Are three-prong to two-prong converters safe?

Just curious, how unsafe is it (if at all) to use those three-prong to two-prong converter thingies that you use when an outlet has only two prongs but you need to plug something in that uses three prongs?

I imagine they're basically harmless if you only use devices that have two-prong plugs, but I wonder if Bad Things could happen if you plug in stuff that has three-prong plugs, like computers.

Comments

  • The third prong (round) is just a ground. It and the neutral slot in your wall socket both connect to the ground at the fuse or circuit panel. By eliminating the third (ground) plug, you're just disabling a safety feature so that if a wire inside whatever device you're using were to come loose and touch the metal surrounding it, you could suffer an electric shock. If your computer has a plastic case, you stand little chance of getting a shock.

    Simply put, I wouldn't worry about using a cheater plug.
  • Correct.. electricity flows from the hot slot, along the hot wire, into the device which uses what it needs and the extra wattage goes back down the other wire to the neutral slot. Without the ground, a short in the device would send a surge to the neutral side and trip the circuit (blow a fuse) and possible electrocute the device user. The ground at the end of the wire stops and surge from going to the neutral side and a surge would just fry the device without frying the user.

    It's all smoke and mirrors actually.
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