Raco pigtails along with a drill and tap because I'm pretty sure I won't find the hole ready in the boxes. Thanks for the tip!
@@waltzb7548 cool glad to help. Don't forget tapping oil for drill and tap, you don't need much, qtip with rubbing alcohol to clean up oil in new thread, again just a bit you don't need to go crazy.
Lastly small wire "cup" brush on a drll to scratch metal near hole if it's dirty/oxidized/cement around the hole
Fantastic tutorial- perfect, concise and highly educational.Thanks Bevins Builds!
you ..my friend can explain things in the simplest form possible. No jibber jabber like some idiots who over think their crap. Thank You and god bless.
Thanks for watching
Thank you for a very concise and informative video. We have an old house with quite a few two pronged outlets still, and they all show a good 120 volt ground. Just ordered a bunch of Raco pigtails along with 10/32 drill and tap in case I don't have a hole in the boxes. Thanks again!
The GFI WILL still work without a ground because it measures current leakage between the hot and neutral to trip the receptacle. It can be used in a bathroom or kitchen wherever a GFI is required.
That’s why it’s code legal even without a ground.
Watching Lego Masters on my tv while researching for our renovations, so your background/builds behind you threw me for a loop! What are the odds?! 🤣
A big thank you. I am rewiring cabin from the 40's and I have no clue. Thanks
Not only is this the exact video I needed, it's also the only video that needs to be on the internet.
Very good, informative.
I did just what he showed doing adding a ground wire. I had several outlets the electrician that rewired the house did not swap to romex because they were metal conduit and metal boxes. He said they were grounded by the conduit and changing them was an unnecessary expense. I have added a ground wire and swapped out for three hole outlets for all of them. No issues have occurred.
Needed to replace some old outlets and found your channel. All went in like a breeze thanks to your great tutorial! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much, glad to hear this helped :)
My metal boxes don’t have that bump anywhere, I just screwed it to a random hole it has and test it to see if I had ground and it gave me the ok
videos like these make me crave poptarts.
Best part of the video is the Stormtrooper helmet ❤. Great tutorial also 😂
Thank you for quickness!
The problem with the GFCI outlet is how it is placed in a Series or Parallel circuit. Generally, most homes are in Series. You need to locate the First direct electrical connection coming from the Fuse Box/Circuit Breaker Panel and install that GFCI as the first outlet. Now, the other problem that follows if you replace other 2-prong outlets with a GFCI is when the circuit trips. Nothing like going around from room to room and pushing the reset button. As you also mention having No Ground, must use the sticker "No Equipment Ground" which starts another problem as those stickers fade, become damaged and unreadable, are removed, or the adhesive glue eventually allows the sticker it fall off. With small children around I would prefer not to use metal plate coverings for the child's safety. Spend the $5,000 to have a new breaker panel put in and the $20,000 to $25,000 to rewire your home. Yes! it is expensive as today you are better off buying a home built in the 1980s to the present. Older homes also use galvanized or copper water pipes. However, older homes can withstand environmental weather conditions better because they were not built with Twiggs and Staples. Got water, plumping, sewage, electrical, insulation, weatherization problems all the time. The Three Little Pigs scenario is a straw, a wooden, and a brick house. The Pros and Cons of Owning a New or Old Home. Housing Code Violations are bound to occur sooner or later. Plant your trees at least 50 feet away from the house and a distance from the electrical lines/pole. Buy a house on high grounds above flood zones, homes within 1/4 mile or near water tend to get flooded, and beware of Tornado and Hurricane geographical locations. Life is full of What If, And, But? Rule of Thumb... Safety comes First. As of 2023, do not live in Florida or California as many Insurance Companies are abandoning the state and leaving homeowners with No Insurance. Be careful about grounding your outlet to a nearby water pipe as you do not know if that pipe is metal all the way to the surface as ground. Some people have gotten electrocuted or shocked because of the ground being attached to a nearby water source. Again, safety first.
Thank you for the quick and simply video
Thank you. I would like the full video
You can also use a dual function breaker that provides GFCI and AFCI protection and replace the outlets with standard outlets on the circuit the breaker is installed but be sure to label each outlet No equipment ground and GFCI and AFCI protected outlet
Are there benefits or negatives to the metal outlet plates? Just wondering why most are plastic.
Thank you thank you. I was looking and hoping someone would make this video. Only I didn't hear what gage or awg type ground wire u use ,but I kept doing my research. I got worried about codes and installation. Your video helped me
Thx again.
You should be fine using a #14 ground wire.
4:55 Didn't get this part. NY Lease Housing Department came to our apartment with an inspection. Now they are demand us to ground all our outlets. How this GFCI and a sticker will help us to solve this issue? Outlets still won't be grounded...
