power outlet problem

I just moved to this new house and the outlet has only two sockets but my computer and monitor have three sockets plug.  I have this connector that connect three sockets to two sockets power outlet.  So far, the computer doesn\'t have any problems but my rather expensive 17" monitor sometimes turn off and on again.  It doesn\'t do that in my old house.  It also makes some sizzling noise inside the monitor when it turn off and then on.  I am not sure if it because of the cord that I plug to the two sockets or something.

Also, what the difference between two sockets outlet and three sockets outlet?  How come some electronics uses two sockets while other uses three?  What does the third socket do?

Thanks.

[videoholic]

You must have an old house.  You really shouldn\'t use adapters to plug 3 socket items such as electronics into the two sockets.  I don\'t know much about electricity, but you are taking away your ground by doing that.  With electronics I just wouldn\'t do that.

I would get an electrician in and set up a circuit to wire that room with the correct outlets.

the 3rd one (the one in the middle bottom) is a Ground.  My dad is currnetly putting grounded sockets on all of our outlets and grounding them plus adding a breaker and switching aorund some (we found out that 2 rooms (living room and my Bedroom) are all connected to the same breaker(and there is alot of electrical equipent in those 2 rooms alone!)).  we were surprised we didnt keep blowing it!




:hat:ScottyJ:hat:

Thanks you guys,

It is okay to connect the 3 socket to the 2 sockets (the one without the ground?)  And how do I put the ground on for the outlet?

you cant connect the 3 hole to a 2 hole....you are missing a hole and cutting off the ground plug is a BAAAAD thing. I would go out and buy a Grounding Receptacle.....before you put it in ......turn off that breaker so you dont get shocked......then make sure there are 3 wires coming out (White Black and Green (Green is Ground))...if not I think you can still put that receptical in (make sure you connect the wires correctly (the packaging should tell you).  I know Lowes has them we are currently working on the wiring here.

Hope this helps

:hat:ScottyJ:hat:

Okay, I will try to buy the thing you mention.  So far, I been plugging my computer and monitor to the 2 holes outlets with the adapter.  It had been a week and there is some problem with the monitor.  when you say breaker, do you mean the one that have lot of switches on?  Thanks, it really help.

while you mention Lowes, I went to that site and I found this.



There is some many kinds of grounding receptables.  I will go tomorrow after school to get this quickly...Again, thanks man.

that picture is the grounded Receptacle, and you should have a big box in your house with the number 20,30.....etc on the switches which is the Amperage find out which one goes to your room.....make sure it is off before you start messing with the power....we dont want to loose a mamber do we ?



:hat:ScottyJ:hat:

I successfully did it.  I connect as instructed on the paper, I connect the black wire to the gold screw, brass wire to the silver screw.  But there is no ground wire (green) or anything like that.  Only two wires.  I only connect two and I just tested by turning the computer on and the monitor.  So far, nothing really bad happen to the monitor yet.

So, it\'s a bad thing if there is no ground wire to connect to the green screw?

The monitor start doing strange things again.  the screen sizzle a little and i hear clicking and clipping inside the monitor as if some sort of wire were burn off or something...

[videoholic]

Well you still have no ground.  Essentially you have the same thing you had before.  Just you don\'t need the adapter any more because you put an Edison plug (That\'s what they are called) in where the 2 hole plug should be.  You need the room re-wired to have a ground.

[CHIZZY]

If it\'s possible, you should run a wire from the ground screw on the plug to the water main into the house. Just twist the wire around the pipe and get good contact. The water main will ground
you if anything happens. If you have any doubts, call an electrician, but your computer really should be grounded.

Okay, so What I did is almost useless....edison plug....damn, so I need my house to be rewire again?  And if i called an electrician, how much it is going to cost me and how long it is going to take to rewire it?

Originally posted by CHIZZY
If it\'s possible, you should run a wire from the ground screw on the plug to the water main into the house. Just twist the wire around the pipe and get good contact. The water main will ground
you if anything happens. If you have any doubts, call an electrician, but your computer really should be grounded.

You gotta be kidding me.

So what happen if the pipe leak and the water get into the wire.......then my electronic get ruin.  I get zap.  NO  light in the house.  Everybody scream and it not going to be pretty.  is that it?  Sorry, I am just confuse what you are trying tell me.

[videoholic]

The water main is outside the house.  It\'s what most people ground their satellite dishes to.  You could probably put a ground spike into the ground right next to the plug you want grounded and run a wire to it.  I don\'t know.  I\'m an idiot, but I think that would work.

Originally posted by know-it-all-wanna-be


You gotta be kidding me.

So what happen if the pipe leak and the water get into the wire.......then my electronic get ruin.  I get zap.  NO  light in the house.  Everybody scream and it not going to be pretty.  is that it?  Sorry, I am just confuse what you are trying tell me.

Grounding to a water pipe is a perfectly acceptable solution.  We\'re talking about a wire that never has any current running through it.  If something did happen perchance, all that would result is the circuit would short to ground and the breaker would trip, shutting down whatever resides on that circuit, but certainly not the entire house.

Just use a 12 guage solid copper wire.  If you\'re not comfortable grounding to a water pipe, use the conduit that your circuits run from the breaker box in as a ground, that\'s essentially what is used for grounding normally anyway.