Home inspectors - some reports may be quite misleading!

That's what I meant.LOL

GOM you said:

Mato? WTF? Once = spelling error. Twice = ?

ggf, you don't need some expensive highfalutin gadget. Use the inexpensive tester as a starting point. Then look under the hood. Take the cover plate off the receptacles and look in the panel. You are looking for bare copper wires that serve as a ground wire. Don't see one? It is not grounded.

Or, touch the kitchen faucet and the fridge at the same time. That'll be telling too.

Sorry but I meant gato...

None the less you still missed my point GOM which is I already understand the process of taking the cover off etc...and...

And I was just wondering if there wasn't an easier way with an inexpensive device available to test for grounds without all the extras like removing covers etc like you are mentioning...and...

And because could you imagine yourself going into a house that you are perhaps thinking of buying and starting to remove all the covers off the outlets to see if the outlets are "all properly grounded" etc?...and...

And or should I just hope they have a sink and a fridge in every room or something?...GGF

Sarcasm? Just tryin' to help. Won't make that mistake again sport.

AGEsAces wrote:

Pavolo wrote:Is not the ground screw connected to the box or to a water pipe as good some one told or showed me that once . Do not know if correct so don't do it till you find out just am wondering

The ground screw in a receptacle is only good if the ground wire in the service line is also connected to it.

The ground wire in the service line must feed back to a grounding screw in your panel/subpanel.

AND...none of that does any good if the ground wire for the panel isn't connected...and it must be connected to your COLD water pipe before it reaches your meter in your home.

I thought it could go after as you have a jump cable on the meter , as in a lot of homes there is not enough pipe coming in from the street to conect to .

GOM you said:

Sarcasm? Just tryin' to help. Won't make that mistake again sport.

But hey sport you did help cause I got a laugh out it...GGF

Pav you said:

I thought it could go after as you have a jump cable on the meter , as in a lot of homes there is not enough pipe coming in from the street to conect to .

Pav you always have enough pipe to connect to because your ground wire is suppose to go not from your "meter" but from your electrical panel and then connect to were your water meter is and or which is also where the city water (pipe) enters into your house...and...

And if you don't have a ground wire connected from your electrical panel and then back to where your water meter is then your electrical panel is not grounded at all and you should have an electrician "immediately" come by and install one...and...

And most water meters and or electrical panels are usually found not that far away from each other and into utility rooms or areas...and...

And none the less...The wire is generally visible because it is a copper wire without insulation on it and should always be easily followed from your electrical panel to your water meter...and...

And another situation you may find is that the same ground wire from your electrical panel will have been connected to the nearest water pipe which was acceptable in the old days but is no longer acceptable today...GGF

An electrician once told me, when I called for dimming lights etc, that my lights were acting up or flickering because my main ground to the water pipe was very loose at the connection. One of my friends lost his main ground when he had a plumber replace some water pipes with the plastic type? Apparently there can be a lot of current travelling in the main ground wire to the water pipes!

gato you said:

An electrician once told me, when I called for dimming lights etc, that my lights were acting up or flickering because my main ground to the water pipe was very loose at the connection. One of my friends lost his main ground when he had a plumber replace some water pipes with the plastic type? Apparently there can be a lot of current travelling in the main ground wire to the water pipes!

Have you seen or heard of a lot of ground wires from the electrical panel to the water meter or to the water pipes missing or loose or not connected?...and...

And because I have seen many missing or loose or not properly connected to the water meters or water pipes being around the construction industry over the years?...and...

And it seems to be a pretty common problem...GGF

My head hurts...

You need to get grounded. hahahahahaha

Or shocked or zapped...GGF

GGF wrote:gato you said at the beginning of the thread:

I know two recent home purchasers,owners, who (according to their home inspector's report) thought that all their new DECORA 3 prong receptacles were all grounded and no knob & tube wiring to such plugs! Actual result, after further testing, was - Not grounded at all and still wired with the old knob & tube = thousands $$$ to be rewired!

Do you know what the further testing to find out the receptacles were not properly grounded was?...and...

And because as far as I am aware of it is impossible to be able to "visually" see if they are properly grounded just by looking at the new Decora 3 prong receptacles installed and without removing the receptacle right?...and...

And do you or others perhaps know if there is an easier way with perhaps a special meter or something that someone can buy to test for proper grounds etc?...GGF

you can buy a cheap little wall plug with 3 lights on it that tells u that

grumpy old man wrote:My head hurts...

lol

...and....

gato wrote:An electrician once told me, when I called for dimming lights etc, that my lights were acting up or flickering because my main ground to the water pipe was very loose at the connection. One of my friends lost his main ground when he had a plumber replace some water pipes with the plastic type? Apparently there can be a lot of current travelling in the main ground wire to the water pipes!

ground is just a ground don't actuly need it.. but its there to protect ur eltrical devices from being fried but if u have lots of power runing through ur ground to the ground at any given time thats not good and theres somthing seriouly wrong in ur home and i would go uplug every device u have pluged in and test till u find the cause if that does not turn up anything then u have wires crosed.... also u don't need to use ur water pipes as a ground... u can put a ground rod in to do the same thing its just the the water pipe is used cause its usualy esayer then cuting a hold in the floor to pound a rod in and then patch said hole