I only have 2 wires in my wall, no ground, can I use GFCI with a power strip for my electronics and be okay
What does it mean when measuring from hot to ground only gets me 100 volts or 40 volts in the case of two of my outlets.
At the end when you're pointing to where the wiring link is supposed to be, in the upper right hand corner, you have a link to something car related.
So if you’re not sure what outlet is the main one feeding the “room” is it okay to replace every outlet with gfci?
Thank you.
Thank you for the video. Wife and I are big into LEGO too.
Thanks for watching both channels :)
Is the alternative to get an electrician and have a cable installed so everything will be grounded? I'm so confused.
To have a true ground protection yes you have to have a ground wire ran to the outlet.
@@BevinsBuilds Thank so much for your reply!
Simple, right? Rewire the house, re-patch the drywall as needed and paint the house. Not very costly.
You mentioned this doesn’t protect your electronic devices… I just need to understand this more.. what does that mean exactly… lol is there still not a breaker pop on those outlets to shut off power?
thank you for the very important information.
Agreed, best explanation of this ever!.
Great video; my home is old through the house I have some three prong out lets, and some two prong outlets my question since I know the house is grounded can I just install a polarized plug adapter to my two prong outlet then I can used the outlet as a three prong outlet? Thank You
Can you yes but you are not ground protected on anything plugged into that receptacle
I want to ground my outlets in my studio. Can I run a ground to the first outlet and make it 3 prong? And then the other 2 outlets I. The room that daisy chain to it will now be grounded too? Or do they need individual grounds themselves? They have the metal cord housing. Thank you
I have metal boxes but not that metal "clad" cable, can i still have "real " ground. I want to replace my 2 prong plugs with 3. Subbed.
Great video no bs straight to the point
Thanks for being succinct!
My girl had her 3 prong outlet change out broken and exposed wiring in the wall and they put a 2 prong outlet instead smfh. So it’s safe for me to just switch it back to the 3 prong right?
Consult an electrician. How can anyone tell if it is safe when you provide no information? Maybe it was changed improperly to thee prong at some point. There is some reason they used a two prong one. Off it is an old house you should use the GFCI method.
Any idea how to replace vintage sierra triplex outlets with 3 prong outlets?
Thanks for the info! I appreciate it
Thanks for teaching where to paste the sticker 😂
Thank You! I Did It Right! Be Blessed!
To see if my outlet is grounded, why would I use that meter (which I would have to go buy) when I can just look inside to see if there is a metal box?
Best explanation video
this is not the same type of wiring I see in any other videos. What happened to the black, white, and copper (ground) wires? are they all in that metal tube?
This type of house wiring is called flexible bx it’s two conductor black and white wires inside a flexible metal tube which is the ground, it was intended to be used with metal boxes with a clamp so when you installed the outlet in the box it became grounded without the use of a ground wire.
GFCI is the only option you should use plus it's legal and meets code depending on the state
The method I show does meet code as well
I've had houses that predate polarized outlets, so I was really hosed.
Oh that sucks
Can I put 2 3-prong adapters in the same outlet? (One in the top one in the bottom )
I'm getting a reading even before touching the screw. Also what if the house has an old outlet with the same size slots?
It doesn't ground the appliance, but does it offer any protection for a person from getting electrocuted ?
Correct it does not protect equipment from ground at all but yes having a GFCI outlet does provide electrocution protection.
@@BevinsBuilds, and it also protects all downline, (or download) sockets, if any because a short in one of those will trip the GFCI.
@@BevinsBuilds So would using a surge protector work in place of a ground?
Could I install a three prong outlet into a two prong spot if meeting code doesn't matter? Or is it actually dangerous I only plan on plugging my 2 prong phone charger into ir
How about vanity lights what if they don't have a ground?
This was perfect, thank you!
In testing the outlets in my old 50's house I do get a reading from the slots to the outlet box. Yours read 122v, but mine reads 61v on the big slot. The small slot reads 19v. The two slots together read 123v. I can't make sense of it. Lol. Any ideas?
That sounds like a bad connection with no proper ground. Curious if your main panel reads that way as well to the hot and neutral.
i just came into the comments to see if anyone else was experiencing something similar. ive gotta watch another video or two before i feel comfortable testing further...
@@michellechristine4841 In my case my outlets are not grounded. Its just 2 wires going to the outlets. The outlet box is not grounded so it must be creating some phantom voltages.
Isn’t it still a problem if no ground?
I switch a 2 prong outlet to a 3 prong outlet a year ago, I’ve zero experience dealing with electrical stuff but I watched it on YT and tried it so far it works and there’s no issues. I just want to ask why is it not allowed to switch a 2 prong outlet to a 3 prong outlet?
