Last summer, I moved into an apartment in a very old building in NYC and one of the first things I noticed was nearly all of my power outlets were "2-prong" instead of the standard "3-prong" outlets in more modern buildings. The problem is, ALL of my electronics require three prong outlets, including my refrigerator! I am beginning to feel this is an extremely unsafe fire hazard! Furthermore, during the summer I had to use a 3-prong to 2-prong adapter (like the one shown in the link) for my air conditioner to plug it into the wall. The warning label on my air conditioner specifically said to not use any adapters. http://www.electronicplus.com/images/products/419GY.jpg What options do I have if: 1) I do not have the skillset to switch out the outlets myself. 2) hiring a professional electrician is not an option. I highly doubt my landlord will pay for the electrician visit, nor do I want to spend any of my own money for an apartment I do not own. Moving out is also not an option. I have been to a few hardware stores and was unsuccessful in finding a surge protector/power cord that'll allow me to plug my 3 prong electronics into it, and plug the surge protector into a 2-prong wall. Any suggestions?
Buy an adapter. Costs about $.50, plug 3 prong plug into adapter, then plug adapter into wall. Any hardware store should have them.
It is not just a case of replacing the plugs. You will also need an additional wire pulled to each plug to do it properly. What you are missing is a ground wire. This does not create any obvious fire hazzard. What can happen is say something in your fridge shorts to the cabinet. If you have a properly wired 3 prong connector, this will trip the breaker or blow the fuse. With a 2 prong connection you may get shocked when you touch the fridge.
So what can I do? Wouldn't it be unsafe to use adapters on heavy duty electrical items such as refrigerator, air conditioner, and TVs? I have a 3-prong surge protector (that powers my tv, refrigerator, ps3) but I'm hesitant to use an adapter on it. My gut feeling is, it is too much power for one surge protector and even more so when using a dinky adapter. Do 3-prong to 2-prong surge protectors exist?
