Three-pronged plugs

[salem]

Seems as though every time I need a three-pronged plug all of mine have sprouted legs and ran off. So, the other day I picked up a few more at the store. None of them seem to fit my cords. The blades will not go in all the way. Are there different sizes of three-pronged plugs and I happened to grab the wrong sizes?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

"Expensive" is a freezer full of beef, Elk, or native trout. A Couple of disasters have me ripping the original plugs off of appliances at risk of disasters. I use 10/12 gauge #6 spade terminals, solder them onto the wires then clamp them bejesus tight with the screw. It turns out to be a "you bet your life" lifetime connection. No fumbles, no excuses.

All it took decades ago to set the mouseketeer grade garbage original appliance plug lack of integrity. The 12 receptacle utility bar across my work table has spec grade sockets. The changed cord plugs are all transparent green dot hospital plugs. The interiors were painted with 3M conformal coating. They've lasted forever in a sopping damp salt air environment.

[larry_cad]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

I make my own extension cords up. Usually with industrial spec or green dot hospital grade plugs and receptacles.

I hear what you say, but those are hard to find and EXPENSIVE!

I have found that the Leviton Clamptite 3W101 plugs and 3W102 outlets are adequate for up to 16/3 SJOOW cordage. Reasonably priced.

Your SO cord is only rated 10 amps. Not enough for a good extension cord with 15 or 20 amp plugs.

[theoldwizard1]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

I make my own extension cords up. Usually with industrial spec or green dot hospital grade plugs and receptacles.

I hear what you say, but those are hard to find and EXPENSIVE!

I have found that the Leviton Clamptite 3W101 plugs and 3W102 outlets are adequate for up to 16/3 SJOOW cordage. Reasonably priced.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Want to scare the hell out of yourself? Open up an "adapter" or power strip and stare at the utter garbage used for conductors and Mickey The Mouse design of how they try to clamp pins and slots tight.
I make my own extension cords up. Usually with industrial spec or green dot hospital grade plugs and receptacles. It's a shame the garbage grade utility receptacles they use in RVs these days. Don't compound the problem by ten by using suicide grade adapters.

[valhalla360]

I remember these adapters but haven't had to use one of these adapters in years.

Unless you have a 1950's vintage RV, best just not to use them. Might also consider redoing the electrical system as it's probably due for it.

[wnjj]

Those adapters work well when you have to plug too many wall warts into a plug strip. You can raise a wider one up over the neighboring plugs.

[Grit_dog]

salem wrote:
Thank you enblethen for posting the photo. I'm not up on how to do that.

And I can’t imagine even an occasional need for one of these, much less “everytime I need one” suggesting this adapter is commonly needed.
It’s now more apparent why the 12V fridge threads and theories are such entertaining reading ….

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Side note:
Houses down here have standard receptacles. But ground is left unconnected.
I disassemble the receptacle, drill a #8 hole in the concrete and drive a self tapping screw holding a ring terminal and green wire running to the receptacle.

I tested this with a direct short to ground and it blew the 30 amp breaker repeatedly. Hodgepodge workarounds are the name of the game south of the border.

[enblethen]

Salem: You are welcome.

[salem]

Thank you enblethen for posting the photo. I'm not up on how to do that.

[stevenal]

Note that these adapters don't claim to be UL approved. If screwed down as intended, they will ground your cord to the box; but most likely the box is not connected to ground. The proper way to deal with old two blade receptacles and modern three prong equipment is to replace the receptacle with a GFCI receptacle. NEC allows this if marked as ungrounded.

[enblethen]

OP is making reference to a three to two adapter and not a cord body (plug). They are polarized and will not fit in many two wire receptacles.
Adapter

[ktmrfs]

On the non polarized plugs. Until the 50's or so they were common. Now the issue is that many many of the things plugged into them (e.g. old radios, appliances etc.) had the metal chassis directly tied to one side and either no transformer or transformer input side tied to the chassis. So, the chassis could easily be hot..... Now all these appliances had plastic cases and plastic knobs etc. so in normal use no issue. Now, suppose a plastic knob broke and the metal shaft for the volume control etc was tied to the chassis? Or if a tube went bad and you were going to see which one took off the back, grabbed the chassis, or decided to turn the volume up after the knob fell off. If the chassis was tied to hot side (50/50 chance) you could be in for a big suprise!!!

Even worse, if the first time you tried this the chassis was indeed on the neutral side, no issue, then plug gets reverse, grab the chassis or knob again, no problem right? and then the big suprise

The advent of the polarized plug fixed the problem, the chassis if connected to a line lead was tied to the neutral, so as long as the outlet wasn't miswired usually no problem.

Then came grounded plugs with a requirement that the chassis, exposed metal be tied to the ground lead with a lead longer than either hot or neutral and neutral couldn't be tied to metal chassis or exposed metal.

Then came the double insulated stuff that can have a two pronged polarized plug.

[enblethen]

Ask again, what kind of three prong plug are you talking about?