Electrical Wiring No ground tails

[22sas100]

what a fucking jurk

[toddyallen33]

RAISE YOUR VOICE!

[rhblakeman]

Man I'm just a homeowner that does his own wiring, though I have decades of experience and other than lack of a license I'm at the level of a pro electrician and I know a ground is required. My wife who only helps me from time to time knows. My sisters who have never wired an outlet in their lives know, from my dad wiring in our house as kids. That's why I spend the money to get the NEC Handbook every 3 yrs, plus it is used daily for business when I do low voltage and communications/telco work.

[michaelalanlee]

Excellent! I find this all the time. I open up a box or outlet and scratch my head wondering "what the heck is going on here?" The idea behind this video is fundamentally important as a matter of safety. Poor wiring, usually by inexperienced but self confident home owners, puts in some really bad stuff that is "good enough" for the moment but would keep me awake at night if I knew what was behind the walls. Good job man!

[noway180]

your voice is so load, please talk quiter. Thanks

[AFJRR]

CALL AN ELECTRICIAN!!!!!!!!!!

[mazdarx7head]

The audio volume of Ur videos is horrifically low.

[atomicnortherner]

@mazdarx7head I agree! SPEAK UP ATLEAST!

[SuperTechieJ]

Would one of those $3.00 testers I see at Wal-Mart be able to detect this type of problem?

[sparkyUonline]

@SuperTechieJ There are many testers out there that will test for this. Personally I would go with a name brand tester for any electrical test you do.

[SuperTechieJ]

@sparkyUonline

I understand.

I was just asking because I have a laptop (Macbook Pro) and the power brick comes with one three pronged cord that is grounded, and a small two blade ungrounded piece for portability. They are interchangeable.

I usually just carry the smaller ungrounded one so I don't have an extra cord flying around my bag.

[maybachlover15]

when using metal boxes and EMT conduit is it necessary to add a ground screw to the box and connect a ground wire to the receptacle/ switch?

[sparkyUonline]

@maybachlover15 Yes as well as providing the proper sized ground in the couduit.

[maybachlover15]

@sparkyUonline really, because I have always been taught that the EMT acts as a ground and there is no need to add a ground. In fact the only time I have ever been taught to use grounding wire is when using metal flex that is more than 6' long.

[hugosarah1]

ok i get if the ground wire is their pig tail it.but FYI the gfi doesnt need a ground wire to work. it work by detecting a difrence in amps between the hot n common wires. thats y theirs a stiker that says no equiptment ground.

[SENTRY000]

I remember I used to forget to ground certain receptacles as well when I went to college.

You would be surprised how many kids did as well.

[fancysnake1]

really hard to here

[PointLomaElectric]

Looks to be in the Southwest (stucco). I never line-load my GFI's. I pigtail and install a GFI at every required location. This was probably installed by someone too lazy to mess with ground wires. I also pigtail all receptacles because 80% of my service calls are due to open circuits caused by one loose stab-lock. I've been a sparky since 1971. I enjoy your vids. san diego electrician.

[thecityismine08]

Home built new in 1979. The outside sockets only trip the inside bathroom socket. 10 yrs ago electrician did some basement wiring. The bathroom has NO RESET/TEST buttons,& will only trip the upstairs bathroom, (mind you this is about 10 inches above the actual SINK!!) He said it's GFCI & the outside were allegedly as well in 79. Essentially doesn't a true GFCI need a TEST/RESET?(Not identical as a regular) I purchased a GE tester but am afraid to use it upstairs(the only socket w/ TEST/RESET)

[anthonyhiscox]

@thecityismine08

GFCI's do not require a test/reset button. Besides a single outlet, there are two other ways I know of that one can obtain ground fault protection. 1) By attaching additional devices to the load side of a GFCI outlet that does have a test/reset button (these are the terminal covered by a yellow sticker), or 2) by installation a GFCI circuit breaker in the panel. It is much cheaper for regular outlets vs GFCI, hence why some go this route. But callbacks get expensive quick too!

[zer0dahero]

@anthonyhiscox Installing a GFCI circuit braker is a good idea however, I encoutered a situation when the GFCI would trip if anything was plugged in any of the outlets on the circuit. The regular circuit braker worked fine. In fact, at times, the GFCI braker would just trip when nothing was plugged in. Anyone have a suggestion about this problem?

