Two-Prong Electrical Outlet Safety

Three-Prong vs. Two-Prong Electrical Outlet

We’ve all noticed the obvious difference between a two-prong electrical outlet and a three-prong electrical outlet. But many have never stopped to consider why they’re different and what the difference might mean for your home. The answer is quite a bit.

The main difference between a two-prong electrical outlet and a three-prong electrical outlet is that a three-prong outlet has a ground wire, while a two-prong outlet doesn’t.

What Is a Ground Wire?

Every outlet has a hot and neutral slot. Your hot slot delivers electricity to the outlet, and the neutral slot sends electricity back to the main electrical panel. However, both wires are designed to only handle a certain amount of volts (usually 120 volts). A ground wire is basically a safety wire that directs any surges of excess electricity to the ground to protect your electrical work from getting fried.

The ground wire aids the hot and neutral wires in case they receive more electricity than they’re designed to handle (i.e. from plugging in too many appliances.) Without a ground wire, they can deliver an electrical shock, heat up and cause a fire or damage the plugged in appliances.

Appliance cords and extension cords with three-prong plugs provide a ground for the cord and often serve as the grounding path for the appliance itself. You may notice that some appliances and power tools only have two-prong cords. This is usually because the appliance is designed to be adequately insulated (often called “double insulated“). In newer equipment, double insulated cords are designed to remove the chance of being shocked by the tool if it were to short. That being said, if the appliance or tool is old, it may not be double insulated even though it has a two-prong cord.