Can we use both push in (on back) and side screws of one outlet?

I agree. I would still hook up the ground wire - perhaps the OP still has metal boxes. And who knows? On some future project he may open up the walls and have an opportunity to run a separate ground back to the panel.

I believe that when you wire in a an out let that has the third hole for ground when no ground is available, those plugs should be labled "no ground"

nealtw said:

I believe that when you wire in a an out let that has the third hole for ground when no ground is available, those plugs should be labled "no ground"

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The stickers come right in the box with the GFCI outlet. Stick one on every outlet down stream.

The pictures the OP provided show a close up of the existing terminations on the receptacles. That's what we in the trade like to refer to as shiners. That is, there is too much bare copper exposed on the ungrounded and neutral conductors. The wires should only be stripped back enough to terminate. At the same time, there should be enough stripped back so no insulation is getting pinched in the screw/clamp. Many of the GFCI's and other devices even tell you the length to strip. It is often stamped on the device. From the way it is now, there is the possibility that the ungrounded and neutral wires could come in contact with each other, which, in best case scenario, would result in a pretty loud pop and a tripped breaker. Depending on the age of the wire, worst case scenario would be it could lead to a fire.

,,,,,,,,,,,

bud16415 said:

I have no idea what others would do with the ground but to comply with code you need a GFCI in the circuit at the beginning of the run when it’s not practical to run all new cable. When I was doing new runs using cable with the grounds I would still connect the grounds even though they wouldn’t go back to the panel. I wouldn’t cut them off as you never know someone might run a new cable at some point and need them. The other thing you could do is coil the bare copper conductor up and stuff it in the back of the box.

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I know that many will find this surprising and I'm sure that some will argue very loudly that the code mandated approach is wrong but if you read my explanation carefully you may come to agree with the code making panels that the approach required by the code is the correct one.

You must not connect the Equipment Grounding Conductor in cables that are used to extend ungrounded circuits to either the metal boxes or the receptacles that you install in the extended portion of a two conductor circuit. The rational for that prohibition is that by bonding the new receptacles to each other or to ungrounded metal boxes you will have insured that an accidental fault between the energized current carrying conductor and a metal box or receptacle yoke will be extended to other parts of the circuit extension. In the absence of an accidental grounding path; such as contact between an energized metal electrical box and metal plaster lath; the stray voltage will be on all the interconnected, but ungrounded, electrical boxes, receptacle yokes, and the ground pins of the added receptacles as well as the conductive surface of any three wire load that gets plugged into the circuit extension. That widened exposure will continue until the ground fault actually is completed through the body of a human being or domesticated animal. You will have maximized the chance of someone coming in contact with the stray voltage. That won't keep the GFCI from doing it's job and opening the circuit but remember that only occurs after the stray current begins to actually flow to ground. Providing that the subject who gets shocked is in good cardiac health, over four years old, and not yet physically old enough to have developed an unstable heart rhythm the GFCI will prevent serious injury or death but not until the subject has received a shock. In electric shock trauma there are two general ways that the shock recipient gets injured. One is the current flow itself and the other is the body's reaction to the shock. Within the age and health limits that I have already outlined the GFCI will limit the current flow to a non injurious level. The GFCI cannot prevent the bodies reaction to the electric shock. That reaction is sometimes called startle effect. When that brief current flow occurs during the opening of the GFCI's mechanism all of the effected muscles will contract. The stronger of the muscles will win the contest and the victims legs will tend to straiten violently while their arms and hands contract and close. This has caused people to do as little as say owe and as much as throw themselves off or a ladder or down stairs. Instructions on how to minimize the chances of that shock ever occurring follow the quoted sections of the US National Electric Code(r) (NEC) which specifically forbid the interconnection of ungrounded, GFCI protected, circuit extensions of any length viz.

"NEC ARTICLE 406
Receptacles, Cord Connectors, and Attachment Plugs (Caps)

406.4 General Installation Requirements
Receptacle outlets shall be located in branch circuits in accordance with Part III of Article 210. General installation requirements shall be in accordance with 406.4(A) through (F).

(D) Replacements. Replacement of receptacles shall comply with 40 6.4(D)(1) through (D)(6), as applicable. Arc-fault circuit interrupter type and ground-fault circuit-interrupter type receptacles shall be installed in a readily accessible location.

(2) Non–Grounding-Type Receptacles. Where attachment to an equipment grounding conductor does not exist in the receptacle enclosure, the installation shall comply with (D)(2)(a), (D)(2)(b), or (D)(2)(c).

(b) A non–grounding-type receptacle(s) shall be permitted to be replaced with a ground-fault circuit interrupter-type of receptacle(s). These receptacles 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.
(c) 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. Grounding type receptacles supplied through the ground-fault circuit interrupter shall be marked “GFCI Protected” and “No Equipment Ground.” An equipment grounding conductor shall not be connected between the grounding-type receptacles." [emphasis added]

Now for the promised advise. In order to avoid installing any conductive pathway between the receptacle yokes, electrical boxes, and connected loads of either the existing or newly installed receptacle outlets the installer can use the cable jacket that was removed from the new cable at each end in order to expose sufficient conductor length to terminate the conductors to the receptacles as an insulating covering over the unused Equipment Grounding Conductor. Alternatively you can strip the actual insulation of of any conductor that is one gauge size larger and slide that insulation over the Equipment Grounding Conductor. The unused Equipment Grounding Conductor must then be coded green by painting, wrapping with green tape, by applying green colored marker, or by applying commercially available insulating coatings that are brushed on like paint and dry green in color. My preferred method is the application of insulation stripped off of the next sized conductor because I can use enough to extend up under the jacket of the NM cable and hold it in place by capping the Equipment Grounding Conductor with a small wire nut. That leaves the Equipment Grounding Conductors available for connection if an Equipment Grounding Conductor is later run back to an acceptable point on the Electrical Service Equipment. FWIW

Wow. Well explained and it makes sense.

Tom

I do agree and it sounds logical as long as you leave it in the box for future use as needed. I have seen guys nip them off and didn’t like that.