Is cheater plug safe with grounded monster power?

Artar1 - I sent you an email! Easier to tackle this offline.

Ldatlof - the "brick" performs the same function as a wall-wart. It takes AC in, puts DC out. It is an outboard power supply.

Since the power supply supplies DC through the mini-plug connector that goes into the dock, there is no AC current in the dock. So, it was never grounded to your house AC system in the first place. With a cheater plug in place, the outboard power supply is not grounded for sure. Whether is is going to cause a problem or not, I don't know because I've never looked at the inside of the PS. Usually though, there is a reason why earth ground is connected.

Look in your manual. Does it say something like, "this product must be plugged into a properly grounded outlet?"

Quincy's opinion is very bad advice. Interconnects are not an effective safety ground.

What gets me is a toaster which carries quite a bit of current and is commonly metal on the outside usually only has two prongs. Then in most new homes ground fault outlets are required in kitchens. Who's making this stuff up anyway.

Yeah, who IS making this stuff up? I see a lot of "made up" electrical wisdom on this website. It really scares me to see that people with a total lack of knowledge about electrical safety requirements feel comfortable dispensing advice on electrical safety.

By the way, electric toasters are covered by Underwriters Laboratories. UL 1026, "Standard for Electric Household Cooking and Food Serving Appliances," contain the relevant standards and testing methodologies. It's quite comprehensive, and testing is stringent.

Last but not least - a cavalier attitude about electricity is the best way to have an electrical fire. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are over 40,000 household electrical fires every year, averaging 350 deaths per year, and over 1400 injuries per year. Average annual loss is $688 MILLION.

You could be next.

According to a study done by Iowa State University, 2/3rds of household electrical fires begin in the plugs or cords of household appliances and electrical devices.

The point of all this ties back to the original question about hum. The point is: defeating a safety ground is STUPID. STUPID. It's even more stupid if you or a family member is injured or killed, or your house burns, because you took the lazy, ignorant path of solving ground loop problems by using an illegal "cheater" plug or other illegal methods of defeating a safety ground.

Ultimately, if someone chooses to put his family/neighbors at risk out of laziness, there's nothing anyone can do to stop him. However, I think it's the height of irresponsibility to come here and advocate illegal, potentially dangerous practices and call them safe.

Speaking of red herrings: A fire caused by an electric space heater igniting combustible material is NOT considered an electrical fire.

Tbg - responses in order of your questions:

No.

If you choose to play around with things electrical, you really should develop a better understanding about electrical standards and construction of the equipment you are playing with. Your assumptions may kill you. A chassis does not have to be referenced to ground if it is insulated. It's designed designed to prevent the chassis from becoming "live" if there is a ground fault. In this type of design there is no need for a ground prong. A chassis that is referenced to AC ground needs the ground connection; if it is removed and there is a ground fault, the chassis can become energized and deliver a potentially fatal shock to someone who touches it.

Isolation transformers and a properly-constructed star ground. This is what I did in my home theater. No "cheater" plugs necessary. BTW, I didn't try to pin any sarcastic labels on you. Why do want to start that kind of childish crap?

Circuit breakers will not stop an electrical fire. Circuit breakers will not prevent ground faults.

Gregadd, you are right on target - Tbg's pride is hurt.

Quincy, the interconnects do provide a ground path from one component to another. This ground path is a low-voltage, low-current signal ground though - it is not designed for nor intended to be a safety ground for high-voltage, high-current AC power.

Electricity takes the path of least resistance. If you (or your spouse, or your child, or your pet) offer a better ground path than an RCA signal ground, guess which path a chassis leak will take? :-(

Ldatlof - the only Sirius home dock I know of is the Audiovox, and it uses a wall-wart power supply - no AC fed to the unit. In all siriusness, if you're using an AC Enhancer on a wall-wart, your house has already burned down, and you were in it.

Tbg - your obviously fragile and still-bruised ego is showing.

Easy explanation - you posted an attempt at a snide remark, aimed solely at me. Apparently your little feelings are still hurt.

Artar1 -

Give me some additional information:

1. List the components that have a three-prong grounded power cord, including the substitutes.

2. Are you using dedicated circuit(s)?

3. Are you using a power conditioner? If so, which model?

4. Are all devices plugged into one circuit, or into more than one circuit?

5. Are you using aftermarket power cords? If so, which models, and on what gear? If you are not, please tell me what the wire gauge of each of the three-wire cords are. It will be embossed on the cord jacket.

Artar1 - just FYI, if you have your equipment plugged into multiple circuits, Tbg's suggested procedure will not be of any help.