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I've done some searching on this already and I think I know the answer. But I'd like to ask just to double check.

If i am not sure if the outlets are properly grounded, my best bet would be to replace the 2 prong outlets with GFCI outlets, correct? Actually, i suppose someone is going to say my best bet would be to first find out for sure if they are properly grounded or not :) Could someone suggest a relatively inexpensive tool for doing that?

If the boxes are correctly grounded, then I should be able to just replace the 2 prong outlets with regular 3 prong outlets, correct?

For right now, I mainly want to swap out a 2 prong outlet in the living room that the TV and the rest of the media/gaming stuff will be plugged in to. But there are 2 prong outlets scattered around the house that I'll probably also want to eventually replace.

I would be somewhat surprised if everything is correctly grounded since the wiring in the house is pretty old, it's all knob and tube wiring. Although the home inspector said it all looks like it's in pretty good shape. Eventually we'll have an electrician come in and replace all the wiring, but for now it's staying as is.

merk
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1 Answers1

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I would not put a 3-socket outlet on a 2-socket system, even though a lot of electricians do it. The neutral and ground are not the same thing. Neutral is part of the circuit and has electricity flowing through it. Ground does not have electricity flowing through it, unless there is a short. There is already a topic on why you should not connect the ground and the neutral.

If you think you can guarantee an earth ground, then hook it up and test it like this:

(1) hot and neutral CORRECT VOLTAGE

(2) hot and ground CORRECT VOLTAGE

(3) neutral and ground NO CONTINUITY

The outlet should pass all three tests. In other words if you put a connectivity tester on the neutral and ground sockets it should NOT beep. If you put the continuity tester between the neutral and the ground and it throws a huge spark and melts, then you just found out you did something wrong.

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Tyler Durden
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