ungrounded outlets...again.

[frank]

hey, I know this came up a number of months ago, but I couldn't find the threads.

I moved into an early 1900's era apartment building in Brooklyn. all the outlets are ungrounded. can I ground to the radiator? anything I should be aware of in general?

thanks

[kcrusher]

ground to the radiator? whattaya nuts?

seriously - best to get an electrician in to do the grounding (which usually involves either putting in a grounding rod or finding a way to tie into the copper pipes if they provide proper ground.). doing it to your radiator could present some serious health risks, if you know what i mean.

[SLiM BiLT]

Have you checked to make sure that each and every outlet has open ground? I am in the same situation as you (very old building in Brklyn), but found that one particular outlet had been installed relatively recently and presumably for an air conditioner. (It is right by the front window.) The ground on this one is OK so I run all my gear off of it.

[llmonty]

that is a good point about checking all the outlets - 1/2 of mine in my former tenement apt were wired wrong - reversed, open ground etc. but there were a number that were updated.

[lichthaus-media]

easiest thing to do is tie a #9 (green, solid copper) ground wire (from any home improvment store) to your cold water pipe. Run this line to any socket you want to use and get an adapter (2 prong to 3 prong). You're grounded.

Be careful. If you're totaly frightened by the procedure, call CLP - they're a national skilled trades provider and have an office in Queens (718.849.9800). They should be able to refer you to an inexpensive contractor/client of theirs.

-james

[percussion boy]

I do the cold water ground thing.

One end of the grounding wire goes through the loop in the two-three prong adapter, which plugs into an outlet.

The other end of the wire attaches to a grounding clamp, which goes on the cold water pipe under the bathroom sink.

*Try at your own risk.*

Two caveats if you do this:

1. Make sure there's a ground there when you're done. There's usually an indicator on any surge protector that shows this ("wiring fault").

2. I still have hum issues -- sometimes. Paying an electrician to ground the outlets might have resolved this.

But a cold water ground is ***way better*** than nothing. Before doing this, my TV and VCR were both fried by a surge . . . no problems since grounding.

[fear of texas]

and when you apply the clamp to the pipe, do so without pretending you are the incredible hulk. no need to change the shape of the pipe.

and when using those little adaptors that you plug into a 2 prong outlet to make it a 3 pronger, look for the little tab that is under the bottom gound hole..te should be a little tab or loop...take out the little screw in the center of the outlet faceplate (the one holding it on), plug in the adapter, then put that screw thru the dang loop or tab and screw it back in.

also, some peeps talk about switching out a 2 prong outlet to a 3 prong, and how to ground it. if theres a metal box, there might be a little screw in the back of the box...attatch ground wire there, or just put in your own screw to attatch the wire to the box.

[vvv]

Two (obscure) suggestions:

Make sure if going to the radiator that 1. the pipe is unpainted/uncorroded, etc. (get a good contact - use a continuity tester, or even a battery, one side to the pipe and one side to the clamp before you hook it up to the AC, to get a spark)) and 2. don't set anything electrical on the radiator (unlikely, but you'd be surprised, especially in the summer.)

If you have any insecurity about electricity, don't play with it; get your music-hating-neighbor or other expendable person to do it.

[stuntbutt]

Grounding to the cold water feed under a sink may not lead to ground. It may be interrupted by PVC. Code states that the grounding wire must be attached within the first 6 feet of pipe into the structure.

[kcrusher]

Grounding to the cold water feed under a sink may not lead to ground. It may be interrupted by PVC. Code states that the grounding wire must be attached within the first 6 feet of pipe into the structure.

Totally true and one reason to check code and know what you're doing. This was the reason for my asking 'whattya nuts'. Can't be too careful as far as this is concerned.

[HypCo]

What's the deal with grounding to the box? What are the pitfalls of that? I'm setting up my stuff in a new place and have no grounded outlets in the area. 2 wire only. I was going to take it out the wall and clamp it to the water line underground. The grounding rod also sounds interesting. Anyway, I went to the hardware store and the guy said I should just ground it to the box. Before I do it, is this a bad idea? I'm an electrical idiot so be easy on me. Thanks.

[fear of texas]

look up about 5 posts. only works if box is metal. just screw the ground wire right to the inside of the box.

[HypCo]

Yeah, I saw that. But, as no one else touched on that angle even though it seems to be the simplest solution, I wasn't sure if it was a less than desirable. There is a metal box. The hardware guy sent me on my way with some little grounding clips to clip on the lip of the box.