Q&A for How to Ground an Outlet

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Question

How do I ground a wire for a ceiling fan?

Ronny Husser
Licensed Electrician
Ronny Husser is a Licensed Electrician in Maine. He is a certified member of the National Association of Home Inspectors, and he has over 25 years of experience conducting residential home electrical services.

Ronny Husser

Licensed Electrician

Expert Answer

You would use the ground wire from the feeder cable. If no ground wire is available in the feeder cable, it will have to be replaced with one that does.

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Question

How do I ground a new GFI plug if there is no ground wire?

Ronny Husser
Licensed Electrician
Ronny Husser is a Licensed Electrician in Maine. He is a certified member of the National Association of Home Inspectors, and he has over 25 years of experience conducting residential home electrical services.

Ronny Husser

Licensed Electrician

Expert Answer

In order to ground a new GFI plug, the feeder cable must supply a grounding conductor.

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Question

If I have a standard 3-wire and metal outlet box, should I attach the ground from the line to the box with a screw before attaching it to the outlet? If so, why?

Ronny Husser
Licensed Electrician
Ronny Husser is a Licensed Electrician in Maine. He is a certified member of the National Association of Home Inspectors, and he has over 25 years of experience conducting residential home electrical services.

Ronny Husser

Licensed Electrician

Expert Answer

Yes, if the device box is metal it must be grounded by code. This is done for safety reasons to ensure a proper path for a ground fault to follow.

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Question

How can I tell if an outlet is grounded?

Jesse Kuhlman
Master Electrician, Kuhlman Electric
Jesse Kuhlman is a Master Electrician and the Owner of Kuhlman Electric based in Massachusetts. Jesse specializes in all aspects of home and residential wiring, troubleshooting, generator installation, and WiFi thermostats. Jesse is also the author of four eBooks on home wiring including "Residential Electrical Troubleshooting" which covers basic electrical troubleshooting in residential homes.

Jesse Kuhlman

Master Electrician, Kuhlman Electric

Expert Answer

If your outlet has 3 prongs, use a 3-prong tester, which has lights on the end that will tell you exactly what's going on with the outlet. If the outlet only has 2 prongs, use a multimeter. Place one lead into the hot port on the receptacle, then put the other lead onto the metal box or plate screw. If it reads 120V, or whatever you're normally reading between the hot and neutral, you'll know there's a ground there.

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