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electrician question

D

DarkManX

Diamond Member
im moving in a house thats about 50 years old and most of the electric outlets are only 2 prongs, should i worry about about upgrading it to new 3 prong wires with ground?
 
Originally posted by: DarkManX
im moving in a house thats about 50 years old and most of the electric outlets are only 2 prongs, should i worry about about upgrading it to new 3 prong wires with ground?
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The sooner the better. Why take the chance?
 
no big deal really. There is already a negative prong.

I would do it sooner or later but I wouldn't worry about it and hurry to get it done.
 
If the house is 50, you may not have the proper wiring to do that anyway. hopefully you have 12/2 romex, old style silver stuff WITH ground. if there is a 3rd wire screwed to the back of the metal box, then you are in luck and can have a competent electrician upgrade the plugs for a reasonable amount.
 
I'm in the same boat. Knob & tube wiring mixed with Romex connected to an old fuse box. I filled that with 15AMP mini breakers. The kitchen, laundry and furnace have new Romex runs, with each large appliance on its own circuit. The rest of the house is protected with GFCI outlets, which are not dependent on a ground to function.

Half my outlets had reversed polarity, which is CRITCAL to correct... Eli!

Ideally, you should have a new breaker box installed, then start replacing the old wiring, starting with the large appliances. It's going to cost a lot of money, and take a lot of time.
 
You don't have a Home Depot or Lowes? That's as cheap as you're going to find anywhere!

waits to read about this on CNN.

Sure, dicking around with the brakes and the suspension on your car, which shares the road with everyone else, and involves mile a minute speeds, without being a mechanic is OK. But, trying to wire your own home to save being ripped a new one by electricians is no good. :roll:

Basic Electric
  • Wiring a home can leave a homeowner scratching their head. Our electric and electronics section takes the guesswork out of rewiring a home. Included in the section are several articles on how to safely and effiecently hook up your home without getting your wires crossed. Included are different kinds of lighting, how to hook up a door bell, and lighting outside the home.
 
Originally posted by: Ornery
You don't have a Home Depot or Lowes? That's as cheap as you're going to find anywhere!
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i thought since i have time to do this id order stuff ahead of time to save money.
 
I disagree with you Ornery. If he has some previous electrical experience and is an all around handyman he can do it himself. With no skills or experience and just by reading a book he is not going to be qualified.

Sure, he can probably get it done, but what happens if he takes your advice and makes a mistake that is fatal to him or one of his loved ones? Are you going to step up to the plate and take the blame? I doubt it.

OP, if you want to do it yourself start with something very simple and have it checked by a licensed electrician. Move on to something a bit more complicated and, once again, have checked by a licensed electrician. Don't just jump into rewiring your whole house if you don't have the background and experience to do so.

 
im not rewiring anything just yet, i just want to replace all the outlets/switches since they are pretty old and roten, as well as the wall plates that have mulitple layers of paint and/or wallpaper.
 
Should he do the same when working on the brakes of his car. Funny I don't see the same aversion to that around here, but the results of a screwed up job can be just as fatal, and to total strangers as well!

Nothing says he's doing the whole job anyway. He can run all the circuits and have an electrician make the final connections. No doubt the SOB will still rock him with a HUGE fee anyway!
 
Originally posted by: Ornery
You don't have a Home Depot or Lowes? That's as cheap as you're going to find anywhere!

waits to read about this on CNN.

Sure, dicking around with the brakes and the suspension on your car, which shares the road with everyone else, and involves mile a minute speeds, without being a mechanic is OK. But, trying to wire your own home to save being ripped a new one by electricians is no good. :roll:

Basic Electric
  • Wiring a home can leave a homeowner scratching their head. Our electric and electronics section takes the guesswork out of rewiring a home. Included in the section are several articles on how to safely and effiecently hook up your home without getting your wires crossed. Included are different kinds of lighting, how to hook up a door bell, and lighting outside the home.
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I don't know your point...I have owned a house and several apartments.

My current apartment I replaced all switches and recepticles...

my others about the same. I have been shccked.

still are you saying the tech school crowd are the elite?

Sorry to say it's simple.

 
Originally posted by: Ornery
That's what I thought, and the reason for my response. One, or both of his replies are unintelligible!
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I think it's just you are stupid or you think if you post in all my threads as if you're confused someone else may by into it.

http://www.hop.com please.

 
Originally posted by: Ornery
Then WTF is, "waits to read about this on CNN" supposed to mean? Anser the GD question, fvcktard.
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jadinwolf answered it, it should have been clear at that point...

I think you missed a pill.
 
What would be the disadvantage to having 2-prong outlets? My house has a bit of 3-prong ones, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms, but otherwise they are mostly 2-prong. So we have a lot of cheaters that are required. Well actually not that much, considering I have one power strip connected to one cheater and EVERYTHING in my room is run off this (since the only other outlet is dependent on the light switch). Now that could be a fire hazard I suppose, but really it's just my computer, speakers, monitor, alarm clock, and misc stuff like chargers, and sometimes a 300w guitar amp, heh.
 
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