How To SAFELY Replace a 2 Prong Ungrounded Outlet with a Standard Receptacle using GFCI!

In this quick video I go over how you can switch from an ungrounded 2 prong receptacle to a standard 3 prong outlet by using a GFCI device. Note that I you should not feed down stream receptacles with this method but will rather need a dedicated GFCI for each location.

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Blessings,

Ben

[Humphretj]

Some interesting things to note. The AJA (authority having Jurisdiction) in our area (SW MN) says that in a dwelling unit we need to install tamper resistant outlets. To my knowledge they don't make a tamper resistant 2 prong receptacle so even those the code states you can put a 2 prong receptacle in place of 2 prong the tamper resistant portion of the code would make that new 2 prong receptacle non-Complaint. Additionally, the area inspector is enforcing that if you replace a 2 prong receptacle with a GFCI and the ground is not present you would need to also install a receptacle capable of Arc fault as well as ground fault protection; a Dual Function receptacle. This statement is meant to agree or disagree with the AJA's stance but to bring to light how the code can be interpreted by the different inspectors very differently.

[John-dpln]

Good advice. Lots of difficult ways to rig in a ground. Lots of times the house still has a fuse panel. Installing gfci fast and easy way to make unsafe ungrounded outlet safe.

[brianbuddyACP]

As others have pointed out, you actually can replace a 2 prong with a 3 prong non GFCI, IF it has GFCI protection and is labeled as "GFCI Protected" and "No Equipment Ground". The GFCI protection can come from either a circuit breaker or a GFCI receptacle's load terminals.

[Longeno]

or you can have a grounding conductor added to the receptacle circuit, updating it to meet current electrical standards ; )

[okaro]

The GFCI will trip when you touch the equipment so you might still feel some sting. If the equipment is grounded somehow like being on a grounded surface then it can trip immediately without touching.

[aurvaroy]

This works, but the GFI receptacle won't trip when there's a short between hot and ground, which is what the outlet testers do. It will only trip when there's an inbalance between hot and neutral, which is what the test button on the outlet does.

[SolarShenanigans]

There were a few years from 1959-1961 IIRC where they had a ground on the box for bonding purposes but still had 2 prong receptacles... so if your house was built in that era you can often times pick up that ground from the box and be able to replace the 2 prong receptacles with 3 prong ones safely without using a GFCI.

[JCWise-sfww]

I live a house with 2 prong outlets from 1954, but they did originally install wiring with a ground wire and did ground the outlet metal boxes. In that case I can install 3 prong outlets and have safety ground protection.

[brianleeper]

Are you at Menard's? The shelf labels look like neither Big Blue (Lowe's) or Big Orange (Home Depot)

[bobhardy]

Good coverage on updating an old 2 prong system. One issue: after I swapped out the 2 prong to 3 prong and installed the GFCI that fed all the subsequent outlets, a hand held tester didn't pop the GFCI. The GFCI self test did activate when tested on the GFCI outlet and killed the outlets fed off of GFCI. I read that the hand held tester with the lights to verify neutral and ground don't generate a proper fault to pop the GFCI. I did label all of the three prong outlets with proper signage. (no ground, GFCI protected).

[JB-kuml]

Even in canuck land think can still do that here with a GFCI

[bernlitzner]

My entire house had two prong...I replaced them all and put in AFCI/GFCI breakers at the main panel. (I had a new panel put in when I bought the house). Another way of doing it if your breaker panel is compatible with what's out there.

[gslavik]

In my case, I had underground 2 prong receptacles, but I actually had a ground conductor in the wall tied to the metal electrical box.

[davegt]

what is better to have a GFI at the plug or at the circuit breaker panel ??

[dougboivin]

So if there is a ground wire behind the two prong receptacle, you can replace it with a 3 prong grounded receptacle?

[BenjaminSahlstrom]

This is the applicable code section that addresses this in the 2023 NEC:

(2) Non-Grounding-Type Receptacles
Where attachment to an equipment grounding conductor does not exist in the receptacle enclosure, the installation shall comply with 406.4(D)(2) (a), (D)(2) (b), or (D)(2) (c).
A non-grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be replaced with another non-grounding-type receptacle(s).
A non-grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be replaced with a ground-fault circuit interrupter-type of receptacle(s). These receptacles or their cover plates shall be marked "No Equipment Ground." An equipment grounding conductor shall not be connected from the ground-fault circuit-interrupter-type receptacle to any outlet supplied from the ground-fault circuit-interrupter receptacle.
A non-grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be replaced with a grounding-type receptacle(s) where supplied through a ground-fault circuit interrupter. Where grounding-type receptacles are supplied through the ground-fault circuit interrupter, grounding-type receptacles or their cover plates shall be marked "GFCI Protected" and "No Equipment Ground, " visible after installation. An equipment grounding conductor shall not be connected between the grounding-type receptacles.

[tunnelwind]

why do they say you should not use 20 amp receptacle with 15 amp breaker.

[smeado]

I acknowledge it's not to code, but what's the difference between having a 2 prong ungrounded receptacle and a 3 prong ungrounded receptacle labeled as having no equipment ground? It seems like the whole point of using 2 prong receptacles is so the user knows there isn't a ground.

[alejandrogalarza]

Excuse the ignorance...What is the purpose of a GFCI outlet if we already have a pin with an effective ground fault current path + Overcurrent device? I feel that it is too expensive a redundancy and these outlets are an example of this, they protect you even without having a ground cable.
Someone who can enlighten me.

[borsistephen]

Why not connect the neutral to the ground. They're connected at the panel anyway