Grounded vs Ungrounded Outlets

During a real estate inspection on an older house the inspector typically points out that the home’s electrical system is ungrounded. Meaning it is a two wire system – a hot and neutral, no third wire for ground like a modern electrical system. The original outlets are two prong.  They are missing the third hole for the ground wire that makes them look kind of like a smiley face. The inspector can’t ‘ding’ you for this system.  In the Dayton OH area you are not required to bring an older home to modern day code. 

Over time outlets wear out and we go to Lowes or Home Depot to find a replacement. The two prong outlets are harder to find and inconvenient to use since many of the things we want to plug in these days have a 3 prong plug. So, we buy the 3 prong outlet. Then, one day you decide to sell your house and the inspector flags the outlets as ungrounded and the buyer gets nervous. This is because the 3 prong outlet you installed on a two wire system gives the misleading appearance that your outlets are grounded and that’s where the rub comes in with the inspector. 

There are several ways to correct this. First, switch the outlets back to 2 prong so it’s obvious to the user the system is ungrounded. Another option is to install GFCI outlets that will interrupt the circuit if a short occurs. Installing GFCI breakers in the electric panel to protect all the outlet circuits is another fix. The most expensive and intrusive way is to have a ground wire run to all outlets. If you need help through the inspection process on your home sale or purchase in the Dayton area I’m always available to discuss.