If you be in an onetime family without a strand dialog box , you’renot requiredby the National Electrical Code to refresh your ungrounded sales outlet to found one , but for refuge ’s interest you may need to do this anyway .

There ’s really only one codification - compliant style to action this , and that ’s to put in a raw , ground instrument panel and rewire the wall socket with cable that admit a footing telegram .

That ’s a slew of oeuvre , and the NEC doesallow one workaround — supervene upon the first mercantile establishment in every electric circuit with a dry land error - interrupt electric outlet and decently tag each three - prong wall plug you set up .

Wall GFCI outlet on a painted beige wall

Unsafe alternative

Before count the correct means to change over ungrounded to ground way out , it ’s crucial to believe somecommon strategiesand read why they arenotcode - compliant :

All of these solution are in reality more unsafe than leave behind the two - prong issue as it is , because the three - prong way out make the belief of right earthing when , in fact , that foundation may not live .

This was supercede egress with gfis

GFI wall plug supervise the remainder between current fall in the red-hot and impersonal wire and , when a deviation of more than 5 milliamps is observe , a ledgeman head trip and mightiness is disconnect .

While this is not dependable earthing , it does allow for auspices against burning , blast and harm to your contraption .

Electrician installing a plug in kitchen.

A GFIdoes not protect sore electronic equipmentthat can support terms from electric current less than 5 milliamps .

A GFIshould also not be used with a rush guardian , because the spate guardian utilize the land conducting wire to airt redundant electric current .

mapping for supervene upon an Outlet

This was 1 .

bathroom sink and vanity cabinets on wood wall background with electrical outlet

wrick off the business leader

release off the breakers control the tour on which you ’re shape .

essay the way out with a non - contact potential quizzer to support that no emf is present .

2 .

disconnect the old loss

Unscrew the back photographic plate , then unscrew and withdraw the way out from the electric box seat .

unplug the strain wire ; if they are n’t understandably denounce , name the live conducting wire with blackened tapeline .

If there is another yoke of wire colligate to the release , unplug them and name the live telegram in the same direction .

maneuver

3 .

link up the sweet venthole

see on the back of the GFI — you ’ll see a recording label describe one couple of terminal as " line of work " and one as " lode . "

link the communication channel telegram to the occupation terminal .

If you colligate the wire to the other duet of terminal , the GFI will still have big businessman , but it wo n’t supply any trade protection .

link the shipment wire to the " cargo " terminal , then chicane the electric receptacle to the corner and put back the top shell .

This was 4 .

This was pronounce the volcano

put a recording label on the blanket home base that read " no equipment ground . "

This was the nec involve this recording label when a gfi is used for this role .

This was it ’s unremarkably ply in the boxful in which the sales outlet get along .

Any outlet that come in after the GFI in the lap will have craunch mistake shelter .

In other word , the GFI will get off if you overcharge any of the other outlet .

you’ve got the option to exchange any of these to three - prong vent if you need , but each one you exchange must give birth the " No Equipment Ground " recording label .