2 prong outlets and surge supressors

[musiclaw]

I just moved into an apartment and I have high end TV & electronics and a computer all of which I had used quality surge suppressors. This new apartment only has 2 prong outlets no ground. 1st) Will a typical 3 prong to 2 prong adapter (cost under $1) actually serve as the needed ground for protection as the Landlord suggests ? 2nd) Will the surge suppressors work using these 3 to 2 prong adapter or lose effectiveness?. 3rd) One Tv I have is 46" Sony HD LCD, purchased a year ago and the TV only has a 2 prong plug, can I assume that the TV has ground wire built in? Lastly, For the moment I am just unplugging items when not in use to avoid the increased potential of a surge occurring when I am not even using the equip, but I am also concerned that unplugging a unit like my LCD TV a few times a day can in and of itself be harmful to the TV is?
Thanks for any help you can give to any of these questions.
.

 

[Harvey]

Surge suppressors require the ground connection to work correctly. Most building codes now require three conductor outlets, but many legacy installations are still around.

If possible, ask your landlord/manager if it's possible to have at least your computer area rewired.

A weak alternative would be to rig a better quality, multi-outlet strip with a three wire to two wire adapter, and run a heavy guage wire from the third ground lug to a metal strap on a radiator or known grounded water pipe.

Good luck. 🙂

 

[Ken90630]

I just moved into an apartment and I have high end TV & electronics and a computer all of which I had used quality surge suppressors. This new apartment only has 2 prong outlets no ground. 1st) Will a typical 3 prong to 2 prong adapter (cost under $1) actually serve as the needed ground for protection as the Landlord suggests ? 2nd) Will the surge suppressors work using these 3 to 2 prong adapter or lose effectiveness?. 3rd) One Tv I have is 46" Sony HD LCD, purchased a year ago and the TV only has a 2 prong plug, can I assume that the TV has ground wire built in? Lastly, For the moment I am just unplugging items when not in use to avoid the increased potential of a surge occurring when I am not even using the equip, but I am also concerned that unplugging a unit like my LCD TV a few times a day can in and of itself be harmful to the TV is?
Thanks for any help you can give to any of these questions.
.

It's late and I'm tired, but briefly:

Get a 3-prong-to-2-prong adapter like you said, then get one of these

http://www.amazon.com/Gardner-GFI-50...ef=pd_sim_hi_3

and plug it into your outlet and see what you get. It will tell you if the outlet/circuit is grounded or not and if there's a floating ground. Cheap, quick & easy. I have one and it works perfectly.

Note that you can't assume a 2-prong outlet is not grounded. IIRC, an electrician once told me that even 2-prong outlets have to be grounded to the fuse panel outside the building. (For a house, that's usually on the home's outside wall in the backyard. I dunno about an apartment.)
But again, that device I linked to earlier should tell you the answer instantly.

NOTE: You can also find those devices at places like Lowe's and OSH.

You asked: "Lastly, For the moment I am just unplugging items when not in use to avoid the increased potential of a surge occurring when I am not even using the equip, but I am also concerned that unplugging a unit like my LCD TV a few times a day can in and of itself be harmful to the TV is?"

Unless you live in an area with a lot of electrical storms, unplugging devices all the time shouldn't be necessary. And unless your building has horrendous electrical wiring, or the power grid is messed up, you shouldn't get a lot of surges/spikes either. AFAIK, the really serious ones are caused by lightning strikes on or near a power pole/line in the area. At least that's how it is where I live. I've never had a power surge/spike damage any plugged-in devices (most of which aren't plugged into surge protectors).

I doubt if unplugging the TV several times a day will hurt it. What might happen over time, however, is that repeated plugging in and unplugging could cause the contacts in the outlet to get loose, and the TV's plug won't fit snugly anymore. At that point, the outlet would need to be replaced.

Note that I was also told by the same electrician that running a GND wire to a water pipe can cause an electrolytic reaction and cause the pipes to corrode on the inside (and then develop leaks). And once the reaction starts, it's hard to stop it from progressing. No joke. I'm guessing you don't want your landlord to sue you, so you might try n' get the OK from him/her before you do that. I'm not an electrician though -- I'm just tellin' you what I've been told.

 

[bendixG15]

A 3 pronge to 2 pronge adapter is crap, does not give you the added ground.
You need 3 seperate wires connecting to the outlet.

Harvey is giving you the correct info.

 

[Modelworks]

You need to know if the outlet box is grounded. The 3 prong to 2 prong adapters are for use when the outlet box is metal and grounded. You can check by using a meter and measuring from one slot of the plug to the screw on the cover plate. If the box is grounded the voltage will read 110-120vac.

If the box is grounded then remove the screw, install the adapter and put the screw back through the hole in the adapter.
Most people just plug them in without the screw and that does nothing.

Without a ground connection a surge protector cannot work as effectively. Some will try to clamp between hot and neutral as a protection but that only works so well.

 

[Modelworks]

Note that I was also told by the same electrician that running a GND wire to a water pipe can cause an electrolytic reaction and cause the pipes to corrode on the inside (and then develop leaks). And once the reaction starts, it's hard to stop it from progressing. No joke. I'm guessing you don't want your landlord to sue you, so you might try n' get the OK from him/her before you do that. I'm not an electrician though -- I'm just tellin' you what I've been told.

It is true. The pipe becomes an electrode and when encountering something that changes ph like concrete, clay earth, it creates a current where the metal breaks down. You can stop it by removing the ground wire. Naval ships actually have a piece of metal attached to the hull designed to cause the electrolysis to occur on that metal rather than the hull.


Water pipes are not recommended for ground points anymore because of the problems with it. If someone patches the lines , puts in a plastic valve, etc there goes the ground.

They have also added another requirement, new homes have to have child safe outlets. Many electricians are up in arms about it because it adds to their cost. The outlets automatically cover the slots when not in use, guess too many kids with forks were getting shocked.

 

[Dice144]

You could do what my old landlord did (DO NOT DO THIS) instead of taking the plug off and drilling a tiny hole to install the copper ground to the rod outside he HAMMERED a HUGE hole in the drywall 2 feet from the outlet so he had "room" to work inside the wall.

One day when changing a lightbulb the ceiling light started on fire dripping liquid fire. I moved out shortly after...

Just glad the box was 5 feet from that light.

 

[Ken90630]

You need to know if the outlet box is grounded. The 3 prong to 2 prong adapters are for use when the outlet box is metal and grounded.

Exactly. That's what I meant to say.

You can check by using a meter and measuring from one slot of the plug to the screw on the cover plate. If the box is grounded the voltage will read 110-120vac.

Also true. I only mentioned the circuit tester earlier because it's cheaper and easier than a multimeter and most average citizens don't have a multimeter.

When you say the pipe "becomes an electrode," what exactly does that mean? Can you educate me on that?

 

[Ken90630]

You could do what my old landlord did (DO NOT DO THIS) instead of taking the plug off and drilling a tiny hole to install the copper ground to the rod outside he HAMMERED a HUGE hole in the drywall 2 feet from the outlet so he had "room" to work inside the wall.

One day when changing a lightbulb the ceiling light started on fire dripping liquid fire. I moved out shortly after....

😵 Was Tim Allen your landlord?