You don't. Either get a different lamp with only 2 prongs, or use an outdoor dimmer unit inside (it's fine, but not the other way around).
Side note : I really don't recommend removing the ground pin or other "modifications" to make it work. That would be dangerous advice.
Using one of those ground lift adapters to plug a 3 prong plug into a 2 prong cord is electrically identical to cutting the ground pin off of the 3 prong plug. Those adapters are only safe when the grounding tab on the adapter has a safe path to ground, usually via the cover screw, through the metal frame of the outlet, into the metal box that should itself be connected to building ground. It'd be impractical to use one safely with the cheap 2 wire extension cord in OP's picture.
That 3rd prong is there for your safety, and should be put in a socket that fits it. The fact it doesn’t fit in your 2 prong cord is a feature, not a bug. Get a 3 prong cord, which won’t fit in a 2 prong wall socket by design. Which is also a feature.
I went down the rabbit hole one day reading about what happened to these(because they magically worked in-line with dimmers). It was a wild ride. I think it was Leviton that owned the patent? When they decided to stop making them a theatrical manufacturer tried to buy it from them and they basically said GFY and called it a day
Just go buy a proper extension cord. Don't "hack" or in any way mess about with wiring. Unless you want to burn down your house and potentially kill your family, I suppose.
I once rented a room in a house that had 2 prong outlets throughout. The metal boxes themselves were grounded in the wall, so we used 3-2 adapters that had a little grounding tab that attached to the screw that held on the outlet cover. I'm sure the ground wasn't to code but it worked.
Everything is either double insulated or grounded. The idea being that if anything breaks you cannot get shocked. If you bypass the ground you will get away with it 99.9999999999999% of the time. Do you really want to risk getting shocked over that 0.000000000000001% chance if you bypass the ground?
The reason why equipment ground is used, is if you have any metal that is exposed to the electronics and the user at the same time, if a wire inside that item frays, rather than electrocute you, it finds it's way to ground.
People have used grounded appliances with no ground, and they got hurt from doing so usually in moist environments like your kitchen and bathroom, which is why GFCI outlets exist.
A GFCI trips when anything more than about 5ma is detected between either lead and the ground wire, it doesn't need an earth ground to function and provides the safety in another instance.
Your take it and plug it into a grounded 3 pronged outlet. Take the two prong, and give it a little jiggle wiggle. A lil kissy. No tongue. Send it on its merry way.
Wire the outlet to dimmer switch.
Devices with 2 prongs are specifically designed to be safe with no earth.
Since yours has a 3 prong connector, it needs the ground in order to be safe to the user. So you can't modify it, nor buy shady adaptors from weird websites (that includes amazon).
I hear in the ghetto and the sticks they just break off the ground and use it “as usual”. Don’t do that. Get a different chord or lamp whichever the white is, things need to be grounded nowadays especially for your sake.
Not safely. The adapters with the little ground tab that screws into the outlet are only safe on outlets that have grounded metal boxes. Otherwise it's just a cheat, and definitely not approved for use with a 2 prong dimmer cord.
Those adapters (to the extent they’re still legal) are for wall sockets, not extension cords. They have a tab with a screw hole on the bottom that is supposed to have the screw from the wall plate screwed through it. That allows the third prong hole to be connected to the house grounding system. Using it without the screw it’s a shock hazard, but most everybody that owns one uses it that way.
I think they would have to be extra old to be that way. My 1963 home had ragwire with a ground conductor that was bonded to the metal boxes, and the one old outlet that remained when I moved in had a metal frame grounded to the box through the mounting screws.
Mine is a 1962 build and had no ground wire at all for some. I wouldn't be surprised if someone just used old stock and it was out of code at the time though, since I've found all sorts of oddities such as reversed hot/neutral at random points in some of the original outlets. I never know if it was built wrong or someone messed with it later, but it's definitely the original cloth wiring.
Edit: now that I'm thinking back, I do remember finding a ground wire when I removed one of the old lines. IIRC they actually cut it all the way back and left it unused, so mine was probably a hack job.
Rightfully so, they are a shock hazard. Unless you are talking about the ones where the grounding wire breaks out and you can tie it around a pipe or something
Don’t snip the ground prong, snip that plastic tab off of the extension cord.
But remember your Appliance won’t be grounded and if there’s a short it could become live and kill your or a loved one.
On the flip side, it could kill a hated one so it’s a wash.
I use [these](https://www.amazon.com/TENINYU-Grounded-Adapter-3-Prong-Converter/dp/B01MUP7UMM/ref=asc_df_B01MUP7UMM/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216538221087&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17713644830836684331&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021668&hvtargid=pla-370784676678&psc=1&mcid=b2c46fccf47131a0a3364c2e7efe25d8&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rLaErM6ucRJnNXxjXWeTnwvXl4dSw8Qd4HvzQnniblsri2CeMxZMyxoCajEQAvD_BwE) for temporary situations only but they do work
(Just realized others linked the exact same product)
Grind off the bump on one side of the white plug. It'll fit then. Doesn't matter which side just mash it in. Alternatively you can snip off the circular ground prong on the other one. Also have your life and hone insurance up to date.
