I am assuming it is due to requiring more electricity but I’ve had broken 3 prongs work with just 2
In: Technology
There’s a few parts to this. Three prong grounded outlets are fairly new, before that we only had two prong ungrounded outlets.
The reason for this is safety. If there is a fault, having a separate ground path can protect you. For example, if a metal appliance like an oven or a washing machine has a fault where the ‘live’ wire touches the metal case, the whole surface would become live at 120v. Touching it can kill you, so we don’t want this to happen.
We have an independent ground wire because it’s a redundant return path for current. Ground and neutral are bonded together at the breaker panel. In the case of our washer, the current will flow from hot through the ground wire, and back to the panel, where the breaker senses the short circuit and cuts power. Safety.
Some appliances are “double insulated” and do not require a ground connection because they are inherently safe, and have no chance of exposing you to line voltage. These generally have plastic housing and any exposed metal just isn’t connected to any electrical circuit. These types of appliances can use an ungrounded two prong connector.
Latest Answers