NSPIRE STANDARD:
Electrical – Conductor, Outlet, and Switch
Deficiency #2:
Testing indicates a three-pronged outlet is not properly wired or grounded.
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February’s Newsletter reviews the brand-new deficiency, “Testing indicates a three-pronged outlet is not properly wired or grounded.” This is deficiency #2 under the Electrical – Conductor, Outlet, and Switch Standard. It’s considered a Severe Health & Safety, which is approximately 0.6 points per Unit on a 100-unit property.
This Newsletter will focus on the following 3 primary areas of confusion amongst PHAs/POAs and inspectors:
- Do ALL outlets have to be tested with the circuit tester?
- What if it shows “Open Ground” when I test a GFCI-protected outlet?
- What if the property has only 2-prong outlets?
Do ALL outlets have to be tested with a circuit tester?
No – just the “reasonably accessible” outlets.
HUD states:
Thus, it is unreasonable for an inspector to ask you to move a couch or entertainment center…unless they need 2 outlets to test in order to satisfy the requirements for a different deficiency: Minimum Electrical and Lighting.
*Remember a “working outlet” is one that has been tested with a circuit tester to check for proper wiring!
There are a lot of ways the outlet receptacles can be improperly wired. Match the lights at the bottom of the tester to the instructions on the tester itself to see if it’s wired correctly (middle and right light up) or not!
What if it shows “Open Ground” (only the middle lights up) when I test a GFCI-protected outlet?
This is where most of the inspectors are misrecording this deficiency. HUD states:
Why? Because even though it’s ungrounded…the GFCI will prevent shocks. Unfortunately, it will NOT protect equipment plugged into it (and surge protectors won’t help either).
Technically, by Code (not HUD), the outlet should have a sticker, “No Equipment Ground.” The sticker “GFCI Protected” is only required when the GFCI is located upstream or at the breaker and not at the outlet itself.
Many older properties opt to install a 3-prong GFCI-protected outlets on their 2-prong outlets because it’s much cheaper than running a ground wire in!
The GFCI can also be located on the breaker:
Here is where it gets confusing for inspectors….the test button on the circuit tester will NOT work if you have an open ground. In order to test the GFCI functionality, you’ll have to find the GFCI:
- The GFCI could be on the receptacle itself and then you just manually push the Test and Reset buttons while the circuit tester is plugged in and watch for the light on the tester to go out – this tells the inspector the GFCI is functioning properly!
- The GFCI could be located in the breaker panel so someone will have to trip it at the panel while the inspector watches the circuit tester to see if the light goes out (loses power).
- The GFCI could be located UPSTREAM from the outlet your testing…this is where it can get fun because I have seen crazy things like a GFCI in a garage is protecting (upstream) the outlets in the bathroom. Someone will have to run around tripping GFCI’s to see if the light on the tester goes out.
So the ONLY time an ungrounded outlet should be cited under this deficiency is if the outlet is not protected (at the receptacle, upstream or at the breaker) by a GFCI!
What if the property only has 2-prong outlets?
The inspector could use an adapter so they can plug their circuit tester in…however the deficiency is crystal clear that only 3-prong outlets are to be inspected and cited under this deficiency if wired wrong.
Additionally, there is no direction by HUD via training nor in the Standards that the inspector must carry a 2-prong adapter. Of course, this could always change!
Just because we are not required to carry adapters does not mean the inspector won’t! Deficiencies 1, 3, 4 and 5 could still be cited with 2-prong outlets:
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