Is your Home Still Using 2 Prong Outlets?

Take a look around your home.  Specifically- take a look at your electrical outlets.  Are they 2 prong or 3 prong?  Older homes, those built before the mid to late 1960’s, tend to have 2 prong outlets.  This is a problem because they are not as safe as 3 prong outlets and because many new appliances use the three prong outlets.

If your home still has 2 prong outlets, you can use a ‘cheater plug‘ in order to plug 3 prong items into a 2 prong outlet, but this is not considered to be safe.  A better option would be to replace your 2 prong outlets with 3 prong ones.

The bottom hole in the 3 prong outlet is the ‘ground’ that is especially used for appliance with a metal encased power supply as a back up in order to prevent electric shock.  In order to make the switch from 2 prong to 3 prong a grounding wire needs to be installed.  Therefore, it is best to not try and do this on your own.

FLAME offers residential electrical repair that includes switching your older 2 prong outlets to more modern 3 prong outlets.  Certified electricians will make the switch that will bring your older home up to date and make it much safer to use your outlets.

For more information about this electrical repair, contact FLAME!  Also, check out these websites where some of this information is from:

What’s the Difference Between Two and Three Prong Plugs?

What is the difference between two- and three- pronged plugs?