Safely Converting 2 Prong To 3 Prong 

Well you go ahead and do that yourself. He chose not to and it's not necessary for him.

It’s also an ungrounded metal box, so a little prevention can go a long way.

Seconded. I had a tight metal outdoor box where the GFCI receptacle fried itself from making contact.

@@Verminator151029 Master Electrician, here. That simple tape wrap is worth the time and effort. You're flat out wrong.

@@ethelryan257 "Ethel", my dear. The only thing you're a Master of is making #SAMMICHES! Now run along and make some for the men!!!

tied into earth ground connection on boxes should work with GFCI...🤔✌️👍🙏☯️

the point is you don't need to install gfci if metal box is grounded no need to ground box either cuz every metal part of receptacle is continous with metal screw

Cloth jacketed, 2 wire from 1950's?

Yea y'all should read the NEC

​@psyo123 don't do this in practice. Because the second someone alters or moves something you break the ground on everything else. In older houses you never know what is or isn't grounded behind the walls or who changed what in last 70 years. Just put in a GFCI receptacle or breaker.

Maybe it's not a rental unit.

The electrical conduit is used as the ground as they are bonded in the panel. If you want a ground you can connect the outlet grounding lug to the metal box.

@@user-oe5ey3ex8b there's no conduit there, and you won't find it in homes, except for a few jurisdictions... Chicago area comes to mind. Everywhere else is just non-metallic cabling. Edit: Once in awhile I'll come across type AC cable in older homes, and it has a continuous strip inside the metallic jacket (like MC cable but no ground conductor). Something like that would be code compliant for a ground.

@@IrrationalBstrd I come across a lot of this in my travels and it always involves a grounded metal box. Not saying that other states haven't had other types of codes in the past to which I'm unfamiliar. I often have to transition from old to new and this is a common way to make that transition. That said, I would never install a new outlet without grounding it even if it means rewiring the whole house. Also, he should have taped that outlet before putting it back in that metal box.

@@user-oe5ey3ex8b ground fault protection is the only code compliant way to install a 3 prong receptacle without rewiring when an equipment ground is not present. There's nothing wrong with it, and it doesn't need any tape, but you can add it if you want. Edit: there is another way, that is allowed in more recent iterations of the code. You can fish a single ground conductor into the box and tie it to a grounded water pipe using a listed pipe clamp, or bring it to the panel ground bar. Previously, the ground had to be part of the cable assembly containing the hot and neutral.

That actually sounds quite practical, even more so today. Most modern devices have a active-PFC SMPS so input voltage doesn't matter. Sure its not safe for normal users, but I'd love to have outlets like that in my room

It is perfectly safe as a GFCI protects the user even more than a ground.

@@elidanko1912 I thought gfci take time to trip and don’t offer electric equipment protection that are ungrounded. In this case, you need to maintain labels.

Can ilu use these instead of electric boxes?

This guy should have connected the outlet ground lug to the metal box because that box is grounded via the conduit.

Yes, its allowed by Code as an alternative to completely rewiring the outlet.

Yes, because in the event of a ground fault, you will not have the same amount of current coming from the line, and returning to the neutral

If the metal casing of a device were to become electrified, the gfci may not trigger until you get shocked.

@@soheil5710 sadly true 😅

@@soheil5710 my point exactly.

@@soheil5710 But it triggers nearly instantly, so that "shock" would be imperceptible and wouldn't hurt anything.

Well, he showed the receptacle Isolated at the start, he just forgot to show how...

@@Bremend I didn't notice. My bad

Separate ground? What does that mean?

​@@surferdude642 you run it since these old houses aren't grounded. You run a separate green wire

Can you connect a ground wire to the screw in back of the metal box to the ground screw on the new outlet? Would that be a proper ground?

@@ewhibs if the box is grounded yes

Don’t fergit to have your lightnin’ rods recharged !

With ground and neutral bonded, stray current can find its way to earth through either conductor in the event of a fault. Without them bonded, neutral faults can “float” and return to the source in other, dangerous ways. Such as through bonded plumbing. Edit: think of the plumbing in the home as the “conduit”. What if the conduit was tied to ground throughout the branch circuits, but not bonded at the source, in the event of a fault? The neutral would float through the conduit on its way to discharging.

