Extension cable left in a puddle, is it still ok to use?
my room mate left an extension cable out in the rain sitting in a puddle while it was plugged into the wall. he said it was ok because it had a ground prong…. is he right or is he dumb?
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It’s fine. Although I would dry it out before use.
A wet piece of plastic dries out. (You wash your dishes, right?)
Current doesn’t magically jump from prong to prong or slit to slit. And if it got a little wet, no big deal. The wire inside the cord might – might – rust or oxidize a little – but not worth worrying about.
The only time I might be remotely concerned is if the extension cord end was underwater (completely covered) for a while – then there might have been some danger of electrocution.
But now – it’s totally fine to use.
he left it in a puddle (submerged) that happened to be in front of the stairs to get to the door. my girl friend said to unplug it before somone gets electricuted and he was arguing saying thats what the ground prong is for but he still unplugged it and moved it
~Only one way to find out. Ask a friend , that you don’t like, to plug it in for you.~
The ground prong doesn’t do what he thinks it does.
The ground prong acts as a pathway to guide electricity from a device to the grounding rod if the device (lamp, for example) is improperly wired. In other words, to do any good, the ground prong has to have something plugged in.
Being submerged in water sends nothing to or through the ground wire.
Your friend is totally mistaken.
The extension cord has a hot, neutral, and ground wire. If it is plugged in, there is 120V on the hot wire. Combined with water, 120V can cause problems (fire, death). The ground wire will only provide an additional path for 120V to get to ground. It is the 120V that is dangerous.
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