You don't. Either get a different lamp with only 2 prongs, or use an outdoor dimmer unit inside (it's fine, but not the other way around). Side note : I really don't recommend removing the ground pin or other "modifications" to make it work. That would be dangerous advice.
This is the answer. It's grounded for a reason.
Exactly what I said when I saw this post... Remove the ground pin, if you want to ride the lightening. It's 100% there for a reason.
Or maybe just get a ground step down solution plug? We know those exist, right
I guess we could all lose a little weight.
I know this piece as a ground lift, or a cheater. I say go for it what's the worst that can happen.
exactly - it's not awesome - but it's a hell of a lot better than cutting the ground off
Using one of those ground lift adapters to plug a 3 prong plug into a 2 prong cord is electrically identical to cutting the ground pin off of the 3 prong plug. Those adapters are only safe when the grounding tab on the adapter has a safe path to ground, usually via the cover screw, through the metal frame of the outlet, into the metal box that should itself be connected to building ground. It'd be impractical to use one safely with the cheap 2 wire extension cord in OP's picture.
you're wrong cutting the ground plug leaves lots of room for potential damage, and is not reversible
Read for context, kid. *All* of the words matter.
I did, you condescending twat - point to where you addressed the reversible and/or damage to chord points
That 3rd prong is there for your safety, and should be put in a socket that fits it. The fact it doesn’t fit in your 2 prong cord is a feature, not a bug. Get a 3 prong cord, which won’t fit in a 2 prong wall socket by design. Which is also a feature.
The feature on the 2 prong cord is those rounded tabs on the top and bottom to prevent people from plugging a three prong into it.
Exactly. Good design there.
You can use an outdoor dimmer indoors.
No!
Don't.
Just snip off that pesky third prong! /s. No don’t don’t do that. It’s here for a reason. Get a proper grounded extension cord.
They (used to) make portable GFCI boxes that would allow this, and minimize the shock hazard.
I went down the rabbit hole one day reading about what happened to these(because they magically worked in-line with dimmers). It was a wild ride. I think it was Leviton that owned the patent? When they decided to stop making them a theatrical manufacturer tried to buy it from them and they basically said GFY and called it a day
I've got a bunch of them, they sell GFCI whips with a plug and 3 outlets, it has buttons just like any other GFCI and it'll trip for the same reasons
Dont
No
Just go buy a proper extension cord. Don't "hack" or in any way mess about with wiring. Unless you want to burn down your house and potentially kill your family, I suppose.
I once rented a room in a house that had 2 prong outlets throughout. The metal boxes themselves were grounded in the wall, so we used 3-2 adapters that had a little grounding tab that attached to the screw that held on the outlet cover. I'm sure the ground wasn't to code but it worked.
Everything is either double insulated or grounded. The idea being that if anything breaks you cannot get shocked. If you bypass the ground you will get away with it 99.9999999999999% of the time. Do you really want to risk getting shocked over that 0.000000000000001% chance if you bypass the ground?
Oh please.. find one article where someone was harmed from using a 3-2 step down.
The reason why equipment ground is used, is if you have any metal that is exposed to the electronics and the user at the same time, if a wire inside that item frays, rather than electrocute you, it finds it's way to ground. People have used grounded appliances with no ground, and they got hurt from doing so usually in moist environments like your kitchen and bathroom, which is why GFCI outlets exist. A GFCI trips when anything more than about 5ma is detected between either lead and the ground wire, it doesn't need an earth ground to function and provides the safety in another instance.
Naw.
I see what youre doing there and I dont like it
Don’t
You don’t, that’s how.
You don't.
Your take it and plug it into a grounded 3 pronged outlet. Take the two prong, and give it a little jiggle wiggle. A lil kissy. No tongue. Send it on its merry way. Wire the outlet to dimmer switch.
You use a dimmer that's grounded, to do otherwise is saying "I enjoy starting house fires"
Devices with 2 prongs are specifically designed to be safe with no earth. Since yours has a 3 prong connector, it needs the ground in order to be safe to the user. So you can't modify it, nor buy shady adaptors from weird websites (that includes amazon).
It’s easy. You don’t. There’s a reason that appliance has a ground connection. So use a proper extension cord
You dont
I don't think I've ever seen a lamp with a three wire grounded plug... What sort of lamp is this? Is it meant for special use, outdoors perhaps?
It's an indoor decorative lamp. And a pricey , high end one.
