Log in

View Full Version : Old electrical wiring


Mommeekins
May 27, 2013, 05:04 PM
I am in the process of selling my older home in the home inspection it was found with an open circuit because the wire on that outlet had not been upgrades fron the old 2 wire wiring that was originally in gth house, aside from totally replacing the wire is there anything I can do to fix the issue?

hkstroud
May 27, 2013, 06:18 PM
home inspection it was found with an open circuit

Define open circuit. If you mean an outlet that doesn't work then someone will have to determine why the outlet doesn't work. Then take corrective action. That should not mean replacing wiring. Nothing says you have to "upgrade" from the old 2-wire (ungrounded) outlet to a 3-wire or prong (grounded) outlet.

If you do, code requires you use a GFI outlet and mark it "ungrounded".

ma0641
May 27, 2013, 08:12 PM
Going from 2 to 3 wires has nothing to do with an open circuit, the third wire is a ground. It means you have a broken or disconnected neutral or hot and no voltage can go through the circuit. I would pull the outlet and look for a broken or loose wire and also check the outlet feeding this one, assuming it is wired that way.

hfcarson
May 28, 2013, 03:26 AM
Allow me to guess... if you plug something into this receptacle it works, correct?
If so, you are being told that the outlet is "ungrounded".
The next question is, could this be a "two wire" system? This is typical of older homes although becoming more and more rare. If your house has old romex "without" a ground wire, it may be permitted to remain by the your state building code.
You need a good Electrician to review your home wiring system and then advise you of the relevant codes for your area. Good luck.