Ground and neutral should NEVER be bonded outside of the main panel. What you're describing is a way to trick a lazy inspector. The purpose of a ground is to provide a low resistance path back to the source. In the event the path of electricity makes contact with something it shouldn't, like a pipe, a box, or an appliance, that whole object will now be energized, and anyone touching it will be shocked. The breaker will not flip, as the object and you are increasing resistance to the system. Breakers respond to an increase in current. When a properly grounded system is shorted, the current will flow through the object causing the short and into its ground wire, returning back to the source with very little resistance. This in turn causes a spike in current, causing your breaker to pop. This is why sticking a paper clip into a grounded circuit could still prove deadly; it's designed to protect the circuit, not you. A gfi, on the other hand, will detect any variance between hot and neutral in either direction, and immediately break the circuit before damage can be done. Sticking a paperclip in a gfi will trip its breaker.

I'm sorry sir, but that's far too much thinking for an instructional RU-vid video

@@D_A_M-091 apparently, we wouldn't want to go above and beyond in a you tube video..😂😂

The ground wire is not needed for a GFCI receptacle to operate safely. However, a plug in GFCI tester will not work to test it. Use the built in buttons to test it monthly.

@@IrrationalBstrd well said. Thanks.

In my opinion it’s actually faster to take the faceplate off, and way cleaner.

@@nolansprojects2840 i like using the screwdriver as i dont want to mess up an outlet, probably could do it faster but idk

One of my pet peeves

Removed the minute wife sees a sticker.

That’s what the GFI does

Also, he replaced an old 20a receptacle, with a 15a gfci, Big no-no. It's even fed from a 20a breaker.

@@Kevin-mp5of when they showed the panel, it was a 20a breaker they turned off. the receptacle is set up for 20 120v plugs, so yes, it's a 20a receptacle on a 20a circuit.

@@Kevin-mp5of Why would i watch any more of this hack's videos?

​@@TheDarthJesusshows you don't know what you are talking about you can use a 15 amp device on a 20amp circuit,as long as there are 2 receptacles.

So what happens when both hot and neutral are at some potential to ground?

@@RobertSzasz I'm not really sure what you mean. Are you asking what happens if 2 ground faults (1 on the hot side and 1 on the neutral) happen at the same time on a GFCI protected circuit?

What do I do if I need the third prong/ground for my grounding/earthing bedsheet if non of my outlets are grounded? The grounding sheet only plugs into the ground of the outlet. Would using an adapter to have the third prong work? Do portable transformers/voltage converters have built in ground? Please advise. Thanks.

@@greys52909 I'm not sure what a grounding bedsheet is, but if you only have access to ungrounded outlets, then no it won't work. However, if the metal boxes that the outlets are installed in are grounded (which is often the case), then using one of those adapters should work as long as you screw the adapter to the outlet's cover plate using that little tab sticking off the bottom. This is assuming you're from the US or Canada. I'm only familiar with North American wiring.

@@Beefnhammer thanks for your response. I am in the Philippines and the outlets here are mostly not grounded. Grounding or earthing sheet or mat they say is equivalent to walking barefoot on the ground. As in grounding yourself to the earth. There have been studies about the health benefits it provides. You can look it up and you’ll find some information about it. Thanks.

Hire an electrician before you kill yourself

It's still 120v just like the others, but the T shaped slots mean its a 20 amp outlet, rather than 15 amp. Old 20 amp appliances used to have plugs with one of their prongs horizontal so they could only be inserted into outlets that were rated for 20 amps. But the slots are T-shaped so they can also accept the typical plug type with 2 vertical prongs. Plugging a 15 amp device into a 20 amp outlet is obviously fine, but doing the reverse is dangerous, so that's why they're designed like that.

@@Beefnhammer That’s what they said, NEMA 1-20 and 2-20 are 20 amp receptacles. They already knew this was a 20 amp receptacle.

@@appleintosh Yeah but he also asked about voltage, which is why I said it's 120v. You're right that they implied they were already aware that it was 20 amp, so I probably gave more information than was needed.

