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| HELP ! ground and unground outlet question. |
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| SNAAAKE:
--- Quote from: 1UP on June 22, 2003, 11:48:11 pm ---Snaaake, dude, EVERYTHING that comes with a 3-prong cord also comes with a warning that says NOT to plug it in an ungrounded outlet! I'm no electrician, but I've got to imagine that using a 2-pring adapter is better than nothing. Hopefully, at least the outlet box itself is connected to an earth ground somewhere. Otherwise, you might want to call an electrician to put in at least one good outlet in your house... --- End quote --- OH... thanks...I am still not sure WHY we dont have any ??? will get that converter..guess its better then nothing. will post result(if there is anything else regarding this) |
| Sasquatch!:
I know a bit about electrical work, so here goes: GOOD GOD DON'T BREAK OFF THE GROUNDING PIN. As said before, get one of those adapters. The instructions for your surge protector are technically correct - you're not REALLY supposed to even use those adapters, as you will likely still not have any grounding going to your surge protector. I said LIKELY, because those adapters usually come with a little tab that you can screw into the faceplate of your outlet, which MIGHT be (although it probably isn't) grounded. Do you NEED grounded outlets? Weeellllll...yes and no. IN THEORY, as long as you don't have any problems or shorts with your wiring, you don't need grounding. Ground just supplies a safe path for the current to go to if there is a short - if you do have a short with an ungrounded outlet, there is no "safe path", and either you or your equipment can get cooked. My honest advice: get an electrician to wire in a grounded outlet. |
| SirPoonga:
Yeah. There's a reason outlets went to 3 pins. The fat pin is the hot (If I remember correctly), the skinny pin is neutral, which is basically a ground. So now you wonder why they added a third pin, the ground pin. I think in the 40s and 50s is when that was added. Remember 50s toasters? they had a metal shell. Well, an imbalance of electricity and the customer would get shocked. Well, a ground pin for situations like that became important. That;s what the third pin is for, excess electrons :) Your computer needs that. Note the case is metal (at least on the inside). That for shielding and protection, it ends up going to that ground pin. Like it has been said, the screw of an outlet is usually grounded, get one of those 3 to 2 pin converters and ground the tab to the screw. |
| Sasquatch!:
--- Quote from: SirPoonga on June 23, 2003, 12:28:00 am ---Yeah. There's a reason outlets went to 3 pins. The fat pin is the hot (If I remember correctly), the skinny pin is neutral, which is basically a ground. [/b] --- End quote --- Neutral is the longer blade, hot is the shorter blade. I never really noticed that one was "fatter/skinnier" than the other. --- Quote ---So now you wonder why they added a third pin, the ground pin. I think in the 40s and 50s is when that was added. Remember 50s toasters? they had a metal shell. Well, an imbalance of electricity and the customer would get shocked. Well, a ground pin for situations like that became important. That;s what the third pin is for, excess electrons :) Your computer needs that. Note the case is metal (at least on the inside). That for shielding and protection, it ends up going to that ground pin.[/b] --- End quote --- I just found this - oddly enough, toasters aren't supposed to be grounded. Kooky, huh? http://www.faqs.org/faqs/electrical-wiring/part1/section-28.html |
| Brax:
Apparently you're not supposed to make toast in the bathtub either! Who knew? |
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