1 / 6
NEMA 5-15
If you look around your house, you’ll probably find these plugs and corresponding receptacles everywhere. They’re the ones with two flat blades and one round pin.
When plugged in, the flat blades carry the hot and neutral to your equipment, and the round one connects to your house’s grounding system. You’ll find these 15-amp plugs on appliances, electronics, lights and extension cords.
If you live in a house built before the 1960s, you may encounter ungrounded receptacles that won’t accept a modern three-prong plug. If that happens, never remove the ground prong to bypass this safety feature. Update your wiring, or replace the ungrounded receptacle with a GFCI.
2 / 6
NEMA 1-15
These two-pronged plugs only have a hot and neutral, no ground prong. These come in two varieties: polarized, where one blade is slightly larger than the other, and non-polarized, where they’re the same size.
If the plug is polarized, the neutral is the larger one. That’s so you can’t accidentally stick it into the hot side of the receptacle.
Why no ground prong? Isn’t that a safety thing? Double-insulated tools and appliances aren’t required to have one, so you’ll likely find polarized and non-polarized NEMA 1-15 plugs in your home. Think coffeemakers, shop tools, vacuum cleaners and computer chargers.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p63MoqOyoJGjsbq5wKdlnKedZLmqv9Noq7Kolah6sLKMnqOem6SntqSty2anpa2XqHw%3D