[stevieL]

Hi guys, I'm replacing some lights. I have an old house and I've only got 2 wires in my fan box in the ceiling, a hot and a nuetral, no ground. How do I ground my fan? Do I twist the neutral and ground together like in a stove outlet? Obviously black to black.

Thanks!
StevieL

 

[Just Bill]

NO, do not twist Neut & grn together, never, ever!!!! How old is the house?? Are you sure there is not a ground connected to a screw in the box?? If there are only two wires, you can't connect a ground, that is allowed in old wiring. Since it is a ceiling fan, not having a ground is not essential, for other things like appliances, that is another story.

 

[dSilanskas]

If you have a metal jacket on your 2 wire the jacket is the ground and just attach the ground wire to a screw on the box. If its a two wire cable with a cloth jacket than there is no ground.

 

[Bigplanz]

If the fan is wired with BX cable (as is usually the case in an old house) it is probably grounded through the cable's metal jacket. Take a tester and put one probe on the hot and the other on the metal box of the fan. If it's grounded, the tester will show it.

 

[Leah Frances]

In my house, around 50% of the time the ground is actually there. It was just cut flush with the sheathing by the previous "electrician". Look carefully where the two wires exit any sheathing - use a flashlight and look really closely.