Wow!…that’s a long title. I remember working as a carpenter in my younger years and breaking off the third prong on my extension cords to fit two prong plugs. It never shocked me so I thought why even add a third prong to power cords. – This post is for all you ‘lucky’ construction workers that have worked with metal tools and not been lit up at least one time (with electricity).

The third prong was added to electrical outlets and cords around the 70’s and 80’s for safety reasons. Grounding provides a quick path for stray electricity to go in the case of a Hot wire short to the chassis, frame, or any other conducting part of an electrical item. Electricity follows the path of least resistance, for example: A human is usually 10000 ohms of resistance, a copper ground line is going to be around 0 – 5 ohms. The low resistance of the copper is going to provide a way for the electricity to run back to the grounding strip (instead of through the person) therefore causing high amps and tripping the breaker.
– - Here’s some math from ohms law – I = V/R (Current = Voltage/Resistance), 120V/3ohms = 40amps – A normal breaker for 120V is 20Amps or less so you can see the breaker would interrupt the electrical flow very quickly.
If you decided to break the third prong off your extension cord and the hot wire touches the frame of the tool you are using you are very likely to get a shock. You will not only get a shock, but the breaker will not trip so you will continue to get shocked.
There are adapters for converting a 3 prong plug into a 2 prong plug. They are made to be used in coordination with an earth ground (like plumbing). If you choose to use one of these just remember that if you do not ground it, it is just like using no ground.
- Another thing to add to this is the third prong not only protects you but is also a safety device for your equipment (electronics, wiring, etc).

Thank you for reading!!

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