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May a GFCI receptacle be installed as a receptacle in an old installation where the 2-wire circuit has no equipment grounding conductor?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Actually, yes. The GFCI does not need any ground; it measures "leakage", i.e., an imbalance, regardless of whether there is "ground".
The National Electrical Code permits installing a GFCI to replace a completely ungrounded receptacle.
Others have said:
No. The GFCI is designed to measure an unintended path to ground. Without a good ground reference this is not possible.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
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What is the grounding conductor connected to in a residential installation?
nutral bus in the subpanel
What size equipment grounding conductor is used with what sizes of nonmetallic sheathed cable?
hawt
What does the National Electrical Code NEC say about running separate ground wires?
From the 2011 NEC, Section 250.130 states, in part, "For replacement of non-grounding-type receptacles with grounding-type receptacles...connections shall be permitted as indicated in 250.130(C)." Section 250.130 (C) states in its entirety, "(C) Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch Circuit Extensions. The equipment grounding conductor of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following: (1) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system as described in 250.50 (2) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor (3) The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure where the branch circuit for the receptacle or branch circuit originates (4) For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor within the service equipment enclosure" (5) For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar within the service equipment enclosure" Now for some of my thoughts. It sounds like what you got was adequate. It was correct except for he should have used green or bare conductor, not white, unless he used green tape near the end of the conductor to designate it as green. This tape would be inside the box but I would have marked it outside the box also if it is visible. I would have run this conductor as close as possible and preferably attached to the existing circuit conductors. Looping the conductor as you have stated is not the best installation, in my view, but if you have at least 6 inches from the entry of the conductor to the grounding terminal and another 6 inches before it leaves the box, this is ok. The code does not require this 6 inches if the conductor isn't spliced but in your application it should be since, in my view, it should have been spliced. Solid or stranded is of no significance. While I have quoted the 2011 NEC in my answer, I do not expect this has changed any in recent years. The use of the word "bonding" by your electrician was technically incorrect but "bonding" and "grounding" are sometimes used synonymously. They are different but often look alike to the untrained eye. Even electricians often misuse these terms and fail to understand the difference. It takes someone like myself who is a little anal retentive to use the terms properly. I hope you will acknowledge my answer as I am particularly interested to know if you got it.
Is it necessary to ground an outlet?
If the receptacle has a ground terminal (green screw) and has three prongs, you must connect a ground wire if it is a new installation. There is one exception to this: if the three prong receptacle is fed from the LOAD side of a GFCI receptacle, it is not required to have a grounding conductor. This is because the receptacle is considered to be protected by the GFCI's function. In addition the GFCI itself is not required to have a ground connected. In these cases the receptacle needs to be labeled "no equipment ground" on the wallplate. If this is existing, you are usually not required to correct things that were not originally done to code. However a three prong receptacle should not be used as such if it does not have a grounding conductor connected. This would lead to a false sense of grounding and safety.
If a dryer has a green ground wire that was connected to the green wire on the 4 prong cord what do you do with the green wire now that you have a 3 prong cord?
In a nutshell, you need to connect your green grounding wire to the white grounded conductor (that originates in your existing 3-wire dryer receptacle that does not have a green grounding conductor).My answer assumes that you are in the United States. If not, the information below may not apply. In 1996, the U.S. National Electrical Code implemented a new rule that no longer allowed the grounded circuit conductor (white neutral wire) to serve as the grounding conductor (green wire) for many household appliances. New installations of ranges and clothes dryers must have a separate green or bare grounding conductor.Now, there is an exception for existing installations. I have put BOLD emphasis on parts that may apply to your question. The text in brackets [ ] is not part of the NEC but explanations added by me.NEC Article 250.140 Exception: For existing branch circuit installations only where an equipment grounding conductor [green wire] is not present in the outlet or junction box, the frames of electric ranges, wall-mounted ovens, counter-mounted cooking units, clothes dryers, and outlet or junction boxes that are part of the circuit for these appliances shall be permittedto be connected to the grounded circuit conductor [white neutral wire] if all the following conditions are met.(1) The supply circuit is 120/240-volt single-phase, 3-wire; or 208Y/120-volt derived from a 3-phase, 4-wire, wye-connected system.(2) The grounded conductor is not smaller than 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum.(3) The grounded conductor [white wire] is insulated, or the grounded conductor is uninsulated and part of a Type SE service-entrance cable and the branch circuit originates at the service equipment.(4) Grounding contacts of receptacles furnished as part of the equipment are bonded to the equipment [any built-in receptacles on your dryer have a ground connection (green wire) to the metal frame of the dryer].In summary, you need to connect your green grounding wire to the white grounded conductor of your existing 3-wire receptacle, provided you meet all 4 of the above conditions.
