On Fri, 16 May 2008 08:25:43 -0500, John Byrns <byrnsj@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>In article <hvfq24tkh5i6g2a508stfe3q9q52kdglvf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
> flipper <flipper@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 16 May 2008 09:36:48 +0300, "Iain Churches"
>> <IainNG@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>
>> >I have seen posts in which people from the US
>> >refer to "cheater plugs" I have a feeling they may
>> >have somnething to do with solving hum and ground
>> >problems.
>> >
>> >Can someone please enlighten me?
>>
>> A cheater plug has the safety earth pin missing. Or, rather, that's
>> how it's used.
>>
>> It has a 3 pin AC receptacle on one end with a 2 prong plug *and* an
>> earth terminal (sometimes a wire) that is *supposed* to be secured to
>> the wall plate center mounting screw (or 'something') to make earth
>> through the conduit. Or so the theory supposedly goes, except there's
>> not a single blooming residence in the U.S. that had *conduited* two
>> prong outlets so there's no earth to connect the thing to even if one
>> were inclined to futz with it.
>
>I think you are way overstating the case.
You're right, it was overstated.
> While it wasn't conduit, my
>parents last house, built in 1950, had two prong outlets and was wired
>with "BX" cable which did provide a ground path from the outlet boxes.
That's one reason it's an overstatement, because I haven't done a
whole country survey.
However, houses in this area, and built around the same time frame
(and later), grounded the outlet box, if at all, in only the kitchen.
And even then it was either an after thought or done by someone later
as it was a separate wire s****d randomly around. A fact I discovered
when I tried to pull one or two out to rewire and ended up having to
break out the wall covering because the bare 'earth' wire was
hopelessly intertwined randomly around the others like a Gordian knot.
Sorry, but this is a real bugaboo for me and I get carried away
sometimes.
>The metro area where I now live requires the use of conduit to this day
>and I am sure there are thousands upon thousands of homes in older
>sections which still have the old *conduited* two prong outlets they
>were built with, except in the kitchen and other similar spaces that
>have since been upgraded.
>
>> A final note, the 'ground' pin on the cheater plug is larger than the
>> other so it can (supposedly) only be inserted the 'proper' way.
>> Unfortunately, in the U.S. it seems that two prong wiring is semi
>> random and 'ground' might be on either pin, depending on how
>> incompetent the builder's 'electricians' were.
>
>Doesn't the same problem occur with the wiring of the hot and neutral
>wiring of three prong sockets?
If you mean by incompetent 'professional' wirers, yes.
However I was talking about the polarized two prong 'cheater' and
reversed power can be catastrophic in that case whereas with the
chassis grounded via a three prong you at least have the earth safety.
> The ground lead is the only wire that is
>likely to for sure be connected to the correct screw.
Well, except for my High School theatrical lighting story. Hot was on
'earth'.
First thing I do is check wall outlets and my current house was, well
****ver me timbers, wired right. First one I ever saw.
>
>Regards,
>
>John Byrns
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