by Richard Serra

Created on: March 25, 2007   Last Updated: January 28, 2009

If your home has them, you most likely have a two wire wiring in the system. A ground (white) and the hot (black) and this is indicative of an old electrical system. If you "do not" upgrade to a three-prong, you will not gain the added safety of what the third prong was meant to provide.

You would need to replace the wiring with the newer three wire type that has a white, black, and an un insulated copper one. However, you can still install a three prong plug without changing your wiring,but keep in mind that if you decide to sell the house, you'll have to replace them all with the two prong. This is because there is a use and occupancy inspection, and if the outlets you install doesn't have the third prong grounded, it will show when they use a device for testing that outlet.

Some opt to install the three prong outlet by connecting the hot wire properly, and then connecting the ground to both the ground side of the outlet, as well as the additional "grounding" connector on the outlet itself. This method however would go against code, and if inspected, as it should be, you would be required to do it all over again and do it right.

Since most electronics use a three prong plug, the temptation to use the two wire with a three prong outlet would rear it's ugly head, and although no less safe than just using the old configuration, it's always best to do it right.

But if you still want to because of those adapters that you can never seem to find, no matter how many you've bought, then upgrading to the three-prong is the way to go. Shut off the power to the outlet, or outlets. Unscrew the protective plate. Unscrew the top and bottom hold down screws and pull the old outlet towards you till you can get to the screws on the sides of the outlet. Unscrew the wires, and if lucky, you may see a third in there unattached. That's the third for a ground.

Attach the white to the silver screw (ground side) of the new outlet, and the black to the gold (hot) but make sure the white goes to the terminals of the new outlet that are silver in color, and the black goes to the gold terminals, otherwise you'd have reversed polarity.

If there is a third wire, usually bare, attach that one to the ground screw located on the ground side (silver) at either the top or the bottom of that side, but not where you attached the white wire. Its a separate ground. That's it. You've saved an expensive labor charge doing it yourself. Turn the power on and your set.

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