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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!kodak!marulli
From: marulli@kodak.UUCP (Dave Marulli)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Grounding old electrics
Keywords: Electrical, Ground, House, Hints
Message-ID: <2065@kodak.UUCP>
Date: 25 Aug 89 13:00:47 GMT
References: <2171@netcom.UUCP> <5057@teklds.CAE.TEK.COM> <26924@amdcad.AMD.COM> <12073@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com>
Reply-To: marulli@kodak.UUCP (Dave Marulli)
Followup-To: misc.consumers.house
Distribution: misc
Organization: Eastman Kodak Co, Rochester, NY
Lines: 32

In article <12073@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> smb@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (Steven M. Bellovin) writes:
>
>
>...........................................................  However,
>many older houses, though equipped with 2-prong receptacles, actually
>have a ground conductor.  If the house was wired with Romex -- and I've
>seen it in a house built ~1950 (it may have been as late as 1955, but
>I doubt it) -- there is quite likely a ground conductor inside the box.

My house was built in 1956 (so was I!) and the above is true and untrue.
The first floor had Romex witha ground to the box, which I easily          
attached to new, grounded outlets.

The second floor has Romex with no ground and I would have to pull
a new wire to add a ground upstairs.


>I've said a lot about GFCIs in the past; let me add one more comment
>here. (...some stuff deleted...) 
>.....  The biggest problem in installing a GFCI is likely to be room --

I have no verification of this, but the guy behind the counter at my local
electrical supply house mentioned another problem with GFCI outlets:

Let's assume the bathroom outlet that you want to replace with a GFCI
is the first outlet on the circuit. He said that depending on how
many other outlets are on that circuit, you may get what he called
"annoyance trips". i.e. bedroom A.C. units, refridgerators, etc may
cause the GFCI to trip, when a regular circuit breaker would not.

I'm not sure of the reason behind this, and I know how a GFCI works.
I'm just passing this along.