When you encounter a four-slot receptacle in a residential laundry room?
It allows for a separate equipment grounding conductor
Is a grounding 120 volt receptacle larger than an ordinary receptacle?
No, it just has an additional conductor to separate the neutral from the ground, and has a third prong in the receptacle to receive the appliance grounding conductor through the cordset.
What is the grounding conductor connected to in a residential installation?
nutral bus in the subpanel
Why does in an electrical plug the earth pin is longer than other two...what is its main function?
The earth pin is called the equipment grounding conductor. The National Electric Code requires this conductor to be the first to make contact with the receptacle and the last to break contact with the receptacle, the way manufacturers comply with this requirement was to make the pin longer.
What size equipment grounding conductor is used with what sizes of nonmetallic sheathed cable?
hawt
What size equipment grounding conductor is used with the following sizes of nonmetallic sheathed cable?
hawt
Define earth voltage and neutral voltage?
As the neutral point of an electrical supply system is often connected to earth ground, ground and neutral are closely related. Under certain conditions, a conductor used to connect to a system neutral is also used for grounding (earthing) of equipment and structures. Current carried on a grounding conductor can result in objectionable or dangerous voltages appearing on equipment enclosures, so the installation of grounding conductors and neutral conductors is carefully defined in electrical regulations. Where a neutral conductor is used also to connect equipment enclosures to earth, care must be taken that the neutral conductor never rises to a high voltage with respect to local ground.
What size equipment grounding conductor is used with the following sizes of nonmetallic sheathed cable 14?
hawt
What does the National Electrical Code NEC say about running separate ground wires?
From the 2011 NEC, Section 250.130 states, in part, "For replacement of non-grounding-type receptacles with grounding-type receptacles...connections shall be permitted as indicated in 250.130(C)." Section 250.130 (C) states in its entirety, "(C) Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch Circuit Extensions. The equipment grounding conductor of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following: (1) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system as described in 250.50 (2) Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor (3) The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure where the branch circuit for the receptacle or branch circuit originates (4) For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor within the service equipment enclosure" (5) For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar within the service equipment enclosure" Now for some of my thoughts. It sounds like what you got was adequate. It was correct except for he should have used green or bare conductor, not white, unless he used green tape near the end of the conductor to designate it as green. This tape would be inside the box but I would have marked it outside the box also if it is visible. I would have run this conductor as close as possible and preferably attached to the existing circuit conductors. Looping the conductor as you have stated is not the best installation, in my view, but if you have at least 6 inches from the entry of the conductor to the grounding terminal and another 6 inches before it leaves the box, this is ok. The code does not require this 6 inches if the conductor isn't spliced but in your application it should be since, in my view, it should have been spliced. Solid or stranded is of no significance. While I have quoted the 2011 NEC in my answer, I do not expect this has changed any in recent years. The use of the word "bonding" by your electrician was technically incorrect but "bonding" and "grounding" are sometimes used synonymously. They are different but often look alike to the untrained eye. Even electricians often misuse these terms and fail to understand the difference. It takes someone like myself who is a little anal retentive to use the terms properly. I hope you will acknowledge my answer as I am particularly interested to know if you got it.
What size equipment grounding conductor is used with the following sizes of nonmetallic-sheathed cable 14?
hawt
What is a conductor used to connect equipment or the grounded circuit of a wiring system to a grounding electrode or electrodes?
The conductor used to connect equipment or circuit to an earth electrode is earth bond or in some cases a supplementary bond. This will be generally carried out using a copper tape or an earth cable.
The minimum acceptable tension force of the grounding contact in a receptacle is?
The retention force of the grounding blade of each electrical receptacle,shall be not less than 115g (4 ounces).
