sharkbait20
New Member
Hello, I am a new member and new homeowner. I just purchased my first house which was a "completed" flip. I bolded the most pertinent information in case you want to cut through the fluff.
A little bit about the house:
The house was built in 1945 and has been converted from fuses to a (100 amp?) breaker panel. The walls are mostly, if not entirely, lathe & plaster. Most of the outlets in the house (with the exception of a 3 in the kitchen, 1 in the upstairs bath, and a few in the finished basement) are 2 prong receptacles. Other than what I have been told by the electricians that have come out to look at the house (cloth wiring, existing 3 prong outlets are grounded by some means) I am unsure of what the exact status or construction methods are of the current electrical system.
Being that we live in 2020 and I have several electronic items that I plan on using in the house (TV/entertainment center, home computer, guitar amplifier, etc) I would like to get 3-prong outlets that are properly grounded.
Now, I am not very well versed in electricity or wiring, but it is my understanding is that there are a few different methods to accomplish this: PS - PLEASEEEEEE feel free to chime in with any pros/cons or correct my misinformation
1) Replace all receptacles with 3 prong outlets without doing anything else. - Obviously, this will not ground the outlet and will be completely useless for any reason other than to simply be able to just plug a 3-prong plug into the receptacle.
2) Replace all receptacles with GFCI outlets. - This will not "ground" the outlets, but will create a safety in that the GFI will trip if something were to happen. Creates the headache of having to potentially install new boxes(?) in the walls to accommodate the larger GFCI receptacle as well as having every, single, outlet, in the house, a GFCI (maybe I'm just being picky?)
3) Place a GFCI at the panel and replace all 2-prong outlets with 3-prong. - Eliminates the need to rewire the house. Creates the burden of having to run down to the basement to reset the GFI whenever anything in the entire house trips it. If/when the GFI does trip, power is lost to everything in the house, not just one circuit. I received a $1200 quote for this method, but I am weary of the method.
4) Replace 2-prong outlets with 3-prong and ground the outlet directly to the steel box. - This is not as ideal as rewiring, but still accomplishes the goal and is to code(?)
5) Rewire the house (or at least the effected outlets) to include a dedicated ground wire that is run back to the service panel. - I can see this as the ultimate correct way of doing things. The problem is the cost. The quote I received was for $2700 (converting about 15 outlets and adding 2 additional outlets out in the detached garage), and that doesn't include the cost to repair/paint the lathe & plaster that would be damaged during the installation process.
Looking to get more thoughts/opinions and knowledge on the issue and whether or not proper grounding is really as big of a deal as I am making it out to be.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through this and for sharing your knowledge, experiences, and opinion!
Stay Safe!
-Sharkbait
A little bit about the house:
The house was built in 1945 and has been converted from fuses to a (100 amp?) breaker panel. The walls are mostly, if not entirely, lathe & plaster. Most of the outlets in the house (with the exception of a 3 in the kitchen, 1 in the upstairs bath, and a few in the finished basement) are 2 prong receptacles. Other than what I have been told by the electricians that have come out to look at the house (cloth wiring, existing 3 prong outlets are grounded by some means) I am unsure of what the exact status or construction methods are of the current electrical system.
Being that we live in 2020 and I have several electronic items that I plan on using in the house (TV/entertainment center, home computer, guitar amplifier, etc) I would like to get 3-prong outlets that are properly grounded.
Now, I am not very well versed in electricity or wiring, but it is my understanding is that there are a few different methods to accomplish this: PS - PLEASEEEEEE feel free to chime in with any pros/cons or correct my misinformation
1) Replace all receptacles with 3 prong outlets without doing anything else. - Obviously, this will not ground the outlet and will be completely useless for any reason other than to simply be able to just plug a 3-prong plug into the receptacle.
2) Replace all receptacles with GFCI outlets. - This will not "ground" the outlets, but will create a safety in that the GFI will trip if something were to happen. Creates the headache of having to potentially install new boxes(?) in the walls to accommodate the larger GFCI receptacle as well as having every, single, outlet, in the house, a GFCI (maybe I'm just being picky?)
3) Place a GFCI at the panel and replace all 2-prong outlets with 3-prong. - Eliminates the need to rewire the house. Creates the burden of having to run down to the basement to reset the GFI whenever anything in the entire house trips it. If/when the GFI does trip, power is lost to everything in the house, not just one circuit. I received a $1200 quote for this method, but I am weary of the method.
4) Replace 2-prong outlets with 3-prong and ground the outlet directly to the steel box. - This is not as ideal as rewiring, but still accomplishes the goal and is to code(?)
5) Rewire the house (or at least the effected outlets) to include a dedicated ground wire that is run back to the service panel. - I can see this as the ultimate correct way of doing things. The problem is the cost. The quote I received was for $2700 (converting about 15 outlets and adding 2 additional outlets out in the detached garage), and that doesn't include the cost to repair/paint the lathe & plaster that would be damaged during the installation process.
Looking to get more thoughts/opinions and knowledge on the issue and whether or not proper grounding is really as big of a deal as I am making it out to be.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through this and for sharing your knowledge, experiences, and opinion!
Stay Safe!
-Sharkbait