I have a older home with a mostly 2 wire (no Ground) system.
The city says I have to have ground fault outlets in all the basement outlets.
How can I install ground fault outlets if I don't have a ground?
Probably, the requirement is to have ground-fault *protection* on all outlets, not a ground fault circuit interrupter at each outlet. The difference is that a single GFCI can protect multiple outlets on the same circuit.
Same way you would if you did.
GFCIs does *not* need a ground wire to operate. They work by sensing an imbalance between the currents on the hot and neutral wires; those currents should be equal, and the assumption is that if they are not, some of the current must have faulted to ground (i.e. it's returning to ground through some path other than the neutral wire).
Mine is like that too. The only grounded outlets in the whole house are in the bathrooms and laundry room.
They do provide additional safety, and are a good idea anywhere where contact with water is possible.
Using a GFCI has nothing to do with the ground wire. It does not use, nor provide ground. The safety benefit of a GFCI is in sensing an imbalance between current in the hot and neutral wires.
I haven't priced any electrical equipment in a while. I do know that a GFCI breaker cost much more than a GFCI outlet.
If you can figure out which device is first in the chain, all you will have to do is replace that outlet with a GFCI. It will protect the rest of the chain.
I would take my best guess (the outlet closest to the panel) and pull out that outlet and break the circuit there.
If all the other outlets go dead, you are in good shape. If any are still on, then it is one of them.
Thanks for all the replies. It doesn't sound so bad after all.
If you install a GFCI outlet that has no ground add the label, which should be included with the GFCI - "No equipment ground"
Protecting additional outlets as Terry details works well. Add the label "GFCI protected" to the additional outlets. The additional protected outlets can be grounding type even though there is no ground. If they are a grounding type also add the label "No equipment ground".
-- bud--
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