# earthing question



## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

In the uk england we use the 3pin plug, (live, negative, earth) so these countries that use the 2pin plug, how do they manage with no earth as Im guessing the 2pin plug is only the live and negative?


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## motormonkey (Jul 10, 2016)

I'm not up on British terminology, but here's a translation of sorts. The "live" you refer to is the line or hot conductor that has the voltage on it. The "negative" you refer to is the neutral return path conductor. No current can flow without a return path. (This is AC so it's not really negative.) The "earth" you refer to is the ground conductor. It is usually connected to any exposed metal parts of an appliance to prevent any voltage from being present on them in the event of a wiring defect. A lot of small appliances with no exposed metal parts do not require the ground conductor, thus the two pin plug.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

The two-pin plugs in the US as discussed above are only for so-called "double insulated" 120V appliances and tools. If you can touch a metal part that could be energized, the item should have a proper 3-pin grounded plug.

The cable from a 230V appliance in the UK usually consists of three wires, an earth and two live wires (line and neutral) which carry the current (people often think that only the line wire is called live, but both neutral and line are live wires). The wires are made of copper surrounded by a plastic sheath. The sheath is made of plastic and is coloured: 


The live wire is *maroon*
The neutral wire is *blue*
The earth wire is *green* and *yellow*


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

But your house sockets in the US has only 2 holes not 3, so what happens when you use a appliance that needs a earth, like a kettle or power tool for example, as most of our kettles and power tools use all 3(live,neutral and earth) in the uk england.


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## motormonkey (Jul 10, 2016)

> But your house sockets in the US has only 2 holes not 3...


Those two hole outlets are only present in older houses wired before electrical codes required grounded outlets.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

3-pin grounded outlets have been required by the U.S. NEC since 1968...


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

tabora said:


> 3-pin grounded outlets have been required by the U.S. NEC since 1968...


Ah right, just because the electrical things I buy from other countries all come with 2pin plugs. They probably dont need a 3pin,, but everything here in the uk, england comes with a 3 pin plug regardless if the earth pin is needed or not... So thats why Im thinking that you guys only have the 2pin outlets.

Like I have just bought a new monitor and thats come with a uk, england 3pin power lead and the 2pin power lead for other countries


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