# Build Thread: LED Light Strip with Automatic Door Switch for Kitchen Pantry or Closet



## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

I'm thinking of taking on a new project.  We recently decided to use this hallway closet as our kitchen pantry.  Previously, these goods were stored on a bookshelf in the kitchen.  It looked like a dorm room.

Since this closet has no light source, other than what spills in from the hallway and kitchen, my plan is to add a 16 foot LED strip across the inside door jamb, connected to a push-type switch that will turn the lights on when the door is opened, and off when closed.  

There is no power in the closet, but in the picture that shows my hand pointing, there is an outlet on the opposite wall from which I am planning to draw power to the closet switch.  The switch will be wired to the LED power supply, which will be wired to the LEDs.  That's the plan at least.

I have listed that parts I'm planning to use, but that is likely to change.  I'm just posting what I've found online so far.

Attached are a few photos and a diagram of my scheme.  I welcome constructive thoughts from this knowledgable forum.  My handyman status is probably a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10.

Switch, $13.75: Lee Electric 209DN 600-Watt Door Light Switch, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EVKA8G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

LED Power Supply, $15.75: Ledwholesalers 30 Watt LED Power Suppply Driver Transformer 120 to 12 Volt DC Output, 3207, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034GUEY4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Lights, $11.88: Hitlights Warm White Flexible Ribbon LED Strip Light, 300 LEDs, 5 Meters (16.4 Feet) Spool, 12VDC Input, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GL5UG2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## bud16415 (Jan 10, 2014)

So your plan is to add a new outlet in a box inside the pantry that taps into the box on the other side of the wall? This new outlet will be controlled by the door switch and the power box will be plugged into this switched outlet?


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> So your plan is to add a new outlet in a box inside the pantry that taps into the box on the other side of the wall? This new outlet will be controlled by the door switch and the power box will be plugged into this switched outlet?



I was not planning to install a new outlet.  I was only planning to tap into the wires that lead to the existing outlet and run those wires to the switch.


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## bud16415 (Jan 10, 2014)

You could run power from your existing box thru the wall and then to the switch assuming the switch is an approved junction box and then go from there to a box that you would plug the transformer into. The other method would be to plug the transformer in and leave it powered up all the time and then switch the low voltage side thru the door switch. Both methods require a place for you to plug the transformer into. You can&#8217;t just cut off the plug and wire it thru a hole in the wall into your existing outlet box. At least that would be my understanding of code here. 

I once had a gizmo that attached to a door frame and had a pushbutton that controlled a light built into the gizmo. Kind of what you are thinking about. It had a line cord and you would plug it in. I doubt they still make these though. 

If it was my house I would tap thru the wall using all surface mounted wire raceway and put in a ceiling light and switch.


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## Blue Jay (Jan 10, 2014)

I have 3 closets setup that way, did it when building so it was easier to install. Ran the wire thru a regular switch so if I need to work on the push button I could turn the power off that way. Two of the doors are bi-fold so it was interesting to get the adjustment right. Don't know about the LED strip if it would give off enough light for what you want.


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 10, 2014)

Blue Jay said:


> Don't know about the LED strip if it would give off enough light for what you want.


http://eeref.engr.oregonstate.edu/@api/deki/files/993/=Footcandle_Recommendations.pdf

You'd have to ask the LED people what lux their product supplies at what distance.  Good luck with getting an answer to that one.


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

Whether there'll be enough light is the very last of my worries. There's already enough light to see what we need as it is. This is 25% practical and 75% fun project/wow factor. 

And then you account for the fact there are 300 LEDs on that strip. Too dim? Yeah, right.


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> You could run power from your existing box thru the wall and then to the switch assuming the switch is an approved junction box and then go from there to a box that you would plug the transformer into. The other method would be to plug the transformer in and leave it powered up all the time and then switch the low voltage side thru the door switch.




Those are great suggestions. Thanks. I think I will add the latter to my plan.


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## bud16415 (Jan 10, 2014)

I have done similar &#8220;WoW&#8221; factor projects. Never in a pantry but cool is cool wherever it is. In my old house I did quite a bit with rope lighting in a home theater. Hope you do it and when you get done post some pics.


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## Blue Jay (Jan 10, 2014)

trogdor said:


> Whether there'll be enough light is the very last of my worries. There's already enough light to see what we need as it is. This is 25% practical and 75% fun project/wow factor.
> 
> And then you account for the fact there are 300 LEDs on that strip. Too dim? Yeah, right.



Thought you were trying to get light to see by. I don't go for Wow factor just practicably. And yes I still use incandescent bulbs.


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

Blue Jay said:


> Thought you were trying to get light to see by. I don't go for Wow factor just practicably. And yes I still use incandescent bulbs.




