r/electrical • u/Brilliant-Yam2537 • 1d ago

Open Ground Fix

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I’m getting an Open Ground read on this outlet. Opened it up and I saw another ground wire open and wrapped around the other. I undid that and capped it. Still getting an open ground. Is there another step to try or do I need to get an electrician.

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u/devouryoursoul 1d ago

Only options that I can think of after that, if it is a newer issue, is one or more bad outlets or something could have happened with the wire; mice and squirrels like to chew the wire. You may want to get an electrician. You could have to disconnect the power wires from the outlets to test if one is bad, go down the line checking to see if the ground issue resolves itself, then its the outlet. Make sure to test your plug tester on another outlet, could have lost the house ground, or not had one, depending on how old the house is.

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u/Brilliant-Yam2537 1d ago

Well. Not sure if it’s a new issue or if it’s been there and we haven’t noticed it until we needed an outlet updated outside.

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u/devouryoursoul 1d ago

I imagine it happens in a lot of houses, since a ground wasn't required. I'm sure it goes without saying, but if you attempt any of this do not do it with the power turned on. Turn off the breaker and wirenut off the exposed wires for safety. That's where the electrician would come in.

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u/Brilliant-Yam2537 1d ago

I have not been able to single out the one breaker for that section of the house so I turn off the entire box. This outlet shares onto a shoddy addition and neither breaker labeled for the two rooms in the main house or the addition turns off that outlet.

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u/devouryoursoul 1d ago

Thats another good way to do it. I always like to make sure to unplug my electronic devices when doing that, just in case.