Three Prong Plug Converter Safety

Electricity and Grounding

• Electricity will flow toward and through any material which can conduct, or carry it. Some materials, such as wood, plastic and glass are poor conductors of electricity, which is why these materials are often used to insulate electrical currents. While the human body is also not an efficient conductor, electricity can pass through the body as it tries to reach other conductive materials or the ground, causing electric shock or electrocution. Electric shock and electrocution are dangerous, painful and sometimes fatal. The Tennessee Valley Authority sums up how to prevent electrical shock and electrocution, stating, "A safe path to ground for electricity is away from your body and confined within whatever piece of electrical equipment you're using."

Cheater Plugs

• Cheater plugs became popular as a cheap alternative to having an entire building rewired. Three-prong ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacles are installed instead of the previously standard two-prong receptacle. The third prong in the cheater plug is supposed to provide the grounding path necessary for safety. However, defective, wet or damaged cheater plugs do not always provide this grounding and can cause electrical shocks when handled or cause sparks which can start fires.

Inspection

• The best safety precaution regarding cheater plugs, according to Reader's Digest, is not to use them. However, there are cases in which an immediate full home or building rewiring is impossible and the use of cheater plugs is necessary. Always check the casing and plug converter prongs for cracks, bends, rust or other imperfections, and dispose of damaged plugs immediately. Keep the cheater plugs dry and away from small children and pets. Install and handle cheater plugs as if they contained live electricity, using protective gloves and protective gear.

Other Dangerous Applications

• Cheater plugs are often used by professional sound engineers as a trick to eliminate ground loops in audio and video signals which create humming or buzzing noises. Bill Whitlock, the president of Jensen Transformers, says that the use of cheater plugs in this way is extremely dangerous, and can result in uncontrolled levels of electric current rushing through audio and video cables not designed handle such high levels. "Consumer audio and video equipment electrocuted nine people in the U.S. in 1997...[and] this equipment caused 1,900 residential fires which resulted in 110 civilian injuries, 20 deaths, and over $30 million in property losses," he claims.