I would like to add to my original comment, as it appears I did not really give you the answer you were looking for. Now I understand what you meant by 'freakish combination' of the 1-20 and 2-20 types. You were wondering why the old outlet at the beginning of the video has 2 T-shaped shots, when modern 20 amp receptacles only have 1 T-shaped slot and 1 vertical one. The double T-shaped configuration you see here is a very old design from when plugs were less standardized than they are now. Some plugs would have 2 vertical prongs, some would have 1 vertical and 1 horizontal, and some would have 2 horizontal prongs (these were commonly called tandem plugs). This is why both slots on that old outlet were T-shaped, that way it could accommodate all 3 plug types. I hope that answers your question.

@@Beefnhammer NEMA 1-20 is a 125v/20A receptacle and NEMA 2-20 is a 250v/20A receptacle. The voltage difference between these two standards coupled with the fact that this freakish receptacle looks like it will accept both NEMA 1-20 & NEMA 2-20 plugs is the scary part. Is this receptacle supposed to be connected to a 120v or 250v supply? What horrible things will happen if the item plugged into it is made for a different voltage than what's being supplied?

You can, but to be code compliant, you need to put the "No equipment ground" on the regular three prong outlets downstream as well.

Old electrical in the states didn't always have ground

Romax?

It won't fail inspection, but it is more pleasing to the eye

Totally unimportant, Correct torque is what's needed.

Anyone remember a old Windex commercial, "it ain't cool if you're chrome don't shine"? Well it ain't cool if you're screw heads don't line up.

This bothered me immensely

Just saw a “this old house” video. I believe the answer is yes but watch to confirm

Supposed to leave a warning on it though

Yes, that’s why it’s recommended you install a GFI

Not really. If there is a fault from line to ground the GFCI will not trip, since there is no path to ground for the fault current. It will trip only when an unfortunate person will touch the faulty appliance...

@@alerighi A GFCI outlet or breaker can detect when more current is coming in on the hot wire than is exiting on the neutral wire, and will shut off the circuit quickly before the current can stray to alternate paths. It is one use of a GFCI outlet. It isn't as good as an actual ground, but it can be done.

Yeah, I’ll just explain to the customer that what can be done in 10 minutes with a $30 gfi is going to take 3 hours and holes cut in their drywall. It’s not lazy, it’s just not economical. Besides, code says it’s safe.

You want to fish new wire In my 150 year old house? Or do this

@@SpencerKaup fish the wire. Lives are too important.

@@robertfish6617 you do realize this is safe??? It's a GFCI

@@SpencerKaup ask your local Inspector.

@@Kevin-mp5of in the US maybe

​@@Kevin-mp5of isn't neutral connected to ground in the main breaker panel?

​@@Kevin-mp5ofEssentially that's an old TN-C install.

That's an illegal and dangerous tactic. If you have a broken 2 prong receptacle, you need to replace it with a 2 prong receptacle, or do the conversion in the video. Sadly, this neutral/ground cheat is fairly common by those who don't know better.

@@cgschow1971 illegal in the US maybe but I don't live there

Yes, it'll just trip the breaker if both are used at once. It will be a thermal trip though, so it won't be instant. It could take 10 minutes or more, during which time the connections and wires ARE getting too hot. Will it start a fire? Idk. But, what you really need to be code compliant is a disconnecting 2 position switch feeding the outlets which is rated for the amperage and voltage involved and will be used to allow only 1 receptacle to be energized at a time. You switch it to Dryer or Tesla and therefore only 1 is energized at a time. How far away is your main panel? If I was you and it was close by, I would just bite the bullet and install a separate 50 amp circuit and receptacle for your Tesla. Or alternatively, I'd install a sub panel.

@@mannys9130 Thanks. Main panel to garage may require about 25m of cable, up and thru a vaulted ceiling part of the attic... :-( A subpanel sounds more expensive, I will check out some switches...

Google "dryer buddy" - it's an automatic transfer switch designed for exactly what you're describing (sharing a power connection with a 240V dryer and an EV). It's not super expensive (about $360) and won't rely on your breaker as your only safety point. Plus no physical moving of cables/plugs which can cause wear and possible failure.

