Adding Separate Ground Wire to 2-wire Circuit

I recently bought an older home with a newer addition. The original portion of the house has 2 conductor wire with no ground. The addition and recently wired parts of the basement use 3 conductor wire and all the outlets are grounded and appear to be wired correctly (when tested with a $5 outlet tester from the hardware store).

I need to plug in some computer equipment to two older outlets in the original part of the house. I understand that I need a "real" ground wire back to the panel for surge protectors / computer equipment (no GFC or ground tied to water pipes etc).

Here is what I want to do - I would like to know if there are any concerns with this approach:

The new wiring for the basement and the addition are easily accessible in the basement and each has a junction box located near the older outlets I want to add ground to. I plan to run a ground wire from the two older outlets where I need to connect my computer to the juction boxes with the newer wiring in the basement, and connect them to the ground wires in the juction boxes.

Assuming that the ground wires in the newer wiring are properly connected back at the panel, will this present any sort of problem? Will the two older outlets be properly grounded for use with computer equipment?

Ben

Reply to
benjililley
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That green wire should run all the way back to the electrical panel, or to one of the grounding electrode conductors if that is easier. "Borrowing" a ground from another nearby circuit isn't Kosher (even though it works, wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

Best regards, Bob

Reply to
zxcvbob

imho:

Too many words.

First check if you have an existing grounding method. See if the receptacle boxes are metal and the wiring method is AC (BX). Now if you aren't a qualified electrician then get one to do the work. Cheaper than replacing computers, and such.

Good luck,

tom @

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Reply to
Tom The Great

Thanks Bob. After looking at it some more, running a ground to the panel isn't that bad. It's only about 30 feet, 2 outlets, and there are plenty of ground lugs in the panel, so that is what I will do.

Ben

Reply to
benjililley

I agree. I get too wordy sometimes for a simple question ;)

The boxes are metal, but the wiring is not armored. Even if it were, I would not rely on it as grounding.

When it comes to electrical I do feel that one needs to know what they are doing, be safe, and be comfortable with the job. I do not feel every task requires putting hundreds of dollars in someone else's pocket, however. If I needed to replace my panel, I'd hire an expert. If I'm just installing a new outlet or running a ground wire, I feel quite capable.

Reply to
benjililley

The NEC requires it to be connected to any point along the grounding electrode system, but if you really can't do that, I agree with Bob

Reply to
RBM

You can extend a properly connected equipmemt grounding conductor as long as it is bog enough. The code says a shared equipment ground needs to be sized to the largest breaker involved. For example you could ground a 15a circuit to a 30a circuit with a 10 or 12 ga ground. Just be carefull around older wiring methods that used a ground smaller than the circuit coinductors. Alternately you could "bus" a #12 around the attic/basement and pick up all the receptacl;es you could fish a wire to. Just use boxes for the splices and something like smurf tube (the blue tube) to provide physical protection for anything exposed. This could also carry an extra circuit or 4

hint hint, wink wink

Reply to
gfretwell

All things considered if you have the extra capacity in your panel, or if you have access to the old line feeding the outlet for the computer, I'd pull a new line, with a ground, to some central point, where you can put a junction box and feed the computer outlet, including the ground. This can then be the point to pull grounds for any other outlets that were on that same circuit.

Reply to
Mark

Mark came closest, but I wouldn't even mess with the existing outlets. Add a new 2-gang outlet behind the computer desk, tied to any convenient non-switched grounded circuit in the basement. Modern computers don't draw much. If OP is comfortable fishing wires, a length of 12-3 or 14-3 (for a single outlet) would be about as quick to fish as the seperate ground. And if he has an easy road to the service panel, and an open breaker socket, a dedicated string wouldn't take much longer to run. If an old-work box and fishing through the wall is a problem, a baseboard- level surface-mount box and bushed conduit running through the floor wouldn't look that bad, and could easily be moved or removed, if needed in the future, with only a tiny hole to plug with a hardwood dowel. For that matter, they sell raised floor-mount boxes (aka 'couch outlets') that could go through the floor under the desk.

aem sends...

Reply to
<aemeijers

Thanks everyone for the replys. This is actually what I&#39;m going to do. The addition is really just a mud room, and the _only_ thing we use in that room is two lights - we have never even used the outlets. I&#39;m just going to fish a short line up to the new outlet I need.

Not to mention when I took the cover off one outlets in the mud room I was shocked (haha, not literally), at what I saw. Hots with 2" of bare copper, and not screwed onto the outlet securely, and the whole outlet wrapped with tape around the outside, almost as if it&#39;s to keep the wires on there. I had to look because in the older part of the house the guy just put in 3 prong outlets with no ground connection at all and didn&#39;t fill in the ground hole.

Every time I look at a new project in this house I find something like this, just below the surface.

Reply to
benjililley

Don&#39;t feel like the lone ranger- I keep finding stupids like that in this house, too. Miswired outlets, open junction boxes in attic with loose connections, buried floating butt splices, etc. I&#39;m no pro electrician, but I can do simple stuff, and what I put back is safer than what I found.

aem sends...

Reply to
<aemeijers

Just to clarify for the OP, 14-2 (nm) has two wires +ground, 14-3 (nm) has three wires + ground

Reply to
RBM

You are right, of course- my bad. My mind was still on the wiring at my father&#39;s place, where an unused 3-wire run for a future 240 outlet had been pressed into service for a 110 outlet.

aem sends...

Reply to
<aemeijers

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