Do you live in an older home? 2 wire outlets can be replaced with a corresponding outlet or they can be upgraded. Countrywide electric Code doesn’t allow you to change a two wire ( old ) receptacle to a 3 wire ( new ) receptacle. But there’s a answer to this problem. I recommend changing them to a ground fault circuit interrupter commonly called a GFCI or GFI. It’s the simplest way to replace a two wire receptacle with a three wire receptacle.
Before you do anything, always turn off the electricity to that receptacle or group of receptacles you will be working on or changing out. You can test a receptacle with a metering device or merely employ a lamp. Make sure that the receptacle is off before attempting to change.
The white wire should be hooked up to what’s called the line side of the GFCI on the silver screw. There may be more than one white wire. Link them both to this silver screw. Screws should be color coated to understand which of them to use for which side ( white and black ). Some GFCI could be marked white for the white wire as electricians refer to it as the ‘grounded conductor.’ In some receptacles, you could have more than one wire as it may feed other receptacles from those wires. White wires should be on the side of the receptacle with silver screws.
Black wires should be on the gold screws. If there are 2 black wires, attach both of them to the gold screws. This is straightforward to remember. Black to gold : white to silver. This is important because it’s what electricians call ‘keeping your polarity correct.’ This means white wire on the outlet is the wider part of the prong. The white wire is the widest part of the wire called the ‘grounded conductor.’
GFCI monitor a circuit or current flow within itself. That’s why it is possible to replace a two wire receptacle with a GFCI. You can not just replace with a three prong receptacle because it doesn’t have a grounding conductor. If you have apparatus that faults or fails, it will go thru to its nearest path that may be you. Be safety wise, it’s best.