@@clunkclunk2099 Thanks, I like them and a similar company called SplitVolt (slightly cheaper). But this is only $32@Amazon "Taiss Changeover Switch 3 Position Selector Switch Box 12 Terminals 63A 690V Universal Latching Rotary Cam Selector Switch with Waterproof Exterior Box LW26-63/3-box" Plus NEMA 14-50 (Tesla) & NEMA 10-30 (Dryer) outlet receptacles, some wire, some effort & research so I don't Fk it up. So ~$150 (manual switching diy) vs ~$360 (automatic SplitVolt) ...hmmm...?

​@@mannys9130 install a mechanical interlock near the y connection.. they are not expensive and you can hide them behind your dryer.. double protection for a cheap price!

Yes. A gfi will still work without a ground. ( although it’s not as sensitive for protecting electronics) it will provide protection for human, which is what they are designed for. When it doubt, don’t bring your toaster into the bathtub with you.

Click on the link in the video description for a link to his favorite tools.

It’s a Kline “Edit Klein”

@@lorenrickey5481 Great. Thanks so much.

@@CrankyPantss Perfect! Thanks for letting me know.

@@Kevin-mp5of Thanks for the correction! I should have put my readers on because I can’t see well when I was typing.

Noticed that missing, too.

These old boxes are not grounded, never were and would require rewiring to get a ground.

We have old house wiring, too. Not grounded. As we replace the receptacles, we add GCFI whereneeded, but not in the average room boxes. I suppose it is best to add there, too, though. To rewire a whole house, it would require removing much of the drywall, then it would be expensive to run new wire through the house.

​@@ronstrong9560Just fish a new 3 wire cable behind the drywall, pulling it into the boxes. Optionally push in electrical pipes from crawl spaces to provide a protected location for replaceable wiring. An alternative to buying lots of GFCI outlets is to get a European style central GFCI that goes in the fuse box instead of the main inlet switch. Typical European models are rated only 40A, because that is plenty for a European home with 3x230V fed from 3 curbside 35A fuses.

@johndododoe1411 In the UK GCFIs or RCCBs/RCDs as we call them, are almost always 65A in fact I've never seen one that is 40A. But those are old school now and modern installations are more likely to have things called RCBOs which are a combination of earth fault and overload protection in a single device, for a single circuit,. Whereas, as you correctly suggested you used to use an RCCB/RCD to protect a bank of circuits. Typically one covering each floor of a property and referred to as a split load system.

Yes, I suppose, zero is zero, but I have had problems from lightning and weird electrical burnouts and a GFCI could have saved so much expensive equipment- besides, I like to be properly “grounded!”

Of course you regularly use calibratied test equipment to make sure it works?

Yes it will work. GFCI detects differences in current going through the hot and neutral wires to trip. The "ground fault" refers to it detecting electricity going to ground through another source, ie your body or water.

GFCI detects imbalance of not all live current returning through the grounded prong. Then assumes the excess is going through a person touching a water pipe or other grounded metal and cuts quickly enough to reduce the risk of permanent heart failure.

You should wrap the terminals with electrical tape if it’s a tight fit. Or you could always replace the box

Smartlock Pro. Look for that if you're looking at leviton receptacle. The depth of the Smartlock Pro is reduced by 20%

A GFI does not require a ground, however it should be labeled in that case to the effect, "does not provide equipment ground".

@@Sylvan_dB : Thanks. The video ought to say no ground wire is needed. And it ought to explain the purpose of the ”No Equipment” label and describe what should not be plugged into the outlet.

@@brothermine2292 This is a "short." It's limited to 60 seconds. This is the bare minimum info. If he was to explain the ground wire, he'd have to talk as fast a crack addict who just smoked the whole boulder in his pipe before the cops caught up and cuffed him. 😸

@@mannys9130 : It would take only about 2 seconds to say ”only the two wires are used.”

You have to test them. You can find the hot with a stick tester, and the ground is often bare. If not, use a multi meter to ring out the individual wires from the source.

Lick your finger

Uhhh, no! When he's the only one doing it, he doesn't need to lock out tag or any of that fucking bullshit. So stuff it.

@@Verminator151029 how about turning off the breaker then? Could we handle turning off the breaker?

