Reversed Polarity Danger
To the Editor:
I have just read "Plug-In Electrical
Testers" (12/95), by Rex Cauldwell.
The section that addresses reversed
polarity seems to assume that all the
plugs that go into a receptacle are
polarized. Otherwise, saying that a
receptacle is miswired with reversed
polarity is irrelevant, because you
could simply pull out a plug, twist it
180 degrees, and plug it back in and
you would have reversed polarity anyway.
So unless the fixture that electrocuted
the little girl had a polarized
plug, the polarity of the outlet would
not be relevant.
Marc Sabransky
Warrensville Hts., Ohio
Rex Cauldwell responds:
You're right: That fixture did have a
polarized plug. In fact, most plugs today
are polarized. The National Electrical
Code