Re: "Open Ground" in an electrical outlet???

[Kingshakabobo]

This is probably going to require an electrician but does anyone know what an "open ground" is?

My friend is selling his home and it came up on inspection. There is a baseboard heater, that was installed by the developer, in his first-floor family room. The inspector says there is an open ground in the outlet. At first, I thought it was a matter of a GFI plug but it seems to be a little more involved.

I was hoping it was something I could fix.

Any ideas?

[NMDemDist2]

1. check this out in Google Groups, it may give you a hint

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.home.repair/browse_thread/thread/a20e997db1bed1a4/a952ee46f6272846%23a952ee46f6272846


and tell your pal I sympathize! My home inspection was yesterday and the buyers are at my agent's office right now discussing it.

Inspectors are assholes mostly IMO

[Kingshakabobo]

5. Tell me about it. This inspector CAUSED the toilet to leak......

I guess the toilet must have been a little loose because, when he shook it violently to test it, he broke the wax seal and caused a leak. He didn't even mention the toilet in the report but it started leaking immediately so we had to replace the seal. Also, we had to touch-up the freshly painted ceiling. Hopefully everything will hold out till he closes. I don't feel sorry for these buyers if it leaks later on since A) their inspector caused the leak and B) they're jerks and haven't negotiated in good faith.

[Jersey Devil]

2. Not a big deal to fix

If there is an open ground in the outlet chances are that a wire came loose and is not making the proper connection. Shut off the circuit breaker to the outlet, remove the outlet from the wall. Install a new one. If there is any corrosion in the wires strip them back a bit and reinstall. Do NOT use the plug in openings on the outlet. Use the screw connectors, connecting them exactly as they were when you removed it.

Get yourself a test plug at the hardware store. After turning the power back on you just plug it in the outlet and it will tell you if there is an open ground, reversed polarity, etc. This is a very minor fix.

After doing that, if the test still shows an open ground it may very well be the same problem (loose connection) at the circuit box. It could also be that one of the other outlets on that line has the ground open and since it is on the same circuit all outlets after it (from the box) get the same test reading. I had that happen to me last year and wound up replacing all the outlets on one circuit before I got a reading that everything was OK. Call an electrician at the point you determine the problem is in the main box.

[Kingshakabobo]

3. Cool. Thanks!

I can change-out an outlet no problem. I don't go anywhere near the main panel...:scared:

[Kingshakabobo]

4. I fixed it.........

I turns out the electrical outlet was embedded in the baseboard heater face but on a different circuit than the heaters - the heaters are on a 30 amp breaker. Anyway, the ding-bat electrician never connected the factory provided copper ground-wire to the outlet. Apparently, the outlet didn't ground itself due to the way it fastened to the heater face so the extra ground wire was a necessity.

[Jersey Devil]

6. Always good to have one of these around

http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/homemaintenance/electrical/outlettest.php

[Kingshakabobo]

8. I have one NOW! Now I'm going to check all my outlets!

The tester was a gift from my friend for fixing the toilet and outlets.....that and a bottle of Absolut Citron.

[NMDemDist2]

7. well done! and don't get me started on home inspectors and finding

a decent tradesperson these days it like find a jewel without measure