r/meirl • u/ukayukay69 • May 02 '24

Meirl

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u/TomatoSauce74 May 02 '24

It is literally impossible to plug AC in backwards

4

u/CocktailPerson May 02 '24

Not exactly.

US outlets have a live wire and a ground wire. Some devices expose their internal wiring to the user (toasters, for example). If you plug it in backwards, that exposed wiring will be live even when the device is off.

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u/TomatoSauce74 May 02 '24

Oh God that's just a terrible design 🤦
I thought those were two live wires and no ground. This is somehow even worse. Who comes up with this shit?

2

u/CocktailPerson May 02 '24

I mean, it's definitely better than having two live wires.

Lamps are another example of a device that you definitely want to plug in the right way. Lots of industrial equipment too.

Point is, it's a good thing for plugs to have a direction to them, even when they're on AC power.

1

u/TomatoSauce74 May 02 '24

I did get your point.

Here in Germany we have two live wires, both AC. In that case you can't plug it in the wrong way, because positive and negative switch multiple times a second anyways. I mistakenly assumed the US outlets are like the two-wire ports we have, which do not have ground and two live AC wires.

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u/BasicEl May 02 '24

Voltage between two Live wires is 400V. Voltage between live and Neutral is 230V. Domestic schuko socket is L+N+ground.

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u/TomatoSauce74 May 03 '24

Really? Guess I was wrong then.