From: krw 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Grounding the receptacle boxes in an old house
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 12:24:35 -0500

In article , 
volks@nls.net says...
> Doug Miller wrote:
> > In article <20070126215104.H05742.richw@whodunit.richw.org>, richw@richw.org (Rich Wales) wrote:
> > 
> > 
> >>Hmmm.  I didn't realize a GFCI receptacle could legitimately be used
> >>even without a ground.  So, in that case, I suppose we could simply
> >>ignore the fact that the electrical boxes aren't grounded and replace
> >>every receptacle in the house with a GFCI receptacle -- and although
> >>this would cost a couple hundred dollars, it would cost a lot less
> >>than having an electrician come out and ground all the boxes for us.
> >>Is that what you're suggesting as an alternative to having the boxes
> >>grounded?
> > 
> > 
> > It's not necessary to replace every receptacle in the house with a GFCI. 
> > Replacing the first receptacle (the one closest to the service panel) on each 
> > circuit will do -- GFCIs can be wired to protect all downstream outlets as 
> > well. There won't be an equipment ground on those outlets, of course, but they 
> > will be GFCI protected.
> > 
> 
> 
>     Ummmmmm.   Well, that _presumes_ that the existing recepts
> are "daisy-chained".   If in fact his recpepts are daisy-chained,
> each one will have 4 wires connected, as one means of maybe telling
> if it's so.

There will be four wires in each box but the outlets may (should) 
be pigtailed.  The last one will only have two.  ;-)

In any case, once the first outlet is disconnected (in preparation 
for the GFCI) the rest will be dead, proving that they're daisy-
chained off that one.
>
>     I'm going to make a very, very wild guess that his 50's house
> is wired K&T and recepts are almost *never* daisy chained then.
> (That's just a guess because I haven't been there to inspect.)

As Jim said, I highly doubt it's K&T.  My parents built a house in 
the '50s with NM. Some regions of the country still required BX 
though.

>     I would never attempt to put just one GFCI on a circuit
> unless I knew for an absolute certainty that *all* recepts
> would actually be protected.

Push the "test" button.  If the outlets go dead, they're covered.

-- 
  Keith