His daughter's death could have been prevented by a $15 piece of equipment he could have bought at any hardware store.
> His daughter’s death could have been prevented by a $15 piece of equipment he could have bought at any hardware store. [Campion]
Not necessarily!
> This must have been an older home built before the current code. [Governor Dinwiddie]
Yes, many older homes don’t have a ground wire inside the wall itself (mine, built in the early 50s doesn’t). There’s no ground wire to connect the outlet to. (Catnipman, I assume you were able to connect all the needed lines. If there’s no ground wire running to the outlets themselves, GFI protection is an illusion.)
In two rooms I added a ground wire myself and ran it a short distance to an outdoor faucet metal pipe (there must be a good ground, and attached well. Ideally an electrician would make the connection.) I did that not for personal safety but to allow surge protectors to work properly.
Ordinarily a dry body won’t conduct 120 volts of electricity very well. I used to repair old radios and televisions, and through carelessness was shocked several times by 120v and considerably more. Any kind of moisture, though, and you’re in real danger. Even when just sweaty, I’m extremely careful.