I just bought a house and I'm in the process of replacing the 2-prong outlets throughout. Initially, I thought there were no ground wires, but when I opened the first outlet, I found a bare copper wire in the metal box. There are 6 wires total (2 line and 4 load) plus this bare copper wire that just loops back. Does this indicate my house has a grounding system? Should I connect another bare copper wire to the ground on the GFCI, or should I just leave the loop and connect the other 6 wires?
1 Answer
When you mention that the bare copper wire is just a loop, it’s important to know what functionality it serves. If the loop is continuous with no end, it might not be providing a ground. However, it could be a ground if it’s properly connected elsewhere. I recommend checking to see if the wire traces back to a grounding point. If you find that it’s actually a ground, you can definitely pigtail it to the GFCI. But if it’s just a random loop, you might want to leave it out and connect the other 6 wires instead. Safety first!
Thanks for the advice! I’ll look into where it leads before deciding.
Yeah, I think checking its connection is key. It might have been added later. Just make sure you’re following the current codes so everything's safe.