Nothing wrong with incandescents. My hope with this project is that light coming from all angles will result in a more even distribution around the closet. Mounting only one incandescent from above would create some pretty funky shadows and dark spaces in here. 

Time will tell if this works out. I'll pop back in to give my results and thoughts. Probably won't be able to start the project until next weekend.


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## bud16415 (Jan 10, 2014)

In the after photos I expect to see substantial volume level reduction of everything on the top shelf of the pantry. That way we will know you did proper planning before beginning work.


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> In the after photos I expect to see substantial volume level reduction of everything on the top shelf of the pantry. That way we will know you did proper planning before beginning work.




Whistle while you work!


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## nealtw (Jan 10, 2014)

A motion sensor switch may be easier than digging into door frames??


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

nealtw said:


> A motion sensor switch may be easier than digging into door frames??



It sure would be! That's so simple, I didn't even think about it.  

How's this? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-M...ng-Switch-White-MS-OPS2H-WH/203202128?N=c32r#


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## nealtw (Jan 10, 2014)

I have seen them installed but I have no experience with them. http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/SectionDisplay.jsp?section=62870&minisite=10251


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

In that case, please refer to this photo. Could I just tap into the wires for the hallway light switch? Seems simple to me.


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## nealtw (Jan 10, 2014)

If you have just a white and black going to the switch, no the power is going to the light first. If you have 2 whites tied together and 2 black going to the switch, likely yes, but then you could just add another switch there.


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

This is what's back there. Note: this is a 65 year old house.


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## nealtw (Jan 10, 2014)

That is a threeway switch, the power is going to the light or the other switch, so no you can not get power from there.


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## trogdor (Jan 10, 2014)

nealtw said:


> That is a threeway switch, the power is going to the light or the other switch, so no you can not get power from there.



Literally impossible? Unsafe? Against code?  All of the above?

If you could be more specific that'd be great.


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 11, 2014)

trogdor said:


> Whether there'll be enough light is the very last of my worries. There's already enough light to see what we need as it is. This is 25% practical and 75% fun project/wow factor.
> 
> And then you account for the fact there are 300 LEDs on that strip. Too dim? Yeah, right.


With your reasoning on this project I give you less than 50-50 on the 25% practical that it will work as planned.  But you might get lucky.  :2cents:

Also, the new 25/75 split seems like
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_the_goalposts

This makes four cents, total.


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## trogdor (Jan 11, 2014)

trogdor said:


> Literally impossible? Unsafe? Against code?  All of the above?
> 
> If you could be more specific that'd be great.




Never mind, I thought about it more. Makes sense now.


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## CallMeVilla (Jan 11, 2014)

I have done LED in kitchens.  The usual setup is to install a receptacle inside the upper protion of a cabinet and plug the transformer into it.  All feed wires feed from that point.

EMBEDDED SWITCH
In your case, I would tap into the receptacle across the hall and install a receptacle high up, to the hinge side of the closet.  Since the feed wires (you need a power leg and a switch leg) are low volt, you can drop them down from there along the hinge side of the door jamb inside the wall (you are OK with some drywall damage, yes?).  Install the switch in the hinge side by drilling through the framing (jamb + jack stud + kind stud).  Run the feed wires to the switch, connect them, install the switch.

Now you need to run the switch leg to your first LED light strip, then any others, sequentially.

MOTION SENSOR
An alternative would be tu use a motion sensor instead of an embedded switch.  I have done this in walk-in closets.  If you REALLY want to have a WOW factor, try this ... Run the power from your source receptacle to the closet ceiling.  Install a switch box with a motion sensor.  Run the switch leg over to another receptacle mounted high and behind the wall with the door.  The receptacle will be activated when the motion sensor turns it on.  Plug your transformer into this receptacle.

Now, you can run your LED hookup wires inside the wall for a clean installation.  The picture shows this arrangement on the sidewall ... you could also do it this way if you like.


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## trogdor (Jan 11, 2014)

Awesome info! Thank you.


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## CallMeVilla (Jan 12, 2014)

Trogdor, I enjoyed my answer so much I am going to "Like" myself.


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## nealtw (Jan 13, 2014)

trogdor said:


> Never mind, I thought about it more. Makes sense now.


 It just won't work.:banana:


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 14, 2014)

nealtw said:


> It just won't work.:banana:


So what's the fallback position?


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## nealtw (Jan 14, 2014)

Wuzzat? said:


> So what's the fallback position?


He was asking about the switch, the fall back is the outlet he wanted to use when he started.


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## CallMeVilla (Jan 15, 2014)

Trogdor, listen to Neal about the switch.  It is a 3-way switch, so the power leg is interrupted by a separate switch.  What you want (and what I thought you were going to do) is to take power from an outlet which is always hot.

Stop messing with that switch!

