How to ground an outlet ?

OK, I'm going to teach you a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE cheat.

If you have a three pronged outlet (code) it should be wired with a black wire (hot), white wire (neutral) and a bare copper ground wire. If that's what you have then you have nothing to do. It's correct, and there's nothing you can do with the electrical outlet.

But if you have a two wire system (black and white - no bare copper) then you don't have a ground. Well, technically you do - that's what the neutral does. But your equipment may be ungrounded.

OK, here's the cheat: Connect a short jumper between the white wire and the ground screw on the wall socket. It's NOT to code but it will suffice.

As someone already said, all the neutral does is goes back to the breaker box where it is connected to ground. The power mast on your house is connected to ground. The center lead from the transformer is connected to ground. The EXTRA ground wire is just for safety. And in more modern equipment it is for noise suppression by grounding the chassis.

BE CAREFUL. MESSING WITH LIVE WIRES IS DANGEROUS. BE SURE TO SHUT THE BREAKER OFF BEFORE YOU OPEN THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET.

Hope this helps.

Happy Holidays.

'')

your wall socket has three holes [[[ two are flat & streight and the third is a round hole that is the ground - additional - if you do not have those three [3] holes then as an apartment dweller your electrics are not up to code and you need to get the city building inspector involved and get an inspection = careful you do not upset the landlard too much == ]]] it would be the first [1st ] step for you to go to a hardware store and buy a two wire continuity "" glow light "" checker -- most of those are cheap -- the checker glo lite will glow if you have the hot side of your wall socket working by seeing those other two parts of the wall plug properly grounded -- check 1st the two slots and then move one or the other "" glo wires "" to the round hole and see the glo-lite working ... this is the best way for you to determine that the ground "hole" is functional additional web info ::: It is surprising the number of times an electrician will be called out for a non-functioning outlet only to "fix it" by flipping a switch. So, the first thing to do is turn on any wall switches that may control an outlet. Another thing to check is that the circuit breaker or fuse is intact and that no GFCI outlet controlling the branch circuit has tripped.

Caution: Please read our safety information before attempting any testing or repairs.

Working with live electrical circuits can be hazardous. Do not attempt this measurement without the proper tools and safeguards. Always test your test equipment for proper operation before use.

Testing an outlet can be as simple as plugging in a light to see if it goes on. Of course, always test your test equipment first. If that light doesn't work and you test an outlet and assume there is no current because the light doesn't go on, you may be in for a shock.

A more thorough way to test electrical outlets involves the use of an outlet tester. This device will not only indicate if the outlet has power, it will also indicate if the outlet is grounded and whether the hot, common or ground wires are reversed.

[Outlet Tester]

Order an Outlet Tester from Amazon.com

The device could not be easier to use and costs only a few dollars. Generally, you plug the device in and note the pattern of the lights. The legend printed on the device describes what the lights indicate. Be sure to follow all of the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

If an outlet is identified as being miswired or does not have proper ground, you should not use the outlet until the problem is resolved. In the case of a miswired outlet or absent ground, the problem may occur at the problem outlet or somewhere else in the branch circuit. Do some detective work to determine the extent of the problem before attempting any repairs.

See also:

GFCI Outlets

How to Replace an Outlet

Outlet Safety

it is long but you have the info to make your own "check" before you buy any materials or start cutting into the wall and making repairs to the wall .... you are welcome to e/m me ...XTX

Hiss is not caused by lack of system grounding.

The answer about Congress and safety grounding is hilarious. Fire safety regulation is left completely up to each state. @Sum also calls "grounding" completely useless, although it probably prevents accidental electrocutions all day every day. The point of "grounding' is that it is NOT connected "to the same place" as the neutral wire. It is connected only to the non-energized metal parts of the device, giving the power circuit a safe alternative if the interior "hot" touches the case (short to ground), rather than finding a circuit through the next person who touches it...

Yes, if you actually want to ground an outlet, or an appliance, you can, in theory, run a wire to a cold-water pipe or a buried grounding rod. Whether it meets your local electrical code for wiring methods would be a different question.

All outlets are grounded - that's how they work. You've got a hot line (usually black) and a ground line (white). Years ago Congress made people use a third grounding line (copper) - but oddly, it's just run to to the same place as the other (white) ground. So mostly it's entirely useless.

You might find some metal water pipe which goes into the ground - or a put in a grounding rod - tie a copper line to it and run it to your outlet and see if that doesn't help. I doubt it will, but it might.

What would be best is to try this temporarily to see if it worked before you went to the working of putting in another ground. You could use one side of a long extension cord, and run it to some known ground and to the grounding lug on your amp. If that knocked the hiss down, then go ahead an put in a permanent copper line. You can buy some bare copper at Lowe's by the foot. Unfortunately it's expensive these days.

how did you get con fused with your amp.and wat do you mean?

Dolby is a great way,to reduce background noise.