[anthonyhiscox]

@thecityismine08

P.S. Don't be afraid to use your GFI tester, you just insert it, compare the lights to the diagram, push the button to trigger a ground fault, reset your GFCI outlet and check again. Should any of these steps fail, check back here or call a qualified professional.

[videoeer]

This past week I encountered an outside outlet where the homeowner had managed to crisscross two circuits, get the colors reversed, and wired the GFI with two hot wires (one black, one white) and no neutral. Talk about safe!

[glenwoofit]

Hi I'm an electrician from the UK and i was wondering about your GFI's in the uk they are called RCD's (Residual Current Devices) Our RCD's (For Socket Use) opperate within 30mA and trip within 0.4 of a Second or voltage on the earth of 50 Volts or more and I was wondering whats the speck of the GFI's? The reason for our specks is that 30mA flowing accross the heart for a duration of more than 0.4 of a second (Which is one human heart beat) will stop the heart or interupt its rhythm...

[metubegirl69er]

cant hear you, speak up

[kary1982v6]

I am with you, I have not done any Electrical professionally and I know that. you should see my house. whoever did its wiring should be shot. no where near what it should be and to fix it would involve ripping out Sheetrock and rewiring the whole dang thing! yuck!

[electric103]

All though the device should always be bonded. In old home where there was no ground wire the proper thing to do is find the first receptacle on the circuit identify the incoming hot and neutral put this on the line side, and all the rest of the outlets down stream on the load side. Therefore if you want to get technical what was done is actually not that bad. Again the best way is to utilize the ground, but your making a bigger deal about it than needs be. It's in the code book check it out.

[sparkyUonline]

New building remodel.Does not apply to older building codes.

[electric103]

The code is the code it does not specify remodel/older it is quite clear. Check it out maybe we will interpret it differently. I think the argument here is that it's not as though the homowner was by any means in danger. Lets agree to disagree. Take care

[TheJoseph313]

@electric103 there was a ground wire in thebox that could of been used, what do you mean this was not that bad? Oh and you forgot to add if you do do it your way you have to put a sticker on every outlet on the load side of the GFCI that says no equipment ground!

[WizzRacing]

@electric103 It is that bad. You have no path for any short to get back to the service. One reason where I live in Texas anytime you work on something it must be done to todays code. If you really want to be an electrician goto California. They have the hardest inspectors and testing in the world and this shit would not fly!

[maltyful]

Did the new line wires come from a 2 wire ungrounded circuit ? The ground wires could be there and not bonded to a GEC. The GFI receptacle will work without the EGC and it's required on a existing 2 wire circuit outside. It should be taged no equipment ground. Were the ground wires grounded on the new 12 wire?

[xxakli]

does a GFCI need a ground wire to work?

[Etrician55]

@xxakli No, it will sense an imbalaced load between hot and neutral and will trip, in fact in old house wiring, if there is no ground it is recommended that a GFI be installed to protect the circuit and to the video instructor, there is a safer way to find your line and your load without turning the power on, just do a simple neutral to ground continuity test.....

[sniperusg50]

sorry somebody has already said that i should read other comments

[sniperusg50]

why dont you sleeve the CPC (earth, ground) wire with yellow and green like we do in the uk and why dont you earth the back of the box?

[Etrician55]

@sniperusg50 we do ground the back of our boxes... in this case that appeared to b a plastic box... think about that.... and the reason our grounds are bare is to touch every bit of metal they can for optimal grounding.....

[dawley84]

if you have sheathed wiring going into an metal box then we do bond to the box. but if you have a metallic raceway then it is not really necessary because the box is already grounded

[Nivicoman]

@sniperusg50 Yes I don't like bare earth wires. I'm always afraid they will contact the hot or neutral.

[sniperusg50]

@Nivicoman you should check out the 17th edition wireing regs we have in the uk and let me know what you think. would be good to know what you guys the the states think of it.

[ilkill3dil]

This is a good standard of work where im from.

[ChapelHillElectric]

I can hear other videos, hmmmm I'm perplexed.

[ChapelHillElectric]

Am I the only one that can not hear this quiet talking guy?

[sparkyUonline]

Sorry Bud but Sound is fine on my computers!