Take your lumps by accessing the outlet and looping your romex to the inside of the closet.  You can then tie the power into a motion sensor which feeds power to a receptacle where your LED transformer is plugged.

Do it that way and it is both possible and meets code.


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## nealtw (Jan 15, 2014)

Everytime I see one of these pantry doors with an eched glass in it I ask what the glass is for. The quick answer comes just before the dumb smile and answer is always the same.
 ( To let the light in )


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## trogdor (Jan 17, 2014)

Did some test fitting tonight, and I am very excited about what the preliminary results are showing. The photos are just slightly darker than real life. The light is a touch cool for my tastes, but I also purchased a strand of lights that were called warm white, so maybe those will be more my style. Haven't plugged them in yet.

Before and After







Picking the wrong libation can be devastating. This requires good lighting!


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 19, 2014)

So did 24 watts worth of LED light work out for a closet of this size?


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## nealtw (Jan 19, 2014)

I like it, looks great, have you found a switch yet? I think this kind of thing would be great for storage like under the stairs.


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## bryce (Jan 20, 2014)

I would suggest you run the light strips under each level. You can use this for the connections: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





here's you switch


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## trogdor (Jan 21, 2014)

Can someone confirm the wiring if I am going to go this route? I'm using a Lutron motion sensor. It has 4 wires: two black, one green, and one unshielded. Based on the instructions, I believe the green and unshielded are both grounds.


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## trogdor (Jan 21, 2014)

I have the lights on and running. Just need to make sure y'all concur with my set-up.


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## nealtw (Jan 21, 2014)

No and No
The outlet you are starting from has white on one side and black on the other side. Black to brass screw and white to the silver screw. Do not add more wires to the screws, use pigtails instead.
1. remove the outlet and make a short white and black pigtail about 6" long. Twist the 3 blacks together and add a wire nut, twist the 3 whites together and add a wire nut tape the nuts and re-install the outlet using the pigtails and don't forget to join all the grounds and the box and the outlet..
2. in the switch box, join the 2 white wires together with a wire nut. Each black wire from the switch gets a black, one from the other outlet and one to the new outlet, don't forget the grounds, green and bear.
3 in the new outlet, white to the silver side black to the brass side.

This unit will not work if the grounds are not hooked up.


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## trogdor (Jan 21, 2014)

I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time following those directions. Could you sketch it out?


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## nealtw (Jan 21, 2014)

Try this ..................


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## trogdor (Jan 22, 2014)

Yeah, I'm still not following.  It looks like you're saying the white wire skips the switch, but you drew it going straight through.  I don't see where the pig tails are appearing in your sketch.  And you have the ground only touching the switch but skipping all the others?


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## bud16415 (Jan 22, 2014)

Its ok to pick up your supply from the existing outlet but in your sketch you dont have the existing outlet shown correctly. 

An outlet has 5 screws 2 brass screws  2 silver screws and 1 green screw for the bare ground wire. The 2 brass and 2 silvers are jumpered together with a tab between the screws. You show white and black coming in to the same side of the switch and that would be a dead short. As Neil said the black goes to the brass screw and the white goes to the silver the bare copper goes to the green. That wires both outlets in parallel and open until you plug something into the outlet. 

You can then extend that circuit to your motion sensor and have that turn an outlet on and off that has your lights plugged into. 


Its always a judgment call when giving advice as to if the receiver of the advice is going to be able to safely do the task. You seem to have a desire to learn more about home wiring and I would suggest you buy a basic how to book on home wiring and read it cover to cover to get the basic concepts of switches and outlets etc fixed then take on some of these projects with help from the forum.


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## nealtw (Jan 22, 2014)

The white does skip the switch, but if the switch is in it's own box the white wires have to join the box. I just took a photo of the screen and the grounds didn't show up. 
The pig tails are in the old box so you don't hook all the wire to the outlet.
Look at it like a bath tub the black wire is the faucet the white wire is the drain and the ground is the overflow.

I found these instructions online, so if you are understanding this, go back to your instructions and make sure they are the same as I found.


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## bud16415 (Jan 22, 2014)

The idea of the pig tails is you don&#8217;t want to have two wires connected to one screw when making a connection to an outlet. Many people make two hooks on two wires and then run the screw all the way out to jam them both under the screw head and clamp them under one screw. The proper way is to make the pig tail and then collect all the wires together in the back of the box with wire nuts. The same goes for ground screw only one wire under that screw. 

Now there are two of the brass and silver screws and I have seen where people use the other screw to continue the circuit. What Neil was saying was to do those with pig tails also and just have the jumper to supply power to the other half of the first outlet and not have it carry all the downstream power. 

I really don&#8217;t know what code says about the first method but the pig tail method is better IMO as it keeps the final wiring simpler if the outlet ever needs to be replaced.


