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Ungrounded Service

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  AllanJ 
#1 ·
I have several rental houses that were built close to 100 years ago. A couple are still knob and tube wiring. The city inspector came in and gave me a list of issues I need to address.
1) change all ungrounded 3 prong outlets to 2 prong outlets.
2) Jump the water meter
3)GCFI outlets do not work properly

My questions are:
1) is jumping the water meter as simple as attaching a clamp on either side of it with a 2 foot thick gaged wire? Then do I have connect the nuetral bus bar to a water pipe?

2)the GCFI outlets...will they not work properly for the simple fact that the system was made ungrounded? I mean there are two wires. I contected the black to the hot side and the white to the nuetrul side. How can they not function properly?
 
#2 ·
first things first are you allowed to work in these dwelling being that they are rentals, most jurisdictions will not allow anybody but a professional.

replace gfis

2prongs must either be replaced by gfis or a ground ran.

yes bridging the water main with a #6 copper bonding jumper and listed clamps
 
#3 · (Edited)
The primary grounding electrode conductor goes nonstop from the main panel's ground bus bar to the main water pipe within 5' of exiting the house (or to a ground rod if the water pipe is not metal). It is #6 gauge for services of 100 amps @240 volts or smaller, #4 gauge for larger services. In addition you put that clamped jumper (#6) around the meter and another one (#6) across the hot and cold pipes at the water heater.

Properly installed GFCI receptacles will work (and will work the same way) with or without a ground.

With the power on, you press the test button on the GFCI unit and the GFCI trips if it is working correctly. A GFCI tester that plugs into a receptacle requires a known ground to be foolproof, for example has a pigtail that can reach a water pipe. Although if it does trip the GFCI then the GFCI is working.

When several receptacles to be GFCI protected are daisy chained, only the first (its wiring runs non-stop to the panel) needs the GFCI unit. Except that knob and tube wiring with the hot wire running through one wall and the neutral running through the opposite wall usually need individual GFCI receptacles or a GFCI breaker protecting the entire circuit.
 
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