using an adapter, is it safe to plug a end with 3 ends into a 2 end wall electrical outlet?

Question

see I used an adapter as the wall had only space for 2 metal things to go in. But the airconditioner has 3 metal pieces to the plug, so the adapter made it possible....anyways, I have no electricity in my house now. Is this my fault or is did it break the electricity because the apt is old and was gonna break soon anyways? By the way, one room has been out electricity for over 1.5 years already. Is this expensive to fix?

there is a breaker box, I switched them all off and then back on again and nothing changed-still no electricity. I did it twice eeven. And yes it should be the landlady to fix it-but common lets face it, theres lots of lazy landlords out there

Answer 1

First off, if it's an apartment it's not your responsibility to fix. That's the nice thing about apartments. Your landlord should be able to make any repairs. If they don't, look for a tenant's association who can help you apply pressure. I don't rent anymore so I can't help you further there (but another yahoo! question may turn up what you need).

What almost certainly happened is that the air conditioner blew a fuse or tripped a curcuit breaker. Fuse is likely if it's an old building. Fuses are designed so that the fuse burns out before the wiring in the wall does. Get a cheap fuse to replace the one that blew out and you're good to go. Circuit breakers are the same sort of thing. When the wiring is overloaded the circuit turns off like a switch. Unplug whatever overloaded the wiring and turn the switch back on.

Somewhere there should be a metal panel in the wall with switches or fuses. Unplug the A/C and check the fuses to see which blew or the switches to see which tripped. That should fix your problem.

Plugging a three-prong device into a two-prong plug isn't advised. The third plug is for grounding and the air conditioner needs that. I think it's more a concern of electric shock than anything else, however. The A/C probably blew a fuse/tripped a circuit breaker because it has a greater demand on the electrical power than your wiring is up to. It may be able to run for a while, but if it runs while the microwave is on or something it may trip.

Edit-- provided more explanation.

Good luck to you.

Answer 2

You just need to find the fuse box and change the fuse....regarding the two-plug verses the three plug....it became standard in the electrical field to have 2 ground wires for safety. Years ago everything had a metal housing and it was cautioned that...lets install a second ground wire to the metal housing to protect people from shocks. Since most items today have plastic housing, companies save money by only having a 2 prong plugs.

Your house might only be wired for 100 Amp service...where the standard today is 200 amp service to handle the modern day convinces.

Having an A/C plugged into a two pronged plug is OK if you never touch the metal housing while its turned on.

Good Luck

Answer 3

The adaptor is fine. Not idea, but it'll be ok. The third "metal thing" is a ground, and a grounded receptical cost about 1.50. Installing a grounded recepticle would be the best thing ta do.
As far as the other issues with the electricity, you might wanna get that looked at ASAP. Older buildings still use fuses as a means of disconnect.....as oppose to breakers. The problem with that is most electrical fires are asscoiated with fuses allowing current to flow through wiring it shouldn't. Get that looked at as soon as ya can.

Answer 4

The 3rd prong is a ground, it is not safe to plug into a 2 outlet, it will get hot and start a fire..you blowed a fuse, u might have popped circuit breaker, do not plug up your airconditioner u need the 3 pronger, u need a 220 outlet..

Answer 5

I'm a little confused, you refer to your "house" but then say "apt". If this is an apartment building then you can check by your electric meter for additional breakers that may have tripped. Can't say where yours is but in my building, the meters and main breakers for each apartment is in the laundry room. Yours may be in a maintenance or service closet that you have no access to. If this is the case, all you can do is ask the landlady to check it for you.

Answer 6

It is never safe to adapt a grounded unit,especially if it runs a long time or draws alot of power. if you live in an apt. why did management not fix the problem. It is the law to supply power water and heat. If they don't fix the problem I would contact a lawyer. Good Luck

Answer 7

Have you checked your circuit breaker? The air conditoner is bound to suck a lot of current, and if you were using other high drain devices, you could have tripped a breaker very easily.
Barring that, talk to your landlord. They should be able to fix the electricity.

Answer 8

yes its safe, but you should not remove the round ground from the 3 prong plug, get an adapter 3 pin to 2 pin adapter any hardware store will have the adapter

Answer 9

It is OK to use, but by doing this, you have eliminated the ground wire from being used. That is what the third (round ) pin does.

Answer 10

Yep.....when nothing else to do I start around page 6 and work backwards.