Should I ground my Tice Powerblock / Titan Combo?

As of 1962 the NEC required that new 120-volt household receptacle outlets, for general purpose use, be both grounded and polarized.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Electrical_Code

If the Tice Powerblock / Titan Combo is an isolation transformer and is not connected to the equipment ground of the premises then the neutral of the output, secondary winding, of the transformer is floating and could be hazardous to your health....

Of course who knows if the builder of the unit even connected one of the secondary leads of the transformer to the equipment ground inside the unit making it the neutral conductor, "The Grounded Conductor".

As I said earlier the unit is not UL and or CSA listed.

Jim, a floating ground is exactly what George was after.

Bruce,

The bigger problem is the floating 120Vac output of the transformer. Both leads of the secondary are hot without a true ground reference. For safety the output of the transformer,(if single ended), then one leg must be earth connected. (Balanced the center tap must be grounded). And because the transformer is a separately derived power system fed from the premises main grounded power system one leg of the secondary of the transformer must be connected to the main grounding system of the premises. If the unit plugs into a receptacle, the equipment ground of the receptacle branch circuit is used.

Also at the transformer unit where the output power receptacle/s are located, somewhere in the mix of things, the equipment ground contact of the receptacle/s must also be connected to the grounded leg of the output of the transformer and the equipment ground of the power cord that feeds the transformer. Star grounding.....

Just a quick example what could happen with a 120V floating power system. Say for what ever reason one of the lines feeding a piece of equipment, connected to the floating power source, was to short to the metal case. Nothing would happen right? No fuse would blow. The user of the equipment wouldn't know... No big problem right?

But what if for some reason another piece of equipment also experienced the same problem where the hot wire shorted to the case.... But this time it was the opposite hot wire from the floating 120V power source. Still no fuse will blow... The user will not know a problem may exist.... Only way the user will know if there is a problem if he touches both pieces of equipment at the same time... A 120Vac difference of potential from one to the other....

Just to throw another monkey wrench into the mix.... If the above example in my last post were to happen there is a good chance equipment could be damaged. A lot of audio equipment designer/manufactures connect the signal ground to the chassis/case of the equipment. If the faulted equipment is connected together by ICs then a short circuit will exist hopefully causing fuses within the equipment to blow.... Hopefully before any damage to the electronics of the audio equipment.

I live in an apt with no ground (built in the 40's).
10-06-10: Rotelmania

Multi story apt building? Good chance the electrical branch circuit wiring is installed in metallic conduit.

If you have a multi meter you can check it out.
*pull the receptacle outlet cover plate.
*Set the meter to AC volts.
*Insert one test probe in the screw hole that holds on the receptacle outlet cover plate. Or touch it to the one of the screws that holds the receptacle to the metal rough-in box.
*Insert the other test probe in the hot contact hole of the receptacle. Don't know which one is the hot one? Try both.

Meter should read 120Vac nominal....

If it does you have an equipment ground. How good of a ground? That depends on the integrity of all the fitting connections from the receptacle metal box all the way back to the electrical panel.

Hire an electrician he can test the ground conductivity by putting a temporary load across the hot conductor and the metal receptacle box. He will then check for voltage drop across the temporary load.

Have a new grounding type receptacle ready for the electrician to install if the equipment ground checks out ok.....
.

the wires are PAPER wraped with what looks like thick string (but with the characteristics of paper) :( talk about brittle.. look at it funny and it crumbles.. Have no idea how that works.
10-06-10: Rotelmania

Rotelmania,

Apt 40 years old?.... Probably more like at least 60 years old. You should have not pulled out the receptacle/s for a look. You will definitely need to hire an electrician to access the damage done by disturbing the old brittle insulated wiring.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..

10-07-10: Apmaher
The Power Block is fine...it is a isolation transformer...that means the neutral is isolated from the house...which in turn reads as an open circuit (no ground) if you plug a polarity checker (in this case the power strip) into the Tice output (secondary)...that is normal.

Wrong.....it is not fine.....

By UL the neutral cannot float. It must be connected to the main system ground of the house. In fact, in this case, there is no neutral just 2 floating hot conductors with out a reference to ground.

Obviously the Tice was never submitted to UL for testing and certification.
.

Garyhead,

The Tice Service Bulletin #5 from April 1991 does nothing to meet UL or electrical code safety standards of the US in 1987 let alone 1991.

Connecting the safety equipment ground from the mains wall receptacle to the green ground screw of one of the duplex receptacles of the unit does nothing for the electrical safety for the consumer using the unit. The 120V secondary winding of the isolation transformer separately derived system is still allowed to float above ground. Neither hot contact of the duplex receptacles of the Tice unit have a reference to ground. Any device plugged into any of the 120V receptacles of the Tice Power block that use a cord and plug that utilizes a safety equipment grounding conductor will not have any ground fault protection.

Here is a quote from a book written by Henry Ott, 3.1.6 Separately Derived Systems.

Intentionally bonding, connecting, one lead of the secondary winding of the isolation transformer to earth ground, (the main grounding system of the home's electrical service), does not change the properties of the isolation transformer or the fact it still is a separately derived 120V system. What it does do is create a new Grounded Conductor, the Neutral Conductor. A new grounded AC power system derived from the main AC grounded electrical service power system it is fed from.
Jim