Two reasons that I'm aware of. 1. A 2 prong receptacle identifies that there's no equipment ground. Replacing it with a 3 prong receptacle falsely indicates that there is an equipment ground. 2. Many electrical products have a 2 prong plug and are safe because they are covered with a non metallic case and/or are double insulated. However, it's also true that many electrical products have 3 prong plugs and are relying on the equipment grounding system in the building to protect against a shock or electrocution, should a ground fault occur in the appliance. The ground wire provides a low impedance path to the main electrical panel and will trip the breaker. Otherwise the breaker will not trip and the appliance will remain energized until the cord is unplugged.
Sometimes the metal box will be grounded even though there's no ground wire visible. You can check this easily by using a 3 prong receptacle tester.
It might have been slightly better if you had not shown a 20 amp GFCI. Can’t be used on 15 amp branch circuits which most houses are installed as.
You can use a 20 amp device on a 15 amp circuit. You can even use a 15 on a 20 amp circuit under certain exceptions. See code 210.21 NEC
Great explanation! Thank you!
Dude you're rad, thanks man!
Thanks
Thank you!
Without a true ground, you are playing electrical Russian roulette!
You’re a legend. Thank you.
Thanks for the help. If there isn't already a metal box, can you just install one and connect the ground?
You'd have to do some work on that one.
ruclips.net/video/7HQGmGfHBCs/видео.html
You still need to run a ground to the Box though
This is really helpful. Thanks much.
Very helpful. Thank you.
Thanks for watching
Excellent!!! Thanks.
Well done video. Thanks
Thank you
My outlets are 2 prong and the covers are like attached to the wall. No middle screw and no way to take them out
Very good video, thank you!
Can you just replace the box with a metal box
Not everyone check for codes, we just change it?
Does the fact that the outlet is also linked to a light switch add any complications to swapping 2 prongs for 3?
Great information, thanks!
Thank you so much!
Di mo na kelngan e ground rod yung ground wire nyan. Mas delikado yun kase pag nag kidlat sa labas example tinamaan yung ground rod mo sa labas eh papasok yung kuryente papunta bahay mo. E lagay mo lng sa metalic utility box yung ground in case na mag ground yung casing ehh mag trip sya.
Awesome. Thank you.
I liked this video, and then I saw the Ecto-1.
I can't like the video twice, and they don't make a GFCI outlet for that ☹️
How can I simple sticker make it code?
Is there a specific GFCI outlet that I need or is it just any GFCI outlet
Any gfci
@Bevins Build, if my outlet box is not grounded, and I want to install a GFCI, can I ground it by running a green ground wire from the box to the GFCI if its metal?
Yes
No, the box must be bonded and grounded at the main service entrance.
@@surferdude642 I think you lost a bit I think first you said yes to my question then you said no I was told if the box is metal you could ground it with the wire and green screw
@@babyboinews6896 That was Daryll (Bevins Builds) who said yes. I said "no" because his "yes" is not correct.
@@surferdude642 no problem so you are saying I can't ground it from a metal box to the outlet
I'm very new to multimeters does anybody know how he has his multimeter setup
@Bevins Build, what was the name of that ground wire you showed, and where can I buy it?
Solid Grounding Pigtail with Screw,
Home Depot, Amazon etc
@@schibilio thanks
Sorry on the late response, thomas is correct its a ground pigtail.
What kind of voltage tester are you using here?
Fluke meter
Thanks for that great Info! Great vid!
Recommendations on brand of tester to use?
I prefer fluke brand tools.
How would someone even know if it's to code unless they open up every outlet correct? I've never seen a home inspector do this for my house I'm buying
I got a self grounding 3 prongs outlet from HD to replace the old 2 prongs outlet and still the tester show "open ground" , any fix for that?
You mean a GFCI probably, but that doesn't mean it's grounded. You need a conductor or path that goes all the way to the panel. The metal sheath he showed does go back to the panel and is grounded to the panel itself.
Do you have the box properly grounded. A self-grounding receptacle just connects the receptacle to the box in a way that it is grounded automatically if the box is grounded. It does not somehow magically provide ground where there is none.
Why doesn't anyone talk about the rust on BX cable connections that is inevitable in all the old homes here in the northeast, and that relegates the boxes all ungrounded..
Can you use a surge protector with a gfci?
Yes
My outlet reads 119 voltage... is my out grounded????
If you are reading that to ground you should be but some people bypass the ground and use the neutral in its place as a cheat.
Does anybody know what it means if I get a reading in the high 90s but not quite 122 also I for sure have metal boxes and one of my Outlets reads 96 when I do the test and the other only reads 6 volts
It could be an open neutral.
why can't you just use a three prong on a two prong outlet, what will happen if you do and its
not grounded?
You can possibly damage the equipment that is being plugged into the receptacle.
When used a metal plate on 3 prong outlet, grounded up.
Dud you dont need the ground
But if you go from 2 to 3
White to silver
Black to gold
Jest bend the ground wire down😅😅😊😊😊😊