Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

I live in a little house built in 1954. It has a certain number of
ungrounded receptacles.

In the context of DC power, I have some notion of the importance of
polarity.

For years, all small electrical devices/accessories (i.e. extension cords)
with 2-prong male plugs that I've seen have 1 wide and 1 thinner blade.
To facilitate connections and minimize hassle, I've been grinding the
wider to the width of the thinner blade.

This'll likely qualify as a "naive question". In the context of single-phase
power and small ~120v 60 hz AC ("Alternating Current") household devices,
what purpose does having 1 blade wider than the other serve?

Thanks,
AQ

Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

The wider prong is the neutral side of the circuit

"Aloysius Q Roger-YoMama" wrote in message
...

I live in a little house built in 1954. It has a certain number of
ungrounded receptacles.

In the context of DC power, I have some notion of the importance of
polarity.

For years, all small electrical devices/accessories (i.e. extension cords)
with 2-prong male plugs that I've seen have 1 wide and 1 thinner blade.
To facilitate connections and minimize hassle, I've been grinding the
wider to the width of the thinner blade.

This'll likely qualify as a "naive question". In the context of
single-phase
power and small ~120v 60 hz AC ("Alternating Current") household devices,
what purpose does having 1 blade wider than the other serve?

Thanks,
AQ

Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

Aloysius Q Roger-YoMama wrote:
I live in a little house built in 1954. It has a certain number of
ungrounded receptacles.

In the context of DC power, I have some notion of the importance of
polarity.

For years, all small electrical devices/accessories (i.e. extension cords)
with 2-prong male plugs that I've seen have 1 wide and 1 thinner blade.
To facilitate connections and minimize hassle, I've been grinding the
wider to the width of the thinner blade.

This'll likely qualify as a "naive question". In the context of single-phase
power and small ~120v 60 hz AC ("Alternating Current") household devices,
what purpose does having 1 blade wider than the other serve?

Thanks,
AQ


The wider slot in those recepticals is (per code)connected to the
neutral feed conductor. That conductor is nominally at ground potential,
though it is not permitted to use it as a ground. Thus, touching that
conductor while also touching a grounded pipe will not electrocute you.

As one example, table lamps are (or should be) constructed so that the
conductor from the wide blade of the cord plug connects to the "shell"
of the bulb socket(s). That way, if you're changing a lightbulb in the
lamp, while standing on a wet concrete floor with bare feet, and your
fingers happen to touch the screw base of the bulb before it's fully out
of the socket, you won't get shocked.

There are numerous other examples of tools and appliances which take
advantage of the wide slot being at or extremely close to ground
potential, but the light bulb one is easiest to understand.

See:

http://home.comcast.net/~jwisnia18/jeff/screwing.gif

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

In article ,
Aloysius Q Roger-YoMama wrote:

I live in a little house built in 1954. It has a certain number of
ungrounded receptacles.

In the context of DC power, I have some notion of the importance of
polarity.

For years, all small electrical devices/accessories (i.e. extension cords)
with 2-prong male plugs that I've seen have 1 wide and 1 thinner blade.
To facilitate connections and minimize hassle, I've been grinding the
wider to the width of the thinner blade.

This'll likely qualify as a "naive question". In the context of single-phase
power and small ~120v 60 hz AC ("Alternating Current") household devices,
what purpose does having 1 blade wider than the other serve?

Thanks,
AQ

You've been grinding off the wide prong? And your outlets are
ungrounded? Good lord man, you're about to start your whole neighborhood
on fire, kill your entire family including those living in other cities,
and destroy the protection you've been experiencing from your tin foil
hat. You must immediately evacuate your home, and spend at least $75,000
to have it completely remodeled and brought up to date.

If you believe the majority of those who are about to respond, that is.

Now, to your question. It's safer to switch the hot rather than the
neutral. That's how wall switches are wired. And it's the intent of
small appliance makers to have you run then hot through the switch on
the appliance. The wide prong, assuming your outlets are wired
correctly, assures compliance with that convention. Then if you go to
fiddle with something without unplugging it, you can't get that exciting
little tingle if you touch the wrong thing.

Carry on.

Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

The narrow blade goes into the "hot" slot. The wide one goes
into the neutral.

with a polarized plug, you turn the switch off at the
appliance, and there is "hot" power up the cord, and to the
switch. The rest of the appliance is safe to touch.