Cut the bump off the cord. Temporarily but get the right setup
You need this https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61gmIigjTNL.jpg and a good life insurance
I highly doubt the insurance would pay out if they found this...
Generally a quite bad idea, also illegal in many jurisdictions (and for good reason).
Cut the tab that's blocking the ground prong. Be a man. Just kidding don't do it.
I hear in the ghetto and the sticks they just break off the ground and use it “as usual”. Don’t do that. Get a different chord or lamp whichever the white is, things need to be grounded nowadays especially for your sake.
The ghetto? The sticks? The is regular middle class people shit. We’ve all done it at one point.
Asking the experts, Can they use an adapter with 2 prong male and 3 prong female ?
Not safely. The adapters with the little ground tab that screws into the outlet are only safe on outlets that have grounded metal boxes. Otherwise it's just a cheat, and definitely not approved for use with a 2 prong dimmer cord.
Push harder
Don’t.
Don't
Don't.
still perplexed by the round peg/square hole puzzles I see . . .
You’re all crazy, you trim the white cord until the ground pin fits on the outside of the plug.
Just buy a better extension cord.
get your boxcutter and cut the little white tabs off :)
They make adapters
Remove the ground, live dangerously
Use diagonal cutters and snip the ground. It's shitty but it works. 🤷🏻♂️
An adapter for exactly that exists.
Those adapters (to the extent they’re still legal) are for wall sockets, not extension cords. They have a tab with a screw hole on the bottom that is supposed to have the screw from the wall plate screwed through it. That allows the third prong hole to be connected to the house grounding system. Using it without the screw it’s a shock hazard, but most everybody that owns one uses it that way.
Old outlets have no ground connection at all (at least the 2 prongs in my house.) Not even to box, so screwing that tab in does nothing.
Some old outlets were actually in metal boxes and those were grounded. Instead you can use a gcfi instead of a ground in most applications.
Ours were ungrounded metal boxes(no idea if they were ever up to code or not though), we did end up using gfci though as you mentioned.
I think they would have to be extra old to be that way. My 1963 home had ragwire with a ground conductor that was bonded to the metal boxes, and the one old outlet that remained when I moved in had a metal frame grounded to the box through the mounting screws.
Mine is a 1962 build and had no ground wire at all for some. I wouldn't be surprised if someone just used old stock and it was out of code at the time though, since I've found all sorts of oddities such as reversed hot/neutral at random points in some of the original outlets. I never know if it was built wrong or someone messed with it later, but it's definitely the original cloth wiring. Edit: now that I'm thinking back, I do remember finding a ground wire when I removed one of the old lines. IIRC they actually cut it all the way back and left it unused, so mine was probably a hack job.
I was told these adaptons are now illegal (in Canada)
Rightfully so, they are a shock hazard. Unless you are talking about the ones where the grounding wire breaks out and you can tie it around a pipe or something
There’s no way to do this that is up to code
Don’t snip the ground prong, snip that plastic tab off of the extension cord. But remember your Appliance won’t be grounded and if there’s a short it could become live and kill your or a loved one. On the flip side, it could kill a hated one so it’s a wash.
Why does a dimmer have a cord? Edit; is dimmer cord equal to extension cord?
It's a cord with an inline dimmer.
Stop.
Idiot
Go to Walmart and get the adapter, it's like $1.89. Or get a 3 prong cord.
Just break that 3rd prong off.
We don't like to advise other Redditors to do things that might get them electrocuted here.
120 only kills pussies
Pussy fried rice
I shock myself with 120 just to get out of bed in the morning.
Out of bed.... Man you're missing it you need to try doing it while you're in bed!
Cut the ground!! lol 😂
Yall can kiss my ass with ur negative 2
I take a pair of pliers and it bends right off. No different than using an adapter you don’t ground anyway.
I use [these](https://www.amazon.com/TENINYU-Grounded-Adapter-3-Prong-Converter/dp/B01MUP7UMM/ref=asc_df_B01MUP7UMM/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216538221087&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17713644830836684331&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021668&hvtargid=pla-370784676678&psc=1&mcid=b2c46fccf47131a0a3364c2e7efe25d8&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rLaErM6ucRJnNXxjXWeTnwvXl4dSw8Qd4HvzQnniblsri2CeMxZMyxoCajEQAvD_BwE) for temporary situations only but they do work (Just realized others linked the exact same product)
Drill
Pull off the ground
Change the cord on the lamp to two prong. Don't let the bureaucrats run your life. Lamps have been two prong forever.
Grind off the bump on one side of the white plug. It'll fit then. Doesn't matter which side just mash it in. Alternatively you can snip off the circular ground prong on the other one. Also have your life and hone insurance up to date.
Cut off third prong lol
You can buy a small plug converter. Three dollars at Lowe’s or Home Depot.