On 1/1/2012 6:53 AM, HeyBub wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
What did the Army Corps of Engineers insist upon back when all plugs
were two pronged? Covering the outlet with a deflated football? At
least prominent warning signs? Prayer?

I've heard that rationalization before. Consider:
* What are the chances a plug is only partially inserted? Further,
it's inserted enough to make contact with the live terminals inside
the fixture but a small amount of the prongs are visible.
* What are the odds that something is dropped where it will hit this
mal-inserted plug.
* Now what are the chances that this dropped something is a)
Conductive, and b) Thin enough to fit in the gap
* Assuming all of the above probabilities come to pass, so what? The
intruding bit of metal will spark and sputter and it will either
explode out of the socket or the breaker will flip.

I suggest, based on the odds, that anything deleterious happening
because the ground plug is beneath the hot/neutral has never
happened in the history of the world.


Two pronged? What makes you think that in the 1980's all 120vac plugs
were two pronged? I have to admit that the Core of Engineers engineers
could be stricter than municipal engineering departments but I've had
the local city inspector insist that 120vac receptacles be installed
with the ground hole at the top. o_O


In the 1930s thru at least 1950, two prongs were all there were. I grew up
in a house that had only two-prong outlets. I've got stuff that has only two
prongs.

So what if the city inspector demanded this or that. Beat him about the head
and shoulders and he'll straighten up. Works every time.


I happen to be friendly with them to the point where the one's I know
will sign off on my work without much scrutiny because they know I do
it right. The guys who argue with the inspectors are the guys who wind
up having to rip things out and start over. I too grew up in older homes
in the 50's and even got electrical shocks from those vintage radio and
record players with a metal chassis having non-polarized plugs inserted
into the two pronged outlets. I never have problems with building
inspectors because I treat them with respect and if they tell me
something that I know to be wrong, I'll ask them in a non
confrontational way to show me in the code book. "Gee Inspector Bob, I
must have misunderstood that part of the code, could you help me
understand it? I have my NEC code book right here." ^_^

TDD