@@SJ-co6nk Don't you worry your little soy head dear!! He didn't show you his heart beating in the video, yet we know it was. JUST LIKE we know he turned of the power before he did this!! Now you go put on another mask over your current one while you drive in your car alone, and get in line for your 8th juicing so you won't be be stealing oxygen from the rest of us soon

@@SJ-co6nk it's obvious that you wear two masks and a face shield in your car when you're alone, and are octo-juiced. You've got a whole lot of living to do in a very short time, so don't be wasting it doing shit like this. Tick tock, tick tock.

No if you can replace the first outlet in a circuit or the breaker to GFCI do that 100% of the time. The only reason a tool or appliance will not have a ground is they aren't required because of the type of application of that item/tool. It is not a good reason at all to ignore circuits without grounding and leaving them two prong.

chances are you have the line and load backwards, or a neutral backwards, gfci's are very particular about how you bring the circuit's wiring into said device

Plug in a receptacle tester and it’ll tell you if it’s wired correctly. Usually the LED turns on after you press the reset button but if it’s working normally then it could just be a bad LED

GFCI does not need a ground to work. It detects differences in current between the hot and neutral to trip. Nothing to do with the ground. The term "ground fault" refers to it detecting electricity may be going to ground through another source, ie your body.

Wrong. GFCIs are not supposed to have J-hooks on them. If you are doing that, you risk it coming loose. This is not a normal receptacle.

This is an issue, older boxes were smaller. A good solution is to use a GFI breaker on the entire circuit if you can find one to fit your electrical panel. Or - change the box, which can be a hassle. Also if your wiring is metal clad cable you may have a ground at the box, you just need to add a ground tail to put in a grounded outlet (non-gfci)

@@MB-zj3er house only has two conductor 12 gauge romax there is no ground lead.

@@mrnapolean1 Then it would be easier to go the breaker route if you can. Even if you have to upgrade the service panel it would be less work than changing every box in the house.

@@MB-zj3er You don't need to do every receptacle, just the first one in the circuit, assuming it's a parallel circuit, ie cable goes from 1 receptacle to next. In old knob and tube wiring, the receptacle leads were branched off and not wired parallel, so yes, you would need to do each outlet or go the breaker route. Another alternative is add a blank GFI device in the upstream part of the circuit.

@@cgschow1971 Correct, however he said his box is too small, thus the alternative I offered. Definitely don't want to go and create another violation by overloading the ci of the box. Of course one outlet per circuit would be ideal.

The GFI is why you would put in something where there is no ground. You're not understanding how GFI works. That's the whole purpose in this type of situation where it doesn't have a ground wire. You would put in a GFI which measures current and when it detects that the current is not equal then it trips. You do not need a ground in the situation.

My god, the amount of people who comment without knowing what they're talking about... This is exactly why democracy doesn't work

No ground. This is acceptable per NEC

i was saying the outlet is set up to take all 4 plugs. Due to the sideways slits in it.

208? I don't know where your from,but here in the US,we don't need 208,(which is 3 phase for outlets!!) Even if it were a commercial building,we would have 208/120 for outlets.

That's not a 208v. It's a tandem/parallel blade combo 120v. 15amp. A common old style that accepted the pre-NEMA tandem blades.

No, the prongs in the Hubbell's original plug from 1904 were horizontally, in 1912 he changed them to be vertical. Because both plugs were used for a while sockets were made to accept both.

The video is about adding the GFCI. Not sure what knob and tubing wiring is. If it's ⅝" tubes containing insulated single wires, you should be able to pull through fresh wire bundles that include the extra grounding wire, so no need for the sticker.

If you don't need to plug in any 3 prong equipment, then don't waste your time. The 2 prong receptacle is perfectly safe for most home devices, ie lamps. TVs, chargers, etc. Lot's of scare misinformation about 2 prong receptacles. People think they need to upgrade to 3 prong because the internet told them. They are perfectly fine.

@@johndododoe1411 knob and tube is early 1900s wiring

@@cgschow1971 This is true, but part of the reason people are encouraged to replace them is the probable age of the receptacles. Old outlets that don't hold the plug tightly anymore can absolutely be hazardous. I had some pretty loose ones in my house for a long time. But yes, a 2 prong receptacle that's in good condition is not inherently unsafe, as long as you don't use 2-3 prong adapters with it (unless it's installed in a grounded box, then the adapters are fine). But most people probably wouldn't bother to verify that.

