Two-Prong Outlets Are Missing a Grounding Wire

Most new appliances and electronics come with three-prong plugs. If your older house is equipped only with two-prong receptacles, you’re probably using adapters with three-prong holes in two-prong plugs.

This will let you fit your plug into the outlet, but it’s not necessarily safe. A better solution is to replace your two-prong receptacles with three-prong models.

The 3rd hole in a three-prong receptacle provides a safety barrier, offering a path for excess electricity to go away from the device and user. These receptacles are standard in modern homes.

When you buy the replacement receptacles, choose models that include a ground-fault circuit interrupter. They can greatly reduce the chance of an electric shock.

It’s a good idea to use GFCI receptacles wherever you replace two-prong outlets in your house, but it’s especially important in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and garage, where you use water and electricity in the same room.

Replacing receptacles is a fairly straightforward task for a knowledgeable homeowner with trustworthy instructions (and power turned off at the breaker), but for utmost safety and proper installation, consider hiring a licensed electrician.