# "No equipment ground" sticker?



## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

Elephante said:


> When adding a Gfci device to an old two wire circuit, what is the reason for adding those stickers downstream? I can't imagine it being for safety because the Gfci handles the trip if there is an imbalance...is it for sensitive equipment that needs a ground?


You should also place the sticker indicating that it is gfci protected.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

Elephante said:


> When adding a Gfci device to an old two wire circuit, what is the reason for adding those stickers downstream? I can't imagine it being for safety because the Gfci handles the trip if there is an imbalance...is it for sensitive equipment that needs a ground?


Yes.

And any equipment made of metal can become live without the equipment ground...


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Elephante said:


> ...Is it for sensitive equipment that needs a ground?


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

It's to notify anyone using that receptacle that while there's a grounded receptacle, there's no grounding conductor attached to it.


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## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

lol....who is that? Is he fighting with his girlfriend? Lol


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## Awg-Dawg (Jan 23, 2007)

Big John said:


> ..


 

Lol.:laughing:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ


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## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

Black Dog said:


> Yes. And any equipment made of metal can become live without the equipment ground...


 so let's say a drill gets energized. Will the Gfci trip if you touch the drill and you are grounded to a slab or some sort of return path...


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

I don't know who it is, I just looked for "run away screaming" GIF and that's what came up. :laughing:

I think the labeling requirement is ridiculous. Not only do they not last, but what is a person supposed to do differently upon seeing that label? Decide not to plug stuff in? Be more careful when plugging things in?

An installation is either safe or it isn't, and a dumb blue sticker doesn't change that.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

Elephante said:


> so let's say a drill gets energized. Will the Gfci trip if you touch the drill and you are grounded to a slab or some sort of return path...



It should but not always..


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## aftershockews (Dec 22, 2012)

Big John said:


> I don't know who it is, I just looked for "run away screaming" GIF and that's what came up. :laughing:
> 
> I think the labeling requirement is ridiculous. Not only do they not last, but what is a person supposed to do differently upon seeing that label? Decide not to plug stuff in? Be more careful when plugging things in?
> 
> An installation is either safe or it isn't, and a dumb blue sticker doesn't change that.


To me, placing those stickers will notify an EI or HI so as not to write it up. The HO could care less.


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## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

Big John said:


> I don't know who it is, I just looked for "run away screaming" GIF and that's what came up. :laughing: I think the labeling requirement is ridiculous. Not only do they not last, but what is a person supposed to do differently upon seeing that label? Decide not to plug stuff in? Be more careful when plugging things in? An installation is either safe or it isn't, and a dumb blue sticker doesn't change that.


 I am thinking it might be a way for the manufactures to cover their butts if there is a lawsuit...


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

aftershockews said:


> To me, placing those stickers will notify an EI or HI so as not to write it up. The HO could care less.


 That may be so. Every time I see an inspector pull out one of those stupid little bugeye testers I wanna smack it out of his hand.










_"Stop that!"_


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

Big John said:


> ...
> I think the labeling requirement is ridiculous. Not only do they not last, but what is a person supposed to do differently upon seeing that label? Decide not to plug stuff in?... .


That is exactly what they are supposed to do. See 250.114(3). Of course the person plugging in the equipment probably has no idea the the NEC even exists.


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## derekwalls (Dec 18, 2012)

Wow very informative. Still ridiculous lol.


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## FlyingSparks (Dec 10, 2012)

Muahahaha


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Elephante said:


> so let's say a drill gets energized. Will the Gfci trip if you touch the drill and you are grounded to a slab or some sort of return path...


You will probably get a shock but the gfci should trip at about 4-6 ma


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## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

Dennis Alwon said:


> You will probably get a shock but the gfci should trip at about 4-6 ma


 k...thanks it all makes sense..the little sticker is just telling you that the conductive part can become energized...


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Elephante said:


> k...thanks it all makes sense..the little sticker is just telling you that the conductive part can become energized...


No the sticker is telling the homeowner that there is no ground-- that will often scare them from using it for electronic stuff. Not sure most home owner know what it really means


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## crazyboy (Nov 8, 2008)

480sparky said:


> It's to notify anyone using that receptacle that while there's a grounded receptacle, there's no grounding conductor attached to it.


And 99.99% of people reading it won't know what that means.


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## Elephante (Nov 16, 2011)

Dennis Alwon said:


> No the sticker is telling the homeowner that there is no ground-- that will often scare them from using it for electronic stuff. Not sure most home owner know what it really means


 yea.. I was speaking from an electrician stand point, but I got ya.. Homeowners are going to plug what they want.. The only people that are going to worry about that are engineers with fancy equipment.. But most likely they will wire a new circuit themselves or pay someone to run a dedicated line with two grounds...lol


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## BababooeyHTJ (May 31, 2013)

Fancy equipment?! A surge suppressor won't even serve a purpose without an equipment ground.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

BababooeyHTJ said:


> Fancy equipment?! A surge suppressor won't even serve a purpose without an equipment ground.


True but that is because it needs a path to ground to send the extra voltage.

The only purpose of the gfci is really for protection to individuals. I don't think it will do much to protect equipment and that is why the no equipment ground sticker is suppose to be there.


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

BababooeyHTJ said:


> Fancy equipment?! A surge suppressor won't even serve a purpose without an equipment ground.


Most equipment only cares about a surge or high voltage spike between the hot and the neutral. The surge suppressor does not need an EGC to limit those types of spikes. It just clamps the two together to limit the spike.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

don_resqcapt19 said:


> Most equipment only cares about a surge or high voltage spike between the hot and the neutral. The surge suppressor does not need an EGC to limit those types of spikes. It just clamps the two together to limit the spike.


Hum.,. I read online that surge suppressor did need an equipment grounding conductor. I just went further into other sites and they say they don't necessarily need the equipment grounding conductor. Thanks Don


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

I can honestly say that I have probably put a thousand of those recepts in and have never ever used a sticker.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

sbrn33 said:


> I can honestly say that I have probably put a thousand of those recepts in and have never ever used a sticker.


Had an inspector want me to label all the gfci protected receptacles in a new house. They said it was code and if I wanted to pass I needed to do it. I wanted to fight them but the builder made me let it go.

There thinking is that it is in the instructions of the product. Well it is for testing purposes but not for a permanent install. I even asked this question at our states yearly meeting with 7 cmp members on the panel.. They agreed it was not required


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## pjholguin (May 16, 2014)

Most electronics comes with two wire electrical connectors.

Patrick




Dennis Alwon said:


> No the sticker is telling the homeowner that there is no ground-- that will often scare them from using it for electronic stuff. Not sure most home owner know what it really means


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