PC for Brsyton 4B SST

Tvad,

I live in Toronto,Canada and I can buy them but not at a hardware store. According to the sales person at my local homedepot they are a banned item.

I was told I can buy them at the local dollar store but how effective are they I don't know.

Freakygreek, I've offered all the ideas I can think of. It's up to you to take action however you see fit. Best of luck.

Tvad - ground adapter plugs are sold so that you can connect a device requiring a safety ground connection to an outlet that does not have a 3rd ground pin, but HAS A GROUNDED OUTLET BOX. It is not designed to allow a device requiring a safety ground to be used without such a ground.

A grounded outlet box is one where the box itself is grounded. If properly grounded, the wallplate screw will be a path to earth.

That is why the adapter plug has a metallic clip or pigtail to connect to the grounded wallplate screw. It is permissible to use this approach, thus the adapter plugs are legal to sell.

Using the adapter plug without connecting to ground is "cheating," which is why it's called a "cheater" plug. Using it to defeat the ground is against NEC. NEC has the force of law in pretty much every locale in the US, so it's illegal to use a ground adapter as a "cheater" plug.

Also, installing new outlets without proper grounding, as you suggest, is illegal, incredibly dangerous, and stupid. If you had a problem because of the installation of an illegal electrical system, your homeowner's insurance could legally refuse to pay any claim.

Rex, you are correct. I was not clear in that the outlet boxes I was
describing are grounded, therefore allowing the use of the wall plate
screw.

My suggestion of cheater plugs was offered as an alternative, and had
been suggested to me by other Audiogon members when I had a similar
issue with ground loop hum. Frankly, the cheater plug never helped in
my rig, but it has helped others.

I retract all my aforementioned advice regarding the use of
"cheater" plugs, and suggest those interested in grounding
issues consult a local, licensed, electrical professional for further
information.

Rex, do you have any suggestions for solving Freakygreek's buzzing
problem?

Many ground loops are the result of dc on the cable tv line or dss. If you have video hooked thru your audio system and have a bad buzz going, remove the co-ax cable from the input of the cable box or dss receiver..If the bad buzz vacates, then the problem is on the line..Also if you have several pieces of audio hooked to 2 or 3 ac outlets you may be encountering different ground potentials which will give you an offset and result in hum or a bad buzz.Tom