How to Ground an Outlet
The industry standard for electrical outlets is that they must be grounded. On older homes and appliances, electrical outlets installed on the wall may not be grounded at all. To prevent the risk of an electrical fire, it’s very important to ground your home’s electrical outlets.
Why Ground an Outlet?
A ground is a part of the electrical circuit that neutralizes and reduces the possibility of electrical fires and accidents or damage caused by high voltage. Most homes and buildings already have grounded outlets. In older homes or buildings with two-prong electrical outlets, grounding may not be present.
Most people would call up an electrician to ground their electrical outlets for them, but you can save a lot of money by grounding an electrical outlet yourself. All you need are a few simple tools and steps.
Things You Need
Three-prong electrical socket
Grounding wire (you can get a spool of green-colored grounding wire from hardware stores or electrical supply stores)
Grounding bar, or any safe, grounded location where you can attach electrical grounding (like a cold water pipe)
Tester
Steps
Before attaching a ground wire, make sure that your circuit breaker and home power supply is turned off. You don’t want to risk electrical shock or creating an electrical fire.
Remove the original electrical socket, and replace it with a three-prong electrical socket.
The ground wire should be threaded securely around the ground screw. The other free end should then be connected around a grounding bar or any grounded location in the home. A cold water pipe under the kitchen sink is an ideal location.
Complete the connections on the electrical socket, and fasten it securely to the wall.
Use an electrical tester on the socket to see if it is properly wired and grounded.
Grounding an outlet is an essential step in keeping your home safe from electrical problems like shock and fires. With these steps, you can replace the old-fashioned electrical system in your home and replace it with safe ones.