With a same size plug, the switch might turn off the power
in the appliance, or it might turn off the neutral, leaving
the appliance energized all the time. Energized, as "can
shock you". Not energized as in "costing your electricity".

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Aloysius Q Roger-YoMama" wrote
in message
...

I live in a little house built in 1954. It has a certain
number of
ungrounded receptacles.

In the context of DC power, I have some notion of the
importance of
polarity.

For years, all small electrical devices/accessories (i.e.
extension cords)
with 2-prong male plugs that I've seen have 1 wide and 1
thinner blade.
To facilitate connections and minimize hassle, I've been
grinding the
wider to the width of the thinner blade.

This'll likely qualify as a "naive question". In the context
of single-phase
power and small ~120v 60 hz AC ("Alternating Current")
household devices,
what purpose does having 1 blade wider than the other serve?

Thanks,
AQ

Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
Aloysius Q Roger-YoMama wrote:

I live in a little house built in 1954. It has a certain number of
ungrounded receptacles.

In the context of DC power, I have some notion of the importance of
polarity.

For years, all small electrical devices/accessories (i.e. extension cords)
with 2-prong male plugs that I've seen have 1 wide and 1 thinner blade.
To facilitate connections and minimize hassle, I've been grinding the
wider to the width of the thinner blade.

This'll likely qualify as a "naive question". In the context of single-phase
power and small ~120v 60 hz AC ("Alternating Current") household devices,
what purpose does having 1 blade wider than the other serve?

Thanks,
AQ

You've been grinding off the wide prong? And your outlets are
ungrounded? Good lord man, you're about to start your whole neighborhood
on fire, kill your entire family including those living in other cities,
and destroy the protection you've been experiencing from your tin foil
hat. You must immediately evacuate your home, and spend at least $75,000
to have it completely remodeled and brought up to date.

If you believe the majority of those who are about to respond, that is.

Now, to your question. It's safer to switch the hot rather than the
neutral. That's how wall switches are wired. And it's the intent of
small appliance makers to have you run then hot through the switch on
the appliance. The wide prong, assuming your outlets are wired
correctly, assures compliance with that convention. Then if you go to
fiddle with something without unplugging it, you can't get that exciting
little tingle if you touch the wrong thing.

Carry on.

If this is an issue because you have REALLY old receptacles, two-prong
receptacles are still available for just this situation, if you don't
feel like rewiring and/or running supplemental grounds.

If you're grinding the prongs off just so you don't have to flip the
plug over if you get it wrong, well... now you know why they are the
way they are.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:53:44 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

The narrow blade goes into the "hot" slot. The wide one goes
into the neutral.

with a polarized plug, you turn the switch off at the
appliance, and there is "hot" power up the cord, and to the
switch. The rest of the appliance is safe to touch.

With a same size plug, the switch might turn off the power
in the appliance, or it might turn off the neutral, leaving
the appliance energized all the time. Energized, as "can
shock you". Not energized as in "costing your electricity".

And the non-compatibility between the wider-blade eqpt. and
the old 2-prong receptables is just "Tough Titty".

OK. The issue is just hot/neutral (and maybe idiot-proofing).

When I moved in here many years ago, I wired all kinds of stuff. All
major appliances, etc are nec-compliant with grounded plugs. I
rewired/grounded one of the old receptacles for the pc.

It wasn't practical to rewire the other 2-prong receptacles. Some run lamps
and/or nickel/dime stuff. Several get no use at all. I grind off
the wide blades so components, ext. cords, etc will work together.
So their "compatible" components will be functionally compatible,
plug together, etc in the old rec's.

Is there a convention for the old 2-prong receptacles? Perhaps install
so the neutral is on the left? I could pull 1 from the wall for inspection,
but I'm damned if I'm gonna pull all 14 (or whatever).

Suppose one firmly and simultaneously touches un-insulated parts of
2 ungrounded appliances whe

a.) One is wired with hot switched and other with neutral switched?

b.) Both are wired with neutral switched?

Thx,
AQ

Polarity(?) and common house-current
 

In article ,
Aloysius Q Roger-YoMama wrote:



Suppose one firmly and simultaneously touches un-insulated parts of
2 ungrounded appliances whe

a.) One is wired with hot switched and other with neutral switched?

b.) Both are wired with neutral switched?

Thx,
AQ

Suppose one does? Chassis (plural) are not connected to hot or neutral.
Anyway, everything is plastic "double insulated" these days so even if
there's an internal electrical fault, the outside of the appliance does
not become electrically hot.