I recently had two outlets in my basement that weren't grounded so I grounded them to a nearby water pipe. I checked it with a tester and find it to read correct. After using them for about a month, they went out. Now the tester reads hot/ground switched. I'd appreciate any advice on this one. I'm perplexed since nothing changed.
You can't just ground your receptacles to a nearby water pipe. You need to run the ground all the way back to your main panel or a water pipe not further than 5 ft from the basement entrance point. Here's a link that will give you lots of info on how and when you can replace a 2 prong outlet with a 3 prong outlet and how to ground. http://www.codecheck.com/250_50_commentary.html
Forgot to tell you that a hot/grd reverse is a clear indiction of an open neutral. If these receptacles are connected using the small holes in the back then remove the wires from these holes and attach to the screws on the sides for a proper connections.
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