I’m going to remove the outlet part.

The J hook has 2 jobs. One is to hook to a screw with no hold down plate. The other is to increase pull strength. This GFCI socket model only eliminates the first job. This video demonstrates installing the 3 prong socket where no grounding wire is present. Personally, I prefer to upgrade all the wiring for higher quality and a real grounding.

​@@johndododoe1411everyone prefers this, but meeting code is cheaper.

A GFI works without a ground. A GFI doesn't even use the ground plug within its mechanism. Which is why code requires them in cases like this where a ground wire isn't present.

You don't need a GFCI receptacle in every box. You put a GFCI in the first receptacle of the circuit and everything downstream can be a regular 3-prong receptacle as they would be protected by the first GFCI. Sometimes it's tricky to identify the first receptacle on a circuit, some installers did weird things. So in that case using the breaker might be easier

GFI breaker is better, no need to get in old boxes and a lot of the old boxes won't fit a GFI anyhow.

@@theelite1x721987 Unless it's nob and tube, they don't daisy chain it very often on that kind of system. Usually pigtails off the main run and comes down to each box individually no jumpers. Then you gotta do single location gfci protection. That's why putting it in the panel is the best option. Saves you from having to put g f c i at every single box.

​@@ryanyork837if you have knob & tube, your first priority should be a whole rewire, and while you're at it go ahead and thank God your house is still standing

@@D_A_M-091 That all depends if it's been modified or if it was put together correctly to start with. It's old wiring and it should be updated to handle the loads for today. But not always an option because it's not in the budget for most people. Especially if it's for a landlord. They will do everything they can to get by on the cheapest fixes. Because they're not interested in putting lots of money into a dump house that they may turn around and sell just to be torn down for new development.

Box might not be safely grounded with something that will safely carry away 16A . Need a thick AWG9 or bigger to safely ground a 16A circuit, even if regulation is more permissive.

Why? Because code requirements that's why. You know...us actual electricians follow it.

1) To meet code 2) To keep your family safe

It’s a green Robby, Phillips or flat. You don’t need that special screwdriver

any box store... better torque than the latter's...🤔✌️👍🙏☯️

Use the screwdriver you already own. That screwdriver is totally not needed for outlets

Only works if the box has been grounded

​@@michaeldunham3385 but the box is connected to the stud via screws.. should act as a minor ground, right? unless a human with wet, salty hands touches the receptacle 😅

@@sidb9540 to be an effective ground it needs to be of very low electrical resistance hence why we have sophisticated measuring equipment and charts detailing the maximum value of resistance for specific over current devices so that actually work when they need to

Because he's a RU-vid electrician not a real electrician.

​@@CybekCusal OK smart guy what is he supposed to ground it to the metal Box what good does that do it doesn't go anywhere it's connected to wood and fabric wrap wire. So let's have the professional exploration then shall we.

What for?

There is no ground wiring in the house.

He said it comes with the GFCI

@@catsaregovernmentspies never seen them come with any GFCI I have ever bought. 🤔

Nope. GFCI detects differences in current between the hot and neutral to trip.

The one shown here will take both 125 and 250 plugs. What a dumb idea that was . Read my comment about them.

?

No

@@CybekCusal Yes, this is an acceptable option per NEC.

@@cgschow1971 are you a licensed electrician?

@@CybekCusal I decline to say either way, but that is irrelevant. What is relevant is 406.4 (D)(2). Your local AHJ may vary.

Maybe don’t play Electrician

You could, but the outlet itself will not have a ground connection. You're basically relying solely on the GFCI to protect from faults.

@@tier3rd375 ok thank you for the reply . I appreciate it. Quick question. Those lil plug in testers thst tells if it’s wired correct if it says it’s wired correctly on the meter that means the outlet is properly grounded ?

If it doesn't have a ground, it should be saying open ground. If it's not, then you either have a properly grounded outlet or someone wired it by adding a jumper to the neutral and ground terminals, which is not safe and goes against code.

@@tier3rd375 thanks a bunch

​@@tier3rd375which is exactly what a gfi is for