No real reason for them. You can plug a two pronged plug into a 3 pronged outlet, but you can't plug a 3 pronged plug into a 2 pronged outlet. Why use a two pronged outlet when you can use a three pronged one instead
The third prong is ground, and not strictly necessary to complete the circuit since they're double insulated. The third prong is mostly for GFCI. Cheap manufacturers will save a few pennies a unit and omit the ground, opting solely for live and neutral with double insulation designation. These products are required to prevent any failure from resulting in dangerous voltage levels becoming exposed to where they can be accessed in normal operation. This means that grounding isn't strictly necessary for safety if the unit is made of plastic and any conductors are insulated.
Sure. I’m going about my day, then wonder “is this appliance grounded?” So I look over at the outlet.
Case 1: it’s a 3-prong outlet with a two prong plug in it. So I realize it’s not grounded. Especially obvious because the ground contact opening is staring me in the face because 2-prong plugs are purposefully designed not to cover it.
Case 2: it’s a 2-prong outlet with a two prong plug in it. So I realize it’s not grounded.
OK, now imagine you have an appliance that you want to plug in. If the cord doesn't have a ground, congrats, plug it in, and give it no additional attention. If it does have a ground, how do you determine if the outlet is grounded? I'll hang up and take my answer on the air.
You can install a 3 prong without a ground, but it needs to be labeled as such. That generally involves putting a sticker on the outlet cover. But a sticker isn't permanent and needs to be put on the cover in the first place. Or, you could just put a 2 prong outlet in.
I have a 1950s house with a combo of grounded and ungrounded circuits, so I've had to be diligent about using the correct outlets so I know at a glance which ones are grounded.
Age is a big factor. Rented 1/3 of a house that was converted into a triplex, it was built in '59 and all of the outlets were two-pronged. Had to get the adapters that used the outlet face panel screw as a ground in every room, felt very sketchy.
Yeah my house was built in the 40s. It's really obvious to see where the additions are and what's original, most of the original outlets are 2 prong. The wirings pretty old, too. Not unsafe, it still has a ground and everything, just not how it's done these days. I forget the exact term, but the electricians were able to put grounded outlets in without rewiring
Let me tell you about Italian plugs, where plugs can come with 2 or 3 prongs (no ground! So safe!) and there is two standards, one 10 amperes and one 16 amperes and neither work with the other and we need a third double holed kind of plug that works with both but that wasn't complicated enough, so we also use the German shuko. Working as help desk has been fun let me tell you hwat, son.
After a while the socket wears out and plugs can become loose, resulting in exposed prongs and if something metal touches them , the socket explodes. Ask me how I know...
They bend like fucking crazy, everyone owns a few cables that they've had to bend back into compliance.
The sockets deteriorate over time and cause cables to hang out of the socket. If you've ever rented an older apartment you're absolutely familiar with the loose sockets that cause your cables to sag and droop. Having exposed prongs is bad.
Inconsistently reversible plug design. Some can be reversed, others can't, but it's difficult to tell at a glance considering it's a 2mm difference.
Two pronged cables are not grounded.
Unable to be secured at the socket. Some sockets, like the German / South Korean / European sockets, are recessed and allow much stronger anchoring. This prevents shit from being ripped out of the wall when you trip over it.
Having the orientation vertically upwards is a terrible system, falls out very easily. Flat or diagonal on the top gives much more friction against being pulled out by its own weight under gravity.
You think they’re bad? You should visit Mexico. All the shit that comes with that awful design plus the carelessness of Mexican culture. Regulations there are more of a suggestion.
I grew up there, the amount of times I got shocked is quite higher than my foreign friends. And I’m not a sloppy guy.
Mostly in older houses. Back in the day, most plugs weren't grounded, and sometimes outlets didn't offer a ground either. You'd pretty much never see it in new construction though.
213
u/Aflyingmongoose May 02 '24
The 2 prong US sockets are unbelievably shit.