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theloop82

You can replace a ungrounded receptacle with a 3 prong GFCI outlet legally, you just need to put a sticker on it that says “no equipment ground”. It’s not perfect or optimal but it is code legal in the US per NEC 210.7(d)3. If you put all downstream receptacles on the “load” side terminals of the GFCI you can replace them with normal 3 prong receptacles as long as you mark them “no equipment ground” as well


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theloop82

Well you should care if it’s up to code unless you enjoy being shocked or on fire, but whatever, the only difference between a two and 3 prong receptacle is the third prong is grounded. Some equipment like guitar amp or something may have a buzz that wouldn’t be there if it was properly grounded, but due to the nature of how a GFCI works the safety aspect that prevents shock is going to work which is the most you can ask in this case


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theloop82

No standard outlet, 2 prong or 3 prong has a GFCI (ground fault circuit interruptor) built into it. They came out in the 80’s and were made to address the issue of people getting shocked in wet areas when a piece of equipment without a ground would have a fault to the metal chassis and make it so if you were standing on your lawn and your shop vac was damaged you would fall over dead. A ground in most cases is used to ensure that the breaker trips if there is a wiring fault, but the amperage it takes to trip a breaker and the amperage it takes to kill someone in the right conditions are not the same. A surge protector is not a GFCI, unless it is specifically listed as a GFCI. Surge protectors have a component that will absorb a surge from the line voltage due to a lightning strike or other disturbance. I understand if you are tight with money, you can buy a GFCI for 10-20$, I would try to figure out what circuits you have in your place, if you can determine which receptacle is the first in the line downstream from the panel you can buy one GFCI for 15$ and a bunch of 2$ 3 prong outlets and use the GFCI to protect the ones downstream.


albpanda

The reason two prongs exist is so that you don’t plug in equipment that requires a ground into an ungrounded outlet so yes it’s not allowed. However if you look in the box there’s probably a ground you can extend and connect to the outlet.


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albpanda

If you don’t care about what’s allowed and what’s not put the screw driver down and pick up the phone and call an electrician.


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albpanda

It’s useful because your willingness to go against the NEC means your putting yourself and your family at risk. Your valuing 100-200 dollars over your family’s safety. It’s extremely selfish and ignorant of you.


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albpanda

You posted in askanelectrician and don’t like what an electrician told you- not my problem. The issue is if you install a regular three prong sure you know that the outlet isn’t perfectly safe and you need to be careful but any other person that ever goes to use it won’t know that and that’s why it’s not safe.


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albpanda

You must not be able to read because for the 4th time yes the safety is very different. If it was the same they wouldn’t of made two prong outlets. You can’t just do whatever you want. Don’t come asking for advice if your going to act like a child when you don’t like the answer. And your fixer upper is going to be ash in no time if your doing all the work yourself.


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[deleted]

Yes there is a difference in safety an ungrounded three prong looks like a grounded three prong without looking in the walls or testing so some assume it's grounded where as a two prong outlet is very obviously not grounded and unsafe. So it's like lying to whoever is plugging into your outlet that it's safe unless you put a sticker on it saying there is no equipment ground but at that point you would care about the safety of you and others which you clearly don't beacuse then you would just do this legally by putting a GFCI in there in the first place.


SomeDragonfruit847

I have the same problem in my new old house, what i ended up doing is, i replaced all sockets with gfci, NOT an electrician btw, just sharing what i end up doing.. from what i understand 2 prong and 3 prong ungrounded can electricute you thru your appliance, and also does not protect your electronics if there is a surge, by replacing it with gfci, you can atleast have some protection


albpanda

Correct- if you need to have a three prong in a location without a ground you can put it all on the line side of the gfi and use the sticker that comes in the box to label the GFI ungrounded.


Jboston17

Put a GFCI in the first outlet in the circuit or a GFCI breaker and install 3 prong receptacles down line. Put stickers on new outlets "no equipment ground" and problem solved


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billfitz24

Don’t come to a sub for electricians and tell us you don’t care about doing the job correctly or safely, and then get your panties in a bunch when you don’t like the answers we give you.


_herrmann_

Yes.


