Super dumb question (maybe) - does any of this apply if the boxes are plastic? My shop has a number of circuits with multiple (2,3,4) outlets. What should I look for? (I have zero trust for our previous owner and whoever they hired).
Guest
Super dumb question (maybe) - does any of this apply if the boxes are plastic? My shop has a number of circuits with multiple (2,3,4) outlets. What should I look for? (I have zero trust for our previous owner and whoever they hired).
[OP]
Guest
With plastic boxes it is imperative that the ground (bare or green) wire is connected to all the receptacles.Originally Posted by Dan Karachio
Contributor
Dan, all the receptacle grounding instructions apply, just not the grounding of the box.
(No point grounding an insulator)..............Regards, Rod.
Member
Dan your outlets (receptacles) should each have a ground wire running to them. Each has a green screw under which the ground should be landed. If the green screws aren't there you need to replace the receptacles, provided your house has grounded wiring. With plastic boxes there is no need to ground the box itself though. Pull your cover plates off and look for that bare copper ground on each outlet. If you don't have it you can easily add it, just kill the breaker for the circuit, pull the receptacles loose, locate the ground(s), and wire nut a short pigtail of wire from the ground to each individual receptacle. Easy to do.
When in doubt, you can get a receptacle tester like this at any home center for less than $15. If the tester indicates "open ground" on three prong receptacles, you may want to take a hard look at the wiring in the
home.
Even if the previous homeowner had an electrician do their work, it is only as good as the guy's knowledge and integrity. As a codes inspector I can assure you that many, many electricians (let alone handymen) have no business calling themselves electricians. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to PM me.
Member
If the boxes are plastic, you must connect the ground wire to the receptacle, switch, etc. Just connecting the ground to the box does nothing since the box cant conduct a short.
This is a hot button issue with me since I have been correcting it all over my house. I opened up the receptacle in my kitchen to replace the old almond receptacles with white decoras and found that they simply twisted the grounds together and screwed them to the box. No wirenuts or anything. They didn't connect to the receptacles which were not tight to the boxes either. One of the outside receptacles had no ground at all. It was cut off and bent back on the romex sheath before it was clamped inside the box. I guess I should be happy they at least clamped it.
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