How To Replace An Old 2 Prong Outlet Using 3 Prong GFCI

Caution: Be safe and if you don't feel comfortable with this install please call in a licensed electrician.

This video will demonstrate how to swap out an old 2 prong receptacle with a new 3 prong GFCI receptacle. This install follows NEC 406.4(D)(2) Non-Grounding-Type Receptacles code and we will go from start to finish. If you have any questions the best way to get help is to jump down in the comments or join our Facebook group "Everyday Home Repairs Community" where you can post your question.

Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:07 Turning Off Power
1:46 Removing Old 2 Prong Receptacle
2:29 Stripping Wires for New GFCI Receptacle
3:10 Wiring New GFCI Receptacle
3:53 Wrapping Receptacle with Electrical Tape
5:03 Testing New GFCI
5:31 How To Handle Multiple Receptacles On Same Circuit

Other Tools Used

Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[EverydayHomeRepairs]

Tools Every Weekend Warrior Needs

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[jaknap]

Great video. No music, no stupid humor…just the facts and to the point.

[oscarjones]

Your most practical video yet. Many people will install the gfi improvement. Thank You.

[michaeljavert]

At one time, I lived in a house (My Great Grandpa's House) that didn't even have polarized outlets. So Dad took me to the hardware store every weekend. My Dad didn't know what he was doing and just attached the wires to the screws and that was that. I used to think at my young age, 6 or 7 years old "That can't be right" but then didn't give it much more thought. When I became a teenager, I found my Grandma's Time Life Books. One of them was wiring basics. That book and riding to the library on my bike taught me so much more. I love the work but I am just not able to physically endure it anymore, so it makes me really upset that I can't do it, and I get even more upset when those that can, choose not to do it right. My Mother bought so many houses, because she LOVED different ones at different times. I always found wiring that was all wrong, like outlets ungrounded, reversed polarity open air wire splices, real fire hazards. So I would rewire them.

At one point my Mother said "I wish, just once, I could buy a house that you didn't have to rewire." I looked at her and said "Me too, Mother. Me too."

[mcmullen_photo]

Oh man, this was really helpful. Thank you! We have an 1950s house and I've been concerned about using those adapters for a while but didn't think I could upgrade the outlets myself. Now I know I can :)

[jellosmello]

I love this. Thank you! We bought a house built in 1963 and the entire upstairs needs to be switched out. Time to buy the materials and go to town. Power off first, of course 🙂

[DunnMotors]

Thanks for making this quick and easy. Everyone else talks too much and takes way to long for a video

[RozsaAmplificationLLC]

My dad was an electrician and journeyman. He taught me to wrap with electrical tape like you did here and then flip the end on itself for ease of removal if needed.
I have ALWAYS done this on every receptacle I have ever worked on! Thanks for the tips, Dad!

[billmcmichael]

Your videos are very helpful. One of my responsibilities is teaching safety. In a professional setting I always recommend 1) Test for power. 2) Test for power off. & 3) Make sure tester is working properly by testing a known live circuit to make sure your tester is working properly. Just want to be safe. Have seen the results of an unsafe environment and training. Hope this helps. Thanks for the videos and Happy 2022! Bill Mc

[jimlewis]

Enjoy the clarity of the instructions, and the suggestions of new parts available to accomplish the job. Thanks man.

[richardwhite]

Dude thank you. Electrical work has always intimidated the hell out of me and my entire house is old 2 prongs. You’ve made it much easier and less scary.

[Sparky-wwre]

Good info. For some of those folks in their younger years wondering why many very old socket have 2 slots shaped like a T turned onto it's side, here's a little history lesson: in the first few decades of the 20th century, when homes were being electrified for the first time and the abundance of household appliances became readily available and affordable to the middle class, there were two different types of plug widely used, the parallel, which resembles the type found on your lamp or hair dryer, and the tandem, which the prongs were in a straight horizontal line, and a battle fought between what would become the standard, very similar to the videotape format war, Betamax vs VHS. The tandem plug was officially listed for 15 amps, 250 volts, and the parallel 15 amps, 125 volts, sometime around the early 1950s. Just as VHS won over betamax in the mid 1980s give or take a few, several movies were available in betamax up to the early, to possibly mid 90s, the tandem plugs mostly went out of use earlier in the 20th century, it took some years for the standards to catch up, so to allow for the two different plugs, the old outlets could easily accept both.

[fansandvintage]

Thank you so much this was huge help. Our house was built in 1928 and my mom absolutely hates those 2 prong outlets so I replaced them all

[drbluzer]

I installed a GFCI ( GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTER ) in place of a regular three prong outlet that was mounted
in the kitchen, which was too close to a water source . The installation procedure was direct and easy to follow in the
directions provided .

[larezzatruman]

This is a great video. No filler, just the good stuff. Thk you! New subscriber

[chrisboyd]

Very timely for this to pop up in my feed. My daughter just bought a cape built in the 1860s. Full of knob and tube wiring, even one room wired with 12ga speaker wire.
We are gutting and rewiring the first floor. The second floor was gutted and rewired about ten years ago. Everything checked out except two outlets on the new circuits that were in interior walls that were NOT gutted. These two outlets were the last on their circuits and had the old two wires in place. I thought I was going to have to cut holes in the new walls and re-feed the outlets with Romex.
Now I know I can fix the issue with a couple of GFCI receptacles and save all the drywall/plaster work.
Thanks!!

[curiouscat]

Perfect presentation! Short and to the point yet covered all the bases, in fact taught me some things I didn't think to ask :) Wish I'd known this 10 yrs ago when I bought my 1920's house but now I'm renovating and this will be quite handy so I can do prep work before electrician does the panel work - thank you!

[jondeaux]

Wow, so straightforward! Thank you!! Great video, clear and to the point. Almost unheard of or unseen in these days of mindless blathering on channels to monetize everything.

[shubs]

When troubleshooting my own install, your tip for cutting/stripping for new copper and installing electrical tape around the receptacle solved my issue. Thanks!

[lilolmecj]

Thank you very much. My daughter and her man just bought a 67 year old house. I agreed to replace the most I can before I have to f, y home. Foolishly I did not pick up a voltage sensor, so I don’t know if the first one I tried was even live before I began, but I had thrown the breaker. So I went to another one, got it all wired up tight and then could not get it into the tiny box! Tomorrow I will grab a voltage thing, and try this tape wrap to see if I can get it in there. Between your video and one other I finally got it set in my mind exactly what the GFCI is doing in this situation. This was exactly what I needed.