Grounding a two pronged outlet...

[Anonymous]

So I have to plug my MH ballast into a grounded outlet. Only problem is that I live in an old apt complex and all the plugs are two pronged except for one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom.

My options:

Drill a hole through the wall big enough to accomodate a plug, and incur the expenses involved taken out of my deposit.

Somehow modify my current outlets to take the ground wire. AFAIK the ground wire is simply connected to the ground. My idea here was to wire the third prong of the plug either to one of the 'real' outlets (would require drilling a much smaller hole, but still leaves an ugly wire running through my kitchen) or to the ground outside my window.

Any other ideas?

 

[Anonymous]

Replace the outlet. Purchase a 3-pronge outlet and the grounding wire of the outlet is screwed to metal outlet box in the wall.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

yep. all you need is a screwdriver. Take the old one out, and put the new one in. I did it on all the outlets in my old apartment. I took the price of all the outlets and the cover plates out of the rent.

B

 

[reefdood]

DO NOT touch both + and - wires a the same time. Even better, turn the circut off or if it's old pull the fuse first.

 

[grav]

OMG

DO NOT touch both + and - wires a the same time. Even better, turn the circut off or if it's old pull the fuse first.

Frank, FWIW, all ya gotta do is touch the + "hot" wire. You don't wanna touch anything thing at all till you pull the fuse or toss the circut.

 

[reefdood]

Eek, I always did hot wiring because I was told it's OK as long as you don't touch both wires. I'm gonna kill the guiy who told me that. I guess I've been lucky. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Best advise..turn the circuit off first..good practice with electricity/electronics...second, i second David's/Bingos advice...just replace it with a three pronged outlet

 

[shr00m]

holy crap! dude yes make sure you turn it off!!! its very dangerous to not have the powerff to that circuit if your messing with it

 

[Anonymous]

Replace the outlet. Purchase a 3-pronge outlet and the grounding wire of the outlet is screwed to metal outlet box in the wall.

Regards,
David Mohr

For some reason I thought it was more complicated than this. I had to have it done at another apt. and the guy had to pull some wire from another grounded outlet. Well, I'll try it and see if I can't electrocute myself.

If I should die, I want all my sump bucks to go to Righty.

 

[ZooKeeper1]

I really think it is more complicated than that. All of your boxes probably dont share a green ground wire, they rely on the white neutral, so just replacing the outlet only allows you to use the three prong plug, but doesn't ensure you a proper ground.

 

[Anonymous]

That's exactly what I was thinking....

 

[Anonymous]

All of your boxes probably dont share a green ground wire, they rely on the white neutral, so just replacing the outlet only allows you to use the three prong plug, but doesn't ensure you a proper ground.

More than likely you're right, however, re wiring your appartment is more complicated than that..yes it will be an improper ground but youll have to run a ground wire to a pipe or something so its earth grounded...

 

[Fatal Morgana]

>...If I should die, I want all my sump bucks to go to Righty.

Matt, if you put my name there instead of Righty, I will make sure you are dead before the end of this year.

 

[Anonymous]

Since nobody mentioned it, you can always get one of those dojiggers that have a female grounded on one end and a male ungrounded on the other end. Your lamp won't be grounded, but it works fine.

 

[John_Brandt]

You can use a voltmeter to determine if the outlet box itself is grounded. If so, then the center screw of the outlet cover is probably also ground. If so, you can use a simple adapter that converts 3-prong to 2-prong with the little ground tab that mounts under the outlet cover plate screw.

 

[Anonymous]

There's that dojigger now!

 

[Anonymous]

I have that dojigger. So can I connect the ground wire to my ballast or any large piece of metal?

 

[Anonymous]

Replace the plug with a 3-pronged Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter plug (about $10). 95% of electrocution fatalities are caused by ground faults. This little investment could save your life.

BTW as long as your box, and the conduit leading out of it, is metal, you are probably ok. If you open it up and there is a 3rd wire (the ground) you should use that.

You should turn off the electricity at the circuit panel first.

 

[Anonymous]

The one in the middle is what you want:

 

[Anonymous]

So can I connect the ground wire to my ballast or any large piece of metal?

Nope!