How to Change From 2- to 3-Prong Electrical Sockets
- 1). Turn off the power to the outlet.
- 2). Unscrew the cover of the outlet and remove it. Unscrew the screws holding the outlet to the electrical box and remove it from the box. Unscrew the nuts holding the black and white wires, remove them and discard the outlet.
- 3). Attach a 12-gauge bare ground wire to a nearby cold-water copper pipe with a ground clamp. Screw the clamp onto the pipe and attach the ground wire to the nut on the clamp. Run the ground wire to the outlet and feed it through the back of the electrical box.
- 4). Attach the black and white wires in the box to the brass and silver screws, respectively, on the new outlet. Make a clockwise hook in the end of the ground wire and attach it to the green nut on the new outlet. If the electrical box is metal, attach the ground wire to it as well, looping it around the ground nut and tightening the nut.
- 5). Push the wires into the box and attach the outlet to the box, using the screws that came with the outlet. Then replace the cover on the outlet and turn the power back on.