In this video, Ask This Old House electrician Heath Eastman explains what two-prong receptacles are, why they’re no longer to code, and how to replace them.
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What should a person do with their two-pronged outlet when so many cords have three-prongs? To answer this, Heath has to take a step back and clarify a few things. He goes through the correct terminology of an outlet, a receptacle, and a receptacle outlet. Afterwards, Heath explains that the number of prongs has more to do with the wiring behind the receptacle than it does with the receptacle itself. Pre-1960’s, homes used two conductors, but post-1960’s a third conductor was introduced for safety, the ground wire. The ground wire will safely carry a stray, potentially dangerous, current away from risk of causing a fire or electrocution. Heath then explains that replacing them can be costly if there is no ground present, as it will require rewiring the whole room or home. However, he shares another way to get a grounded, three-prong receptacle without rewiring- using a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Heath explains how the GFCI receptacle outlet works and gives some tips on how to install one.
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