Home Improvement Ideas DIY Home Electrical Tips & Guides How to Ground Electrical Wires Most of your home's receptacles should be grounded. If they're not, learn four different ways to add this safety feature. By Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole is the senior home editor at BHG. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of interior design expertise. She has vast experience with digital media, including SEO, photo shoot production, video production, eCommerce content, print collaboration, and custom sales content. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on October 23, 2022 Close If you have an older home, you'll need to make sure that your electrical outlets are grounded. Grounding refers to the wire that runs from an outlet into the earth, inherently protecting homeowners from coming in contact with electric energy. No matter the method, it's important that the ground circuit provides an unbroken path to the earth. Ground wires must be firmly connected at all points. And if conduit or sheathing is used as a ground path, connections must be tight. If you're not sure if your outlets are grounded, a receptacle analyzer will tell you. Stacy Zarin Goldberg We'll show you how to install grounding in outlets, fixtures, and switches. These tips will help you properly ground electrical wires to help keep your home safe. Editor's Tip: Building codes have changed over the years and differ from region to region. As a result, grounding methods can vary widely. You may find any of several configurations in your home. What to Know About Residential Electrical Codes Requirements How to Ground Wires in Metal Boxes In a system with metal boxes, the pigtail method is considered the most secure. In this arrangement, both the receptacle and metal box are grounded. Ground wires are spliced together and attached with a pigtail to the box and receptacle. The grounding wire nut shown has a hole in its top that makes installing a pigtail easier. Other methods also work well if installed correctly. One such method is a grounding clip that clamps the ground wire to the box. If a house is wired with armored cable or conduit, there often is no ground wire. The cable connector joins the metal sheathing or conduit to the box to provide the path for grounding. How to Turn off the Power in Your Home How to Ground Wires in Plastic Boxes Where plastic boxes are used, a ground wire typically connects to the receptacle only. Here, where wiring runs through this box to another box, a grounding pigtail connects to the device. How to Ground Wires in Fixtures Many older ceiling fixtures are not grounded. Recent codes, however, call for grounding electrical wires in fixtures. To do so, connect the fixture's ground lead (usually a stranded wire) to the strap on a metal box or to a ground wire. How to Ground Wires in Switches Most older switches are not grounded; many switches do not even have a ground screw. However, recent codes call for switches to be grounded. Replace an older switch with a newer one that has a ground screw and connect it to a ground wire. How to Install a Switched Receptacle to Control an Outlet Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit