I’ve recently become the owner of a home that was constructed in the mid 1950s (in the US). As such, not all the outlets are grounded, three-prong receptacles, since that wasn’t code-required at the time. It looks like a few have been added or upgraded over the years, but there are still many that are ungrounded. What is the best way to go about converting those receptacles to be grounded? Will that require a professional? It seems like probably the kind of electrical work that I am capable of doing myself, but I am also very much not an electrician.
The short answer is that there’s a really strong chance that you’ve got 2 conductor wire with no ground going to the receptacles if they’ve not installed electrical outlets with a third prong. Fixing that would require running a ground cable to every outlet so configured which means cutting a lot of holes. All things considered I’d probably do a re-wire at that point. It brings into question the type of wire used and the safety of the electrical panel etc. These things age, and standards change.
I would personally want to check the receptacles that have a ground prong to make sure that the ground is actually hooked up to something and that it is not simply connected to the neutral, which are both bad things.
Get yourself a receptacle tester and a chicken stick (non contact voltage tester). They come in a kit from Klein. NCVT1PKIT
Given the variables, you’d be best to consult a professional.
Thanks! I’ll grab one of the tester kits and do a little more digging to see what I’m dealing with