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You must have at some time or the other carefully looked at the electric plug used in your house. The plugs of most heavy appliances like fridge, geyser, microwave or washing machine have three pins—two of equal size at the bottom and one slightly larger and thicker at the top.
But has this question ever arisen in your mind that when any electrical appliance can run easily with just two wires (phase and neutral), then why is this third pin given? Is this just a design to keep the plug firmly in the socket or is there a deeper scientific reason behind it? Let us today understand the big truth hidden behind this small pin in very simple words.
Basics of Electricity: Phase and Neutral
Electricity requires a complete path (circuit) to reach any device and back. There are two main strings that work for this:
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Phase: This is the main wire that brings electrical current from the socket to your appliance (like a TV, fan or press).
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Neutral: This wire carries that current back to the power source through the socket, completing the circuit and starting the appliance.
With the help of these two pins, all your devices can work. But the nature of electricity does not always remain the same; Sometimes some technical glitch occurs in it, and this is where the danger begins.
What happens when current ‘leaks’?
Many times, due to age or short circuit, the phase (live) wire inside the appliance gets cut or becomes loose and touches the outer metal body of the appliance. In such a situation, electric current spreads on the body of the equipment, which in medical and technical language is ‘Current Leakage’ It is said.
If at that time the appliