Are the wall receptacles in your home grounded? Some homeowners might struggle with the answer to that question, but others might think they know the answer when they really don’t.
In modern homes, the receptacles will be grounded, but in older homes, it might be that the receptacles just never got wired for a ground. If a homeowner decided that he wanted to have grounded receptacles, it is possible that he decided to replace the ungrounded receptacles with grounded ones, but in reality, the change is only cosmetic. This could pose a serious risk for someone that bought the home unawares. There are many appliances that won’t function correctly without a proper ground, and surge protectors can’t do their job without it.
In some locations, you might be able to fix this shortcoming by installing a GFCI receptacle, but this is not a replacement for a proper ground. A GFCI receptacle will however protect you against electrocution.
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