My receptacles in my living room need to be grounded (currently are nongrounded, nonGFI three prong and two prong). The panel is in the adjoining dining room. I believe the walls are plaster on brick, so a conventional rewire is cost prohibitive. I only want to get the receptacle for the stereo, TV, and computer grounded. I am installing a floating engineered floor over the current floor, which is wood on a concrete slab, so my idea is to run the ground wire down the wall and along the edge of the floor (under the molding) before the new floor goes on. Does anyone see a problem with this plan? I am not too concerned with a wire on the wall, as I figure this can be disguised.

A far better suggestion would be to use GFCI receptacles in place of the current receptacles.

A GFCI outlet would provide protection to the circuit load and it does not have to be grounded, provided, that you label the receptacle as being ungrounded.

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Originally Posted by donf

A far better suggestion would be to use GFCI receptacles in place of the current receptacles.

A GFCI outlet would provide protection to the circuit load and it does not have to be grounded, provided, that you label the receptacle as being ungrounded.

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Thanks for your reply. I know that would bring the three prongs up to code, but wouldn't that still leave my electronics vulnerable?

Vulnerable to what, the ground was to protect you from shock.

I disagree a little here:

Surge supressors and some switching power supplies need that ground to work properly. If the device has a 3 pronged plug there may or may not be an issue.

I would worry, if any device had a 3 prong plug and was plugged into an outlet strip with a device without one.

I would also worry if you have cable. Use two baluns back to back, which will create some loss to isolate the TV.

I'd also install a whole house surge supressor.

The use of recepacles with a third prong and no ground is not permitted. Use of a GFI with a label saying no ground is permitted. That label is in the GFCI box.

You should see if the fuse box and the outlets contain the ground wire. They may or may not.

If the ground is present, it has to be hooked up properly. Both the box and the outlet should be grounded.

If this product were currently available and approved, you'd be able to run the flat wire across your plaster and just skim coat over it for brand new, and grounded, circuits:
DeCorp Americas: the Invisible Flat Wire - Electrical Cord / Electrical Cable FlatWire

It seems like that product would be perfect in your particular application.

I think they will have some difficulty getting UL approval.

Hey guys,
Thanks for the replies.
Just to update you, I have an appointment with an electrician this week, so will report back about the solution we find.
In talking with a floor installer today, I did realize that running the ground wire under my shoe molding would be a problem, as the molding will be nailed in (potentially nailing the wire beneath).
Yes, a wire that could be painted over would be a godsend.

Have you considered using PVC in front of the moulding and running the wire through that?

I had to do that with speaker wire that I needed to get from the front of the room to the rear of the room and pass in front of a sliding glass door.

It actually came out pretty nice and no one entering or leaving the room trips over it.

Well, great news, it ended up that the wall work isn't going to be expensive or as onerous as I'd feared, so the ground is going in the walls, which will then be patched. Fingers crossed!