Ungrounded Electrical Receptacles

important safety feature that has been required in new construction since 1962,

as it minimizes the risk of electric shock and protects electrical equipment

from damage. Modern, grounded 120-volt receptacles in the United States have a small,

round ground slot centered below two vertical hot and neutral slots, and it provides an alternate path for electricity that may

stray from an appliance.

Older homes often have ungrounded, two-slot receptacles that are

outdated and potentially dangerous. Homeowners sometimes attempt to perform the following dangerous modifications to

ungrounded receptacles:

• the

  use of an adapter, also known as a "cheater plug." Adapters permit the

  ungrounded operation of appliances that are designed for grounded

  operation. These are a cheaper alternative to replacing ungrounded

  receptacles, but are less safe than properly grounding the connected

  appliance;

• replacing a two-slot receptacle with a

  three-slot receptacle without re-wiring the electrical system so that a

  path to ground is provided to the receptacle. While this measure may serve as a seemingly proper receptacle for three-pronged

  appliances, this “upgrade” is potentially more dangerous than the use of

  an adapter because the receptacle will appear to be grounded and future owners

  might never be aware that their system is not grounded. If a building

  still uses knob-and-tube wiring, it is likely than any three-slot receptacles are ungrounded. To be sure, InterNACHI inspectors may test

  suspicious receptacles for grounding; and

• removal

  of the ground pin from an appliance. This common procedure not only prevents

  grounding but also bypasses the appliance’s polarizing feature, since a

  de-pinned plug can be inserted into the receptacle upside-down.

ungrounded electrical receptacles, upgrades are not necessarily required. Many small electrical

appliances, such as alarm clocks and coffee makers, are two-pronged and are

thus unaffected by a lack of grounding in the building’s electrical system.

and this may be accomplished in the following ways:

to upgrade ungrounded receptacles to meet modern safety standards and the requirements of today's typical household appliances.