3 ms·
Pretty much every modern appliance is polarized. The key to note, in most houses when the unpolarized stuff was new, there were alarmingly few ground sources n
by Aloha 7y ago
Pretty much every modern appliance is polarized.
The key to note, in most houses when the unpolarized stuff was new, there were alarmingly few ground sources nearby, so the fact that one side of the appliance was hot, doesn't actually matter that much - so while it's safer now, it wasn't that unsafe then. I'd also point out, these choices make more sense when you consider the lower voltage of US power distribution.
- kwhitefoot 7y agoPretty much every modern European mains powered device is double insulated so it doesn't matter which pole is live and which is neutral. Some countries do have polarized connectors (UK, some Polish, France, Belgium, etc.) but many do not. However supposedly competent electricians sometimes connect them the wrong way round anyway or omit the earth or both as I discovered in France last year. See this web page for a convenient list of mains connectors and countries that use them: https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/ https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/