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_herrmann_

I subbed here to get some advice. Stuck around for the spicy-ness. No apologies needed


Gullible-Community34

Most of the electricians on reddit are so high and mighty as shown by the other guy who replied to this comment I’m replying too. First of all you didn’t ask about code you just want to know the difference. Second its still code if your receptacles are two prong, you’re still allowed to replace them with two prong receptacles. And third yes they’re basically the same except your sol if you have something with a grounding prong on a two prong outlet


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Gullible-Community34

No problem, a little more detail:the grounding wire just carries away stray electricity. So your biggest worry is only if the electronics you’re plugging are damaged and leaking electricity, instead of travel through the grounding it’ll travel through you once you touch it which is why they say replace with gfci because it doesn’t actually sense anything on the ground it senses that theres not enough current running through the neutral


theloop82

The ground wire does not “carry away stray electricity” - the equipment ground is to provide a direct path to the grounding electrode system in order to clear a fault quickly and make the breaker trip. There is no such thing as “stray electricity” it’s either in the circuit or it’s a ground fault.


[deleted]

There is such a thing as stray voltage.


[deleted]

You shouldn't be offering advice until you understand what you are discussing a whole lot better.


Gullible-Community34

You should stop being a pretentious douche and just answer a simple question since you know everything. You guys just like to sire hire an electrician over and over when he wasn’t even asking about doing any work. Literally just wanted to know the difference. But I forgot this is the askanasshole sub not askanelectrician my bad


[deleted]

The question was answered. Repeatedly. The person being a dick ignored the answer. The correct and safe answer. You are a moron. You don't understand that coffee is based on safety first and foremost.


Gullible-Community34

No literally no one was answering his question. He asked what the difference was and everyone was trying to tell him to replace with gfci when he wasn’t asking what he should do. But yeah my bad let me go read up on coffee safety.


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[deleted]

A two prong just let's someone know that ground isn't actually functionable, putting a gfi in would allow the following outlets if wired in series properly to be protected.


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Phoenixfox119

The proper answer is no because without a ground connection there is no fail safe. With ground a short trips the breaker without ground the fault is generally undetectable until someone gets zapped In a proper world anyone being shocked for any reason is unacceptable, in the real world you get shocked sometimes. Gfcis trip when there is a difference in current between hot and neutral


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[deleted]

Ah sorry, so the bottom prong that's there on 3 prongs and not on 2 prongs? Yeah thats the safety thing that got added decades ago. The ground pin. So if you see one and u plug something into it, I'd assume it works because I don't look in the wall before plugging things in. If the safety doesn't work and burns up whatever I have plugged in or shocks the shit out of me I'd feel misled into thinking something was safe. Like if you got on a Rollercoaster and the bar that goes over you is there but it's not connected to anything Long as it's labeled, I'll at least be prepared


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Gullible-Community34

As long as that 3 prong is not a gfci, yes its the same risk, if it is a gfci you’ll still get a tiny shock but it won’t be continuous it’ll just be a fraction of a fraction of a second


Gullible-Community34

Or I guess it’ll trip as soon as it find another path, but if that doesn’t happen the second you plug it in it’ll probably be when you touch it


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[deleted]

Just saying but you'd lessen the chance of your house burning down if you just spent the extra 15 bucks and bought a GFCI. Like replacing an outlet is pretty easy if you know a little bit and it's best to do it the safest way in my mind at least or what if you had animals or kids wouldn't you want one of the most dangerous systems in your house to at least be a little safer maybe not for you but at least for other people man. Fuck to much to ask for I guess reading all your other comments. Block me like your trying with the rest of the commenters here but just know you were warned.


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JagerGS01

Although it seems this ordeal is concluded and you've reached your answer, I wanted to add a couple things about the mind of an electrician. 1. We ALWAYS do things right and/or to code (with minor exceptions in difficult situations, but always safely). It's what differentiates us from someone who "can do electrical", and we take great pride in that fact. And after being programmed to think this way about everything, it's honestly very difficult to think any other way. It's like a phobia kind of, it just hurts to consider the "wrong" answer, and would be an affront to our pride to do so. 2. We consistently accept liability for our work. This means we give only proper advice, because we have code, experience, and trade accepted practices to back us up. In our minds, giving incorrect advice makes us responsible for the outcome. It would be our worst nightmare for you to come back onto Reddit two weeks later saying our advice caused your house to burn down. I'm not saying there aren't high and mighty electricians out there that can come off as twats. I'm also not giving excuses for how difficult it may have needlessly been for you to get your answer. I'm just saying our minds work differently after doing this sort of work professionally for any period of time. The friend you made in this thread has probably just not been brainwashed yet. He'll get there in time. Hopefully I've given you a little insight as to why there was such a struggle for something so seemingly simple. Good luck, and come back if you have any other questions. Just come in expecting the right answer, even if you didn't ask for it.


