Chelan Home Inspection Services.
Grandfathers: I hear this on many occasions when doing a home inspection - “but it is grandfathered.” Well, that may or may not be true and to assume it is a wrong way to think of anything. We have rule changes in building codes typically for very good reasons, most often for improved safety. So to say “grandfathered” is to say I would prefer not to have improved safety. Think of it this way, do you want a car without seatbelts? Yeah, the car may be built that way but your face will still go through the windshield in an accident. Upgrading to seat belts is not a bad idea.
Pile the whole team in.
Bootleggers: Here I am referring to someone who bootlegs the ground on a receptacle. This is when the ground terminal on the receptacle is connected to the neutral wire on an older 2-wire home (no grounding conductor).
“Getting a swill”
Landlords: A person who rents land, a building, a home or an apartment to a tenant.
You know who you are!
So the story...
I get a call from a friend who just moved into a rental. He asks me, hey I now have grounded outlets in the home (the home is a 50’s home) and it does that seem right. My friend has some construction background. I ask ‘Did someone run new wiring?” He says “No.” I reply ”I bet someone bootlegged the grounds.” I told him I would be in the area soon and I will come and check it out.
So I get to the home and test the receptacle and sure enough, it shows a ground present but I am pretty sure it is on a two wire system. So I pull the receptacle from the box and this is what I find.
Yep someone has connected the neutral wire to the grounding terminal. This can be a hazard because the neutral wire is a current-carrying conductor. A bootleg ground both potentially dangerous and against code. I then tell my friend “I just hate bootleggers,” and we both have a little chuckle.
So my friend calls the landlord to inform them of this issue. The landlord agrees to come over and discuss the situation.
The landlord is very nice but does not understand the gravity or issues involved. I tell the landlord why this is wrong and that there are now other legal/code requirements that will have to be done to correct it. I can now see the landlord is now getting uneasy and a bit defensive. Then the word is dropped… “but it is grandfathered.” I reply “oh no it is not. The home has been modified and with that modification they have now invoked the new rules that will have to be complied with. “
Per 2014 NEC, 406.4(D) it now requires replacement receptacles to be AFCI, GFCI, or tamper resistant, where replacements are made at locations requiring such protection. So unless you have an exception you must upgrade to the new receptacle, no grandfather clauses here.
Info on replacements- No grandfathers here
So the morale of the story. If you are a landlord you have a moral and legal responsibility to do repairs correctly, you are responsible. Hiring someone on the cheap or who is not qualified to do the work does not remove you from that responsibility. Ignorance is not an excuse (please no Uncle Bob’s, grandfathers and bootleggers)!
Please watch this video clip from Mike Holt.
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.”
Confucius
If you find any errors or have additional information that would expand on any code, building standards or manufacturer requirements please let me know.
NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…
Your Wenatchee and Chelan Professional Real Estate, Home and Structural Pest Inspection Service
Instructor- Fundamentals of Home Inspection- Bellingham Technical College
WA Home Inspector Advisory Licensing Board
www.ncwhomeinspections.com 509-670-9572
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