| Author |
Message |
    
Walker
Citizen
Username: Walker
Post Number: 27
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 7, 2006 - 2:23 pm: | 
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I have mostly dealt with bx during my career.(mechanical ground) The question is my friend's house has old romex without grounds. I did see some very small arcs when changing there two prong outlets to three. The problem is there basement is finished and no attic, so there is no way to run new wiring without damage to the house. Obviously it has been like this for a long time. It is mostly living room and dining room outlets nothing drawing a lot of current.
Should I tell him don't worry or go for the money of fixing it. |
Robert O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Local24
Post Number: 68
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 7, 2006 - 3:39 pm: |
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Walker, a little word of advice. If you are NOT a licensed electrician, you do not belong in someone else's home changing out outlets (especially when there is no ground and you now are making it appear as though there is one).
If you are licensed, then I would assume you would already know the answers to these question(s)
If you accidentally burn their house down, are you going to pay the claim?
Are you going to allow them to commit insurance fraud too?
Are you going to let them stay with you after their claim is denied?
I don't want to (I know it sounds like I do, but don't) want to keep beating this drum but, as I read read the regulations.;
N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A Minor work doesn't apply to you (working in someone else's home
Please, do work in your own house.
Sorry to be so harsh but think of it this way. If someone else was doing this work ie: unlicensed, unbonded, uninsured, and working without permits and inspections, how would you feel about someone you know, (maybe you) buying that house? |
J L Bryant
Citizen
Username: Jeffbryant
Post Number: 53
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 7, 2006 - 3:48 pm: |
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Let me get this straight.... you changed-out receptacles for your friend.... and while performing this swap you saw/caused arcing from the wiring cable to???? (pls tell me this is NOT what you were doing...)
OR while you had the circuit off and you were pulling the old receptacles out, you saw burn marks or 'arcing' signs within the box or on the receptacle from the past.....?
Look, I'm not an electrician, but "blanketly" changing the old wiring doesn't seem like the only solution here. What did you attach the new grounds to now, if the existing wiring didn't have a third wire? Plus, if I'm not mistaken, arcing signs or burn marks don't exclusively result from a non-grounded system. I think this would be one of those circumstances where a pro should be called in. I'd ask for the more knowledgable electrical MOL guys to chime in...... |
Walker
Citizen
Username: Walker
Post Number: 28
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 7, 2006 - 6:59 pm: |
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No burn marks but when your right your right.I just told him to get someone to do it right. I was trying to save him a buck but it is not worth the house burning down |
Robert O'Connor
Citizen
Username: Local24
Post Number: 69
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 7, 2006 - 7:24 pm: |
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Thank You Walker. You are the bigger man for it.
 |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 12338
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 9:47 am: |
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Did they really manufacture "romex" without a ground? This is kind of mind boggling, since it is such a step back. As pointed out the old BX did provide a ground. Is it possible that Walker was confronted with old knob and tube wiring?
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Mike Rintzler
Citizen
Username: Beanpoppa
Post Number: 6
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 8:38 am: |
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In my house (constructed in 1946) we have a lot of gray romex-like cable. When you open it up, it has two conductors inside, and no ground. I originally figured that someone had improperly retrofitted a grounded outlet onto improper cable, until I plugged my tester in, and it indicated proper grounding. What I realized was that the outer insulation, which is PVC on romex, was actually a molded, flexible metal material. When clamped into the wiring box (a metal box with metal clamps, of course) it grounds the box. Perhaps this is the same type of wiring that the OP is referring to?
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Rich
Citizen
Username: Veneto
Post Number: 25
Registered: 5-2006
| | Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 1:12 pm: |
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You can use a pigtail to ground the outlet to the box itself. |
Bailey
Citizen
Username: Baileymac
Post Number: 406
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 9:22 pm: |
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My house was built in 1912 (with gas lights). Sometime thereafter it looks like electricians ran knob and tube wiring, following the gas piping routing.
The gas piping was cut and plugged inside the walls with wooden dowels btw, which had shrunk over the years to the point where gas was leaking out slowly. I discovered that while remodeling a bathroom on the 2nd floor, and adding lighting. I got close to a wooden plug and could smell the gas. Scary stuff, since a spark could have done me in! I immediately turned the gas off and disconnected the piping in the basment.
So anyway, the question is, how do you convert the current two pronged outlets with knob and tube wiring to three pronged ones? Would you need to run all the way back to the basement with a grounding wire? There are no real electrical boxes in the walls. |
daylaborer
Citizen
Username: Upondaroof
Post Number: 878
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 11, 2006 - 11:13 pm: |
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"The gas piping was cut and plugged inside the walls with wooden dowels btw, which had shrunk over the years to the point where gas was leaking out slowly."
Now that's big time scarey! |
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