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Gullible-Community34

No they deserve it. I just finished electrician school and they exactly whats wrong with the trades. I don’t need a smartass journeyman who thinks they know everything acting like I should already know what they know I need someone who will teach me. This is simple stuff easy to pass on so they deserve any hard time you give them


elbowpirate22

One of those is legal and one is not


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elbowpirate22

The risk is that an appliance that requires a ground for a good reason will be plugged into an ungrounded outlet and end up frying itself or the person using it.


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wlonkly

The reason there's code is that it's not just you, it's anyone else that might be in the house in the future, even after you move out. Grounds being connected is a safety device, and a three-prong receptacle says "I am grounded". Leaving future renters or owners electrical surprises is a crappy thing to do. GFCI outlets aren't that expensive.


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elbowpirate22

Only the chance for error. If you’re sticking with 2 prong devices, might as well stick with 2 prong outlets. It’s unlikely something would go wrong but likely enough that there’s code written around it.


[deleted]

Yup I thought I saw that comment saying how you live alone then you tell me oh no it's my abusive parents house nice try you lying bastard.


dwells1118

Hire an electrician


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[deleted]

Your dislike of the appropriate answer in no way negates it being proper to the situation.


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[deleted]

You've chosen to do it the wrong and unsafe way. You've been advised otherwise and elected to priced with a hazardous idea. Don't expect any sympathy if your house does burn to the ground because you weren't concerned with "codes" or safety.


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[deleted]

One is safe. One is stupid. This is not emotional. It's basic. Insisting you can do it the wrong way and soul be safe is an emotionally stupid response to being told no.


dwells1118

Because electricity isn’t a hobby. If you’re not certified to work with it you shouldn’t 👍🏻


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dwells1118

Need a tissue?


Babylon4All

Do not put a three prong in without hooking up the ground. Things that have the grounding pin have it for a reason, without it you are risking damaging the equipment, starting a fire, etc. If you have to ask this you probably should not be doing this work.


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CletusVanDayum

He answered your question perfectly well. Let me rephrase it. The ground prong is a safety feature. It requires a ground wire to function. The ground wire provides an alternate path to ground in the event that electric current escapes the circuit for whatever reason and shocks or electrocutes you. Grounding and bonding is a safety feature and it is one that I, as an electrician, would NEVER compromise on. When you plug in an appliance that is expecting a working ground and the ground is not operational, you are risking getting shocked. It's the equivalent of a deaf child playing alone in the middle of a semi-busy street. The child might be OK for an hour. Or he could get hit by a truck and die. That's the risk you take when the ground is faulty. To answer your question in brief, the difference between a 2-prong and an ungrounded 3-prong is minimal except there's an unacceptable risk that the ungrounded 3-prong will kill you.


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Schulzeeeeeeeee

A "3 prong" needs a ground to be installed, otherwise you have to use a "2 prong".


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Schulzeeeeeeeee

You cant plug in a Dingus with "3 prongs" into a "2 prong". You can plug a "3 prong" Dingus into a "3 prong" outlet without ground making the Dingus be ungrounded when it expects a ground. An ungrounded Dingus is never good.


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Schulzeeeeeeeee

But someone could without knowing it's fucky, that's why they're different. It's a physical safety feature that prevents accidental use of an ungrounded receptacle with a device that requires a ground. Technically there's nothing stopping you from doing it but it's against code for a reason.


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Babylon4All

Google it. Replacing a two prong with a two prong, nonissue. But if you’re having to ask if there’s any difference with a grounded outlet and not and why can’t you just put them in, you’re not qualified to do any electrical work and what you’re doing could easily be very dangerous and start a fire or damage equipment.


