Wall receptable with both polarized and non-polarised

You can make one. Just plug one of the two ground holes with some contrasting colored caulk -- so the next fool knows it was done on purpose.

WTH? Sure sounds like a troll.

*+-> *+-> Do they make wall receptacles where one is non-polarised and the other *+-> poalrised?

*+-You can make one.

*+-Just plug one of the two ground holes with some contrasting *+-colored caulk -- so the next fool knows it was done on purpose.

*+-WTH? Sure sounds like a troll.

The old outlets had both prongs the same width

now one is wider

Nothing about the ground

No. Most likely because doing so would likely be an electrical code violationn. I believe (at least for the US) the electrical code requires all new and upgraded receptacles to be polarized.

Just install a polarized receptacle. It is 100% backwards compatible with non-polarized plugs, with the added advantage of also being 100% forward compatible with all polarized plugs.

Yes, that's how the 'polarized' plugs work. By also making one plug tang wider you can only insert a polarized plug into a proper polarized receptacle.

If you can plug a polarized plug into a non-polarized receptacle, then you can defeat the safety advantage offered by the polarized plugs.

NEMA receptacles (1-15P) for polarized plugs have been around since the late 1920s when the concept of 120/240 AC systems was fully described. We have them in some old wiring in our house. NP (1-15) receptacles exist for situations where the polarity of the receptacle cannot be predicted - such as DC circuits, and 'back-panel' receptacles in devices such are clock-radios that might be plugged into the wall either way. Many more contemporary audio devices used NP receptacles in the back (especially tube stuff) rather than polarized as they sometimes hummed less if plugged in one way rather than another.

Polarized *receptacles* offer 'safety advantages' only if they are correctly wired. Polarized *plugs* offer safety advantages again, only if they are properly wired and the device is functioning properly.

These distinctions are lost on our Non-North American friends. After all, it was all pretty much invented here, and the rest of the world benefitted by not having to make the same mistakes we did in the beginning. Nor are they living with 110 year-old wiring as we are (1913). It is perfectly fine, by the way, and called "knob and tube". It has also been inspected by our insurance company and passed without a peep.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Wow, thank you. Exactly the answer I wanted.

*+- NEMA receptacles (1-15P) for polarized plugs have been around since the late 1920s when the concept of 120/240 AC systems was fully described. We have them in some old wiring in our house. NP (1-15) receptacles exist for situations where the polarity of the receptacle cannot be predicted - such as DC circuits, and 'back-panel' receptacles in devices such are clock-radios that might be plugged into the wall either way. Many more contemporary audio devices used NP receptacles in the back (especially tube stuff) rather than polarized as they sometimes hummed less if plugged in one way rather than another.

*+-Polarized *receptacles* offer 'safety advantages' only if they are correctly wired.

*+-Polarized *plugs* offer safety advantages again, only if they are properly wired and the device is functioning properly.

*+-These distinctions are lost on our Non-North American friends. After all, it was all pretty much invented here, and the rest of the world benefitted by not having to make the same mistakes we did in the beginning. Nor are they living with 110 year-old wiring as we are (1913). It is perfectly fine, by the way, and called "knob and tube". It has also been inspected by our insurance company and passed without a peep.

*+-Peter Wieck *+-Melrose Park, PA

It is often forgotten, but Thomas Edison used 110/220 in his DC system. 110 was used for lighting, 220 was to power motors and heaters. It was simple to convert a business or home's wiring from DC to AC, by simply changing the feed to the building.

We added a bedroom to my parent's home in the early '60s, and Polarized outlets were already in use.