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## trogdor (Jan 22, 2014)

Yes, I'm sorry, I did draw the outlet incorrectly. 

 Hooked everything up and ran it for two hours last night, with no problems. The motion detector works fine, and everything seems good. I will post a photo of the actual set up before proceeding further. Thanks for the helpful information so far.


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## nealtw (Jan 22, 2014)

Glad to hear it, I was starting to worry about never getting there.:banana:


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## trogdor (Jan 22, 2014)

I was using 12/3 wire at home because that's what I had laying around. The guy here at Home Depot tells me that's way overkill. What's a smaller wire that would be suitable for my application?


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## nealtw (Jan 22, 2014)

If the breaker for the outlet is 15 amp and should be, then you want 14/2. It will have a black, white and ground.


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## trogdor (Jan 23, 2014)

I decided the LED driver plug was ugly and unnecessary, given that it required a outlet to be wired when one was not previously needed. This is what I have now. It seems to work great.


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## nealtw (Jan 23, 2014)

Can you post a pic of th driver set up.


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## trogdor (Jan 23, 2014)

Those are pictures of the rough set up. This was tested, and it works fine.


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## nealtw (Jan 23, 2014)

I'm glad you got it working,
When you want to bring it up to code or protect the faminly from shock or fire you come back and talk to us.


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## trogdor (Jan 23, 2014)

nealtw said:


> I'm glad you got it working,
> 
> When you want to bring it up to code or protect the faminly from shock or fire you come back and talk to us.




Whoa, easy there. No need for an attitude. I'm here to learn. I didn't join this forum to do a job unsafely. I have and still do covet the advice of people smarter or more experienced than myself. 

Please help me understand how I can do this (safely) minus the plug and outlet. I gathered from your previous post that it can be done.


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## nealtw (Jan 24, 2014)

I decided the LED driver plug was ugly and unnecessary, given that it required a outlet to be wired when one was not previously needed. This is what I have now. It seems to work great. 
I didn't see a question in your last statement.


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## trogdor (Jan 24, 2014)

Is the plug at the end of the LED driver cord required, or can the driver be safely wired directly to the motion sensor?


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## bud16415 (Jan 24, 2014)

I believe it can be wired directly seeing as how you cut off the plug. The whole thing needs to be put into a NEMA enclosure now as the line cord can&#8217;t be run thru the walls like regular cable would be. 

To me the plug was the best setup as when the unit fails you could just swap in a new one without wiring.


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## trogdor (Mar 24, 2014)

Just wanted to provide a two-month post update. Everything is working great. Since our house is not grounded, the motion sensor plug did not work at first. After tying the plug's grounding wire to the neutral wire from the wall, everything fires up great. 

I set the timer to 5 minutes. 1 min was too short; 3 mins would have been ideal. The only complaint I have is the light is not "instant on," but it appears that is typical of LED driver applications. 


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair


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## bryce (Mar 24, 2014)

You made this project far too difficult. 

First of all when you are working with 12v why complicate things with 120v? The LED strips are 12v so use a 12v motion sensor:
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




Also what i would do is run the strips under each level of your closet, you can connect some thin wire to each end perhaps with some tape.


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## trogdor (Mar 24, 2014)

Thanks for those suggestions. A bit late for me but might help the next guy. How does that switch get power?


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## bryce (Mar 24, 2014)

That plug on the end of the LED strip is actually an 12v adapter, you can snip the wire and stick the wires in the 4 holes you see there.


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## trogdor (Mar 24, 2014)

bryce said:


> That plug on the end of the LED strip is actually an 12v adapter, you can snip the wire and stick the wires in the 4 holes you see there.




Maybe I did not ask my question correctly. What is the source of the electricity that allows the switch to work and the lights to turn on?


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## Wuzzat? (Mar 24, 2014)

trogdor said:


> After tying the plug's grounding wire to the neutral wire from the wall, everything fires up great.



"In building wiring, a bootleg ground is an electrical ground that is wired from the neutral side of a receptacle or light fixture in an older 2-wire home. [1] This essentially connects the neutral side of the receptacle to the casing of an appliance or lamp. It can be a hazard because the neutral wire is a current-carrying conductor. In addition, a fault condition to a bootleg ground will not trip a GFCI breaker or a receptacle that is wired from the load side of a GFCI receptacle. Bootleg grounding is illegal and against code in many places. A safer and legal alternative to bootleg grounding (where a local electrical code allows it) is to install a GFCI and leave the ground screw unconnected, then place a label that says "No Equipment Ground" on the GFCI and all downstream receptacles."

But I will say that the most voltage above ground on the neutral wire is probably ~ 3vac.  I guess in principle someone could feel a shock if they had very low skin/body resistance, less than 3v/(.001A) = 3000 ohms.  You'd almost have to soak your hands in salt water.


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