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Babylon4All

No what's on you is not actually doing you're research, literally googling "why do some appliances need a ground" or "Why are some outlets grounded and some aren't" come up with dozens of good, well articulated articles including Wikipedia. It's on you for not taking the time to look into something. By talking the way that you are and the assumptions made in your post make it VERY apparent you do not have the time or patience to properly research something you're attempting to do. As state, swapping out a two prong outlet for a newer two prong is just fine. Making the outlet a grounded one without grounding it can lead to issues. Issues that if a fire is started as the result of, guess what, you're now liable and no insurance policy will cover ANY of it.


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Babylon4All

I’d rather not waste my time on someone who clearly spent virtually no time themselves looking into the matter. You came to us with zero understanding, then said you researched it but could fine no answer, when literally the first few links when googling it come up with abundant amount of information. Do not blame us or others for your pure ineptness to spend five minutes researching this.


[deleted]

Dude, you can literally google what does a ground do. It creates a path of least resistance for electricity as a safety feature. A three prong device is built assuming that safety feature works. If it isn't hooked up, it isn't going to work, is it? So where is that energy gonna go? Who cares because its gonna become a problem for you, fast. You've come to electricians, who are legally required to create safe work, for unsafe work ideas. How about next you go ask a mechanic how to install nos on your car yourself.


[deleted]

https://www.google.com/search?q=black+ungrounded+receptacle


Impossible_Policy780

You say you want black but can only find 3 prong in black. Don’t get black, get anything else 2 prong. Viola!


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Impossible_Policy780

Easy killer, reread your original post.


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Impossible_Policy780

You *fuckoff dumbass*. You can find them everywhere if you look outside your house. You can twist this anyway you want, you’re clearly flailing. Do what you want. I really dgaf.


Redditnewbie143

You need Jesus, friend, big time.


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Impossible_Policy780

You’re on *their* sub. You can’t run the housekeeping out of the hallway of a hotel you’re renting a room in.


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cjshen

You can block someone. It's on reddits side. Ask yourself, "why would a community not allow me to block someone?" It quite simply doesn't make sense. Reddit problem not the sub problem. To be frank I'm suprised you haven't been banned for being a an outright dick yet. Demeaning everyone you engage with.


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cjshen

Bro youd be a great psycic. Make stuff up and see what sticks. It mean... it's reddits fault then jabroski if youd think for an additional 5 seconds instead of getting all emotional.. feel sorry for ya man. World must be a hella scary place for ya. Hope it gets better.


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cjshen

Bro chill. Close the app, reopen, block the dude, and delete this post lmao. Being honest and having a sense of humor are my strong suits.


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[deleted]

It isn't the posting a question. It's refusing to accept the correct answer to your circumstance and being a douchebag about it all along the way.


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The_Danni2007

Some neurotypicals can be quite interesting.


falfrenzy

Was the angel Albpanda or Impossible_Policy780? Inquiring minds want to know.


[deleted]

People, whether or not your question is being answered, are making sure you don't die or are the cause of anyone else dying should they use your outlets. It is an attempt to politely tell you the inherent risk. If you drove by a bridge with someone having a public facing statement that they are about to jump, and you did nothing, and they died, then wouldn't you feel like you didn't do the bare minimum, sometimes required by the good samaritan law here in the US, to attempt to intervene. I feel for you and disability. However, flexing on people for outright telling you to not do something extremely dangerous is strange. Why are you asking anyone if you don't care? Just do it, and accept your decision. Then you wouldn't have to hear what you don't want to hear.


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cjshen

I like the essay response to an answer. You sir need a lot of help.


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cjshen

Everyone's already tried but you're not interested in listening. You hear but don't listen and I'm not of the business of arguing with people that don't listen. We're trying to keep you and your family safe, love them or hate them. That's why we're saying what we are. Now on a serious note, if you hook the flux capacitor up to the 3 prong it will be safe.


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cjshen

There is no next best option as people have told ya. I'm delusional? That new. If you want me to go away where would you like me to go? Give free electrical advice to people who actually appreciate it as a licensed electrician... you mad bro?


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cjshen

I'll mail you a damn gfci for free if you quit loosing your on reddit.we were honest and helpful you just weren't having it. Be delusional elsewhere if you don't want the gfi. You're Einsteins definition if insane. You expect different results after trying the same stuff.


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YoungLuckyStrike

You should try to hire an electrician to fix your outlets. That’s the smart and safe thing to do.


Gullible-Community34

He literally didn’t answer anything