Open Ground Outlets

[nwhiker]

We are buying a house and it was discovered that 5 outlets are open grounded. The panel is updated and appears to be properly grounded. I have read that the easy issue is installing GIF outlets. Any issues with this option? Are there any better repair options that don't call for opening the walls?

[Silverado]

Are those five outlets on the same leg? Meaning maybe a single connection was left off?

I certainly wouldn't consider this a big deal, assuming the rest of the panel does look good. If this is a newer home, you can bet there are lots of shortcuts the inspector did not find anyway.

[BudgetSlasher]

As has been mentioned if they are all on the same leg, it could just be a bad connection either at the panel or in one of the boxes on the circuit that breaks the ground.

If it is an older home without ground, at least where I have lived, yes a GFI can be installed at the first outlet (or possibly a GFI breaker) and the downstream 3-prong outlet labeled with a "no mechanical ground sticker." (As a point of clarity, that means they all don't have to be GFI, just the first outlet from the panel, which, if installed correctly, will protect the downstream outlets) In fact the last few GFIs I bought came with a small sheet of those stickers.

[nwhiker]

Four of the outlets are in the same room but on two walls. The other outlet is in a different room but on a shared wall. If I find the first outlet in line and install a GIF outlet will downstream outlets show up as grounded?

[Silverado]

Yes, assuming they are on the same leg. It surely is possible with what you describe that they are.

Hopefully someone with a lot more experience will jump in here.

[BudgetSlasher]

Four of the outlets are in the same room but on two walls. The other outlet is in a different room but on a shared wall. If I find the first outlet in line and install a GIF outlet will downstream outlets show up as grounded?

Yes, they will still have an open ground, that is what the no mechanical ground stickers are to alert of.

A ground wire provides a better path to ground than most routes (hopefully yourself included) a GFI monitors for power finding an alternative path to ground and shuts off before there is enough power draw to kill you.

I, personally, would have no concerns plugging almost anything into a open ground 3-prong outlet that is GFI protected.

[paddedhat]

Up until roughly sixty years ago, in the states, Romex had no ground. Proper protocol for that situation is to install a GFCI breaker or outlet at the start of the circuit to provide protection to the circuit that lacks grounding. In your case, I would bet that you have a connection at a receptacle box, behind a receptacle, where the ground splice had fallen apart. Not an uncommon problem, and easy to fix. Turn the circuit off, test to confirm that it's off, then start pulling receptacles out of their boxes and check splices.  the first rule of electrical troubleshooting is "don't waste time in the middle". If you can visualize a flow of power here, it starts closest to the panel the finds it's way to the first outlet without a ground.  Take that one apart, of the one closest to it, that appears to feed it, first and work from there.

[Jon Bon]

Up until roughly sixty years ago, in the states, Romex had no ground. Proper protocol for that situation is to install a GFCI breaker or outlet at the start of the circuit to provide protection to the circuit that lacks grounding. In your case, I would bet that you have a connection at a receptacle box, behind a receptacle, where the ground splice had fallen apart. Not an uncommon problem, and easy to fix. Turn the circuit off, test to confirm that it's off, then start pulling receptacles out of their boxes and check splices.  the first rule of electrical troubleshooting is "don't waste time in the middle". If you can visualize a flow of power here, it starts closest to the panel the finds it's way to the first outlet without a ground.  Take that one apart, of the one closest to it, that appears to feed it, first and work from there.

What about adding a ground?

Say there is an outlet in the basement that he can access. So add a ground wire to that outlet and put in the GFCI, run the new ground to the box.

Does that get you the best of both worlds or is this a terrible idea?

[paddedhat]

Up until roughly sixty years ago, in the states, Romex had no ground. Proper protocol for that situation is to install a GFCI breaker or outlet at the start of the circuit to provide protection to the circuit that lacks grounding. In your case, I would bet that you have a connection at a receptacle box, behind a receptacle, where the ground splice had fallen apart. Not an uncommon problem, and easy to fix. Turn the circuit off, test to confirm that it's off, then start pulling receptacles out of their boxes and check splices.  the first rule of electrical troubleshooting is "don't waste time in the middle". If you can visualize a flow of power here, it starts closest to the panel the finds it's way to the first outlet without a ground.  Take that one apart, of the one closest to it, that appears to feed it, first and work from there.

What about adding a ground?

Say there is an outlet in the basement that he can access. So add a ground wire to that outlet and put in the GFCI, run the new ground to the box.

Does that get you the best of both worlds or is this a terrible idea?

Not enough information available to answer the question, as far as I can tell.  Pretty much breaks down to, does the wiring in question have a ground wire inside the Romex assembly?  If it does, then a problem needs to be corrected, since there is a 99.9% chance that the outlets in question DID have a legitimate ground at one point.  Loose, broken, or open connections and splices are far from unusual in residential wiring, and a lot of troubleshooting in homes with issues involves locating problems like this, and correcting them. If the circuit has a ground wire, then you identify and repair the issue. Adding ground wires or tossing GFCI devices at it, doesn't resolve the issue. It's like a car with a leaky oil pan gasket.  Ty-wrapping a tinfoil roasting pan under the engine will get the thing to stop slopping oil all over your garage floor, but you didn't solve the problem, just hid the symptom.