Grounding an electrical outlet?
Question:I am replacing an existing electrical outlet and am wondering if it is good enough to screw the bare ground wire to the electrical box and not the ground screw on the receptacle itself. The previous receptacle had the bare copper wire going to the receptacle ground screw but it seems silly to me cause it would be easy for the bare wire to make contact with the one of the neutral side screws. The receptacle should still be grounded through its screws to the electrical box. Or would it be better to pigtail the ground wire and use an insulated wire to the ground screw on the receptacle??
Answers:
Hook the bare ground to the ground screw on the receptacle. I suppose you could use a green insulated wire, but there really is no need.
Green is important because other colors of wire conduct electricity in the other direction and may cause a short. Wait, no that's not right. It is a code issue, ground is always bare or green. If you really really feel the need to use an insulated wire and do not have green, nothing will go boom.
If the ground wire does by chance contact the neutral, nothing will go boom their either. They are both tied to the ground bus at the load center. Try to bend it in the box so this does not happen, the wires will not move once you fasten the receptacle to the box.
It is better to ground to the receptacle. You can ground to the box(if metal) if the receptacle does not have a ground screw. Either way the box and the outlet will be grounded.
You should connect the ground wire to the receptacle. Yes the receptacle will ground to the metal box by the screws but it will be a better and more secure connection by the screw provided. If you are uncomfortable about the bare wire, pigtail it if you want. The bare ground terminal is a safety device and should not be bypassed.
please seek an experienced electrician to do this work, since you dont know that the neutral and ground wires touching are NOT dangerous - they are in fact bonded together in your main panel box.
its best to ground it to the oulet itself that will ground the box as well they do sell a small clip than clamps onto the ground than clamps onto the side of the box and than to the screw on the outlet that is the best way
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