Does The Self-Grounding Electrical Outlet Comply with the NEC?

What happens when someone mis-wires it?

Looks like another puzzle piece for the perfect storm.

I think everyone is missing the point. This is for the old two wire system ONLY. By code, we are allowed to install a three wire receptacle in a two wire system as long as we install a GFI device upstream. With this design, at least there is a fault path if the plugged in device fails to operate correctly. So if the device becomes grounded, the breaker will trip. If a person comes in contact, the GFI will trip.

No worries. Mr. Elwart is full of other ideas in a variety of fields. Hopefully his later years can be funded with those endeavors instead.

Recognize, there is no manufacturer, only an inventor. The Patent Office does not evaluate the technical merits or safety of an idea, only that it is a unique idea. We could question the evaluators skills at finding prior art, or maybe Mr. Elwart's ability to BS or bribe, but this patent proves the truism that many are only suitable as toilet paper.

I'm not an electrician, but even I understand the stupidity of this device. Not to mention the fact that we could accomplish the same exact thing with any standard receptacle and a jumper. Guess we can just start connecting the GEC and grounded conductor together at sub-panels now. Better yet, let's stop using GEC's altogether and go back to the good ole days.

I've never seen a self-grounding device constructed in this manner. The ones I've seen have a copper wire that comes into contact with the device mounting screw as it passes through metal ear of the device, not a jumper from the neutral to the ground terminal. A device wired like that would positively always trip an AFCI breaker and never work.

I wonder who "invented" this.

An engineer ? Sounds like some engineers I worked with.

I'm checking my calendar....and it doesn't say April 1. Are they serious? Let's just start tearing pages out of the NEC that make the job inconvenient !

Amazing. I inspected a townhome on Monday. I saw so many green conductors that it looked like an Amazon jungle. Not a thing bonded to the service grounding conductor. The neighbor's devices were bonded to this home's A/C unit. This homes satellite dish was bonded to the exterior hose bib. Whoops! A 14-year old home. PEX plumbing throughout.

Man, if only they has self-grounding devices, they'd be good!

Mike, thank you as always!

It has the well known risk in the case that the 'grounded conductor' (neutral) becomes open circuit.

Regardless of its usefulness it should have failed the requirement of novelty for patenting. Connection between the EGC and neutral terminals at a receptacle so that both connect to the neutral is what has been done for decades in e.g. Germany, until prohibited for safety reasons. A web search for pictures on "klassiche nullung" (classic connecting-to-neutral?) shows examples. Having this connection built in to the receptable sounds too obvious an idea to be a novel development.

I can't believe they issued a patent for such a dangerous piece of equipment. If anyone actually manufactures this piece of junk I hope they have allot of liability insurance.

Please tell me that none of the Electrical testing laboratories has listed that piece of Shite.

-- Tom Horne

Can't imagine that Edison is happy about being the only utility that this narrow minded person named. Perhaps you meant to file for this in China?

In the old days they called this Kelly ground which is dangerous and should never been approved. Is this electrical product UL listed?

After reading the manufacturers description my first thought was "Didn't bonding the grounding conductor to the grounded conductor in all circumstances become illegal about 25 years ago" Thanks Mike for the information, keep up the good work.

Let the buyer beware