If you put me in charge of buying outlets all you will get are commercial grade, self grounding, clamp plate terminal outlets.
One of the things we have done for decades, ANY house more than 10-15 years old, that we are doing a complete remodel on, gets ALL the wiring devices replaced.
That way, we can check lots of aspects of the wiring, grounding, etc. And it is one of those subtle things that makes a house look new.
Nothing says “cheap house flipper” like a fresh paint job and old dingy outlets and switches.
Even using the most expensive devices, it is an inexpensive upgrade that makes a big impact. Typically only takes a days labor, sometimes two.
Greg, note the little brass piece on the bottom strap. This means that you do not have to put a wire on the ground screw at all if you are installing the outlet in a metal box that you know is grounded.
The outlet will be grounded thru the two screws that hold it in. No fussing with little ground tail wires.
You are not grounding the outlet with the neutral. This is not easy science to explain.
ALL thru the house the ground wire and the neutral wire are separate.
BUT, back at the panel, where the ground rod is connected and any plumbing bonding is connected, the neutral system and the ground system are tied together.
There are only three wires coming from the power company. A grounded neutral and two hot phase wires.
It is only outward from your panel that there is a separate neutral and safety ground.
So again, there will be continuity between the white neutral wire and the ground wire/grounding system. Despite that, they serve different functions. The neutral wire carries current, The ground wire does not and simply sits there and “waits” for a fault (short) and thereby provides a redundant secondary path for safety.
i understand that difference between Neutral (white), Gound and Hot (black) and that Neutral and Ground are both connected to the ground bar (?) in the box panel which has a connection to a water pipe, and that the Neutral wire carries current
so by “self grounding” you mean that outlets can get ground from the metal box if the box is grounded and it could be grounded if the ground wire is bent over where the cable comes thru the clamp and makes contact with the metal clamp on the metal box.
just opened up my electric box and saw one older gray cable and several romex cables without grounds amoung other romex cables with ground wires
i just opened up the ceiling in my train room and only saw gray cables. didn’t chase down a junction where they must be connected to romex going back to the panel
i believe i should add a wire between the water pipe and wall plate screw to ground the outlet the layout is plugged into
Yes, the ground and the neutral are connected in the panel, yes if the outlet box is grounded all you need to do is install the correct outlets.
Double check those wires in the panel that don’t seem to have ground wires. They may also be grounded at the connector where they enter the panel and the folded/wrapped ground wire may not be readily visible inside the panel.
Back when we did that, we would fold them over pretty tight and then wrap them around the outer jacket a few times. They are often almost completely hidden by the connector strap.
Again, easy test, remove the old outlet, check continuity between the box and the neutral. If you have continuity, install a self grounding outlet and you are fixed up.
These days there is one issue with using plumbing grounds. People do repairs and then cover them up. It is hard to be sure without testing that all your plumbing is continuously metal and is properly bonded to the electrical service.
I don’t plumb houses completely in copper any more. Totally inert plastics like CPVC and PEX are much better long term. My preference is CPVC.
When you say “gray” cables, do you mean a darker silvery gray? That has a bit of a texture to the surface? That is older cloth covered Romex, and they usually do have a very small (18 gauge?) ground wire and would have almost always been grounded at the connectors, both at the outlet box and the panel.
The jacket of that wire is actually cloth and paint.
The green colored screw on the outlet is intended for grounding non-metallic (NM) cable such as romex. NM cable always comes with an unshielded wire for grounding since such is cable is not self-grounding. In a house wire with romex, for example, every outlet should be wired to the unshielded wire in the cable and all romex connections inside the outlet box should be joined together as well to form one complete circuit that is grounded back at the service panel.
If you look at the label on a roll of NM cable, it shows the gauge and number of wires such as 14/2 or 12/3, etc. However, there will always be one additional wire for the ground. So, for example, a 14/2 cable will actually contain a third wire to be used in grounding in addition to the hot wire and neutral wire.
MOST of it did have a ground wire, but the ground wire was smaller gauge (18 or 16 in most cases) and it was common to ground the box as I have described. Most outlets were still two pronged in those days.
Some guys were running the wire into the panel and/or outlet box and grounding it on a screw or the neutral bar in the panel, but that was not required by code until the late 60’s or early 70’s.
The gray wire Greg is describing is no doubt cloth covered Romex with a small gauge ground most likely all/many grounded at the cable connectors on both ends.
Thanks for answer. When you said “L” shape. I thought literally an L (leg down/leg across). How in the world is that useful. LOL…Yes, the legs to support the layout have a “cross-sectional” “L” configuration. Your method of construction is my type. Use whatever I have to do whatever I need done. Occasionally I don’t have the proper tool and have to make a “look-alike”. Like they say, “Getter Done”
Ref: Your electrical advisor has advised you well. I sometimes cut corners, but NEVER without safety concerns applicable.
Are you a good carpenter? I admire the cuts on your cross bracing. I would like to learn: given two parallel posts……how to cut proper angles on each board of the crossover……then the ends would fit flush with the two posts. (I have tried to cut braces to fit against a baseboard, then fit to the edge of a bench.) No luck.