Can I just install three-prong outlets myself?

Only if there's actually a ground wire in the box to connect. Most of the time in old Alexandria homes, there isn't — and an ungrounded three-prong outlet is a code violation that creates a false sense of safety.

Is GFCI as good as a real ground?

For protecting people from shocks, yes — that's what GFCI is designed for. For protecting electronics from surges, no. We explain the trade-off for each room so you can choose.

Do I need to rewire the whole house to fix this?

Not necessarily. We can often run grounds or add GFCI protection circuit by circuit. A full rewire is the gold standard, but it's not the only path.

Why do my surge protectors say 'not grounded'?

Because the light is telling the truth — without a ground wire, the protector has nowhere to dump a surge. Fix the ground (or accept GFCI's limits) and the light goes green.

Two-Prong Outlet Replacement & Grounding in Alexandria, VA

Name: Alexandria Rewiring Pros
Address: Alexandria, VA
Telephone: +13016799193
Price range: $$

What two-prong outlets mean

If your outlets only accept two-prong plugs, your home has no equipment ground on those circuits. The wiring is probably from before the 1960s — common in Old Town, Del Ray, and Rosemont. The outlets work. But they're missing the safety wire that protects you from shocks and protects your electronics from surges.

Why it matters more than you think

Three problems. First, shock risk: if a fault energizes an appliance's metal case, there's no ground path — you become the path. Second, surge protectors can't do their job without a ground. That expensive power strip is a paperweight. Third, home inspectors flag ungrounded outlets on every report, and buyers use it to negotiate.

The adapter lie

Those little gray 3-to-2 adapters don't ground anything. Neither does swapping in a three-prong outlet without running a ground wire — that's actually worse, because it lies to you. An outlet tester will show "open ground," and anything you plug in thinking it's protected isn't.

Two real fixes

The best fix is running a ground wire (or new grounded cable) to each outlet. The code-allowed alternative is GFCI protection: a GFCI outlet or breaker protects people from shocks even without a ground wire. It's not the same as a true ground — surge protectors still won't work — but it's legal, safe, and far less invasive. We'll tell you which makes sense room by room.

Where grounding matters most

Not every ungrounded outlet is equally urgent. Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and anywhere you plug in expensive electronics — those come first, because that's where shocks and surges do real harm. Bedrooms with just lamps and phone chargers can wait for a later phase. During the free inspection, we test every outlet in the house and hand you a room-by-room map: green where you're grounded, red where you're not, with the priority order marked. Most homeowners fix the wet rooms and the office first, then work through the rest over time. It's the same phased approach we use for partial rewires — planned up front, executed at your pace.

Ungrounded outlets all over the house? Call (301) 679-9193 for a free inspection. We'll map what's grounded and what's not, and give you a written plan.