[Pack6Joe]

I am a novice who is just interested in the art. I have a question concerning pigtailing: If an outlet has armored cable with only a black and white wire and NO ground wire (metal part of cable IS grounded), is it OK to run a single "non-pigtailed" wire from the receptacle to the box metal? Or does the ground wire have to be pigtailed? Thanks.

[Etrician55]

@Pack6Joe if the armored metal cable runs back to the panel then its grounded there, and at your receptical box, so seeing as your box is now an efficient ground you can run a copper pigtail (of appropriate guage) from your box to your recepticle

[dawley84]

usually on the receptacle the ears on the top are connected by metal to the ground screw, so just screwing the receptacle into the box will ground it as long as the box is really grounded. if you can read voltage between the hot and the box you have ground. but bonding a wire to the box for extra measure is ok too

[HogHunterNSon]

Keep up the good work sparkyUonline! I see crap like this all the time and although it keeps me busy fixing all this mess, I still hate it! I'm still amazed at how many people don't realize the dangers of electricity!

[sparkyUonline]

Thanks for your comment!

[timeforchili]

how do you ground a gfi when the wiring is old and only has hot/neutral...no ground?

[sparkyUonline]

A GFCI monitors for a current imbalance between the hot and the neutral conductors therefore a ground connection is not necessary.See article 210-7 of the National Electric Code.

[ChipMaplewood]

Ha ha ha!

We, Russians never do this stuff :)

If i show you my plug and socket you will be very chocked ^:)

I like that felling, when you want to get something in fridge, it hit you with 220V after touched. Oh Boy!!!

[cicarnal]

ohh yeah forgot to mention the ground.. but then again u already have...

[cicarnal]

for one... there is more than an 1/8" between the edge of the box to the wall surface, 2 you should have at least six (6) inches of wire from the edge of the wall.. do i see a white romex and a yellow romex... i sure hope that was on a 15amp breaker..

[sparkyUonline]

You have made some good observations above what I pointed out.This is why I do these videos,to show people the type of work being done out there by so called J/W's.A person can be the most "book smart" individual but when it comes to common sense--and using that information to do quality work ,it's just not out there.

[LIVEOHMS]

You guys are about 20-30 years behind us. First you have not sleved you "grounds" uninsullated copper in the back of a socket NICE ONE!!! Second am I right in thinking that is a outside socket? Do you think making a weather proof version would be a good idea??? There's some common sense for you. No wonder you lot are only allowed 110v. The main reason you earth or "ground" a socket is to give the portable appliance you plug in a fault parth.

[sparkyUonline]

The outlet is on the load side of a gfci!

Don't talk to me about the bare ground,call the NEC and complain,I think they should be insulated too!

[sniperusg50]

dude the rest of the world bases there regs on euro regs so it will come to the usa soon

[ballsniff13]

you would be fine 15 to 20 amp breaker would be ok with that plug

[cicarnal]

i know it would be fine with a 15 amp but considering it has 14 gauge wire a 20 amp would not be appropriate.. fyi

[106chimunk]

yeah 12 guage is rated for 20 not 14

[06chevysilvy]

its a plastic box... and even it were metal the ground wire needs to be connected to the box so no it wouldnt be grounded even if the box were metal...

[cicarnal]

please elaborate and tell me how can u seriously ground a plastic box.. find me a location where it has a factory hole for a ground screw.. lol.. u must be an apprentice.. better yet.. a backyard electrician or a handyman.. lol

[sparkyUonline]

Look at the outlet and gfci.!!!There is not a tail from the device to the romex. Backyard-HARDLY-Handyman-not on your life. The problem with a lot of electricians is that they don't pay attention to details.Perhaps I didn't explain it well enough in the video:but surly U noticed the grounds missing on the device screws??

Sparky

[bodjee123zilwa]

Assuming that a plastic box is none conductive, I guess there is no need to have it grounded.

[sparkyUonline]

Not in this case,the boxes are plastic.Even when your using a metal box the device mounting screws are not designed to ground the device.

[dawley84]

in the chicago area all residential wiring is in conduit. We dont run any ground wires and do not bond the receptacle to the box. Here it is ok to use the device mounting screws to ground the device. just in residential though.

[stangcobraii]

I know you're supposed to use the ground screw, but isn't it still grounded through the box?