A receptacle ground slot connected to the neutral wire is termed a false ground, although electricians routinely call it a “bootleg ground” or “cheated ground.” Unfortunately, it will trick a three-light tester into confirming that a receptacle is grounded when it is not. 

    When upgrading to a three-slot receptacle in a two-wire system without a ground wire, if a short “jumper” wire is used to connect the ground screw at the side of the receptacle to the adjacent neutral screw, the connection deceives a three-light tester because it can recognize that the new ground slot will accept the flow of electricity, but cannot determine if the ground and neutral are traveling along the same path. 

    Two different $300 plug-in receptacle circuit analyzers (Ideal Suretest 61-165 and  Amprobe INSP-3) will indicate the presence of a false ground. We prefer the Amprobe, shown below, but both are good. A simpler, although more time-consuming, test method is to open a couple of receptacles and check the wire connections for that jumper wire when examining three-slot receptacles in a pre-1960 house—after shutting off the breaker, of course.

    Also, see our blog post Is an ungrounded electric receptacle outlet dangerous?

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

  To learn more about electrical wiring, devices, and receptacles, see these other blog posts:

 • What is the difference between what trips a GFCI (ground fault) receptacle and a circuit breaker?

• What is the code requirement for GFCI protection for receptacles near a wet bar sink? 

• What is the requirement for a service receptacle outlet for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HACR) equipment? 

• Why is an opening in the wall around the side of an electrical receptacle outlet a safety defect?  

• When was GFCI-protection for kitchen dishwasher receptacle outlet first required? 

• What is allowable voltage range at a wall receptacle outlet in a house?

• When should I replace electric receptacle outlets? 

• Does an electric receptacle outlet in a storage shed require GFCI protection? 

• What are "self-contained" electrical receptacle outlets and switches?

• What is the difference between an electrical receptacle, an outlet, and a plug?

• Does a washing machine receptacle outlet require GFCI protection?

• What is the building code requirement for receptacle outlets at stairs and stair landings?

• Can I remove a 240-volt range receptacle and hard-wire the range? 

• What is a "backstab" receptacle outlet? 

• Why are some electric receptacle outlets upside down (ground slot up) in a house?   

• What is the height requirement for an electric receptacle outlet? 

• Where are GFCI receptacle outlets required?

• When were GFCI receptacle outlets first required?

• Does a home inspector remove receptacle outlet cover plates?

• What is the minimum height for an exterior receptacle outlet? 

• When was the current receptacle/outlet spacing of 12-feet first required? 

• When was the three-slot (grounding) outlet/receptacle first required? 

• Why does painting an electric receptacle (outlet) make it unsafe?

• Why are electrical outlets and plugs polarized? 

• How many electrical receptacles (outlets) are required in a hallway?  

• What problems does having too many electric receptacle outlets on a single circuit cause? 

• Is a house required to have outdoor electric receptacle outlets?

• How I can tell if a receptacle outlet is tamper resistant?

• Why is there a GFCI breaker in the electric panel for the bathroom shower light and exhaust fan?

• What is a false ground, bootleg ground, or cheated ground receptacle? 

• How can adding wood paneling or a wainscot create an electrical safety hazard?

• How can I figure out what a mystery wall switch does?

• How far apart should kitchen counter receptacles be spaced?  

• How far above a kitchen countertop do electrical outlets have to be?

• What is reversed polarity at an outlet/receptacle? Why is it dangerous? 

• How high above the floor do electric outlets/receptacles in a garage have to be?

• How far apart should electric receptacles be spaced in a bathroom? 

• My bathroom electric receptacle/outlet is dead and there are no tripped breakers in the electric panel. What's wrong?  

• Is there an adapter that can be placed on a two-slot receptacle to make it safe? 

• How do the new tamper-resistant electric outlets work?

• Why is there no bathroom electric receptacle in this old house?

• How can I tell if the electric receptacle outlets are grounded? 

• How far apart should the electrical receptacles be placed?

• What are the most common problems/defects found with electric receptacle outlets during a home inspection?

   Visit our ELECTRICAL page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.