this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2025
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Upgrading ungrounded two-prong outlets to grounded three-prong? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 2 weeks ago by compostgoblin@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/homeimprovement@lemmy.world
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I’ve recently become the owner of a home that was constructed in the mid 1950s (in the US). As such, not all the outlets are grounded, three-prong receptacles, since that wasn’t code-required at the time. It looks like a few have been added or upgraded over the years, but there are still many that are ungrounded. What is the best way to go about converting those receptacles to be grounded? Will that require a professional? It seems like probably the kind of electrical work that I am capable of doing myself, but I am also very much not an electrician.

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[–] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

The short answer is that there’s a really strong chance that you’ve got 2 conductor wire with no ground going to the receptacles if they’ve not installed electrical outlets with a third prong. Fixing that would require running a ground cable to every outlet so configured which means cutting a lot of holes. All things considered I’d probably do a re-wire at that point. It brings into question the type of wire used and the safety of the electrical panel etc. These things age, and standards change.

I would personally want to check the receptacles that have a ground prong to make sure that the ground is actually hooked up to something and that it is not simply connected to the neutral, which are both bad things.

Get yourself a receptacle tester and a chicken stick (non contact voltage tester). They come in a kit from Klein. NCVT1PKIT

Given the variables, you’d be best to consult a professional.

[–] compostgoblin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 weeks ago

Thanks! I’ll grab one of the tester kits and do a little more digging to see what I’m dealing with

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 weeks ago

chicken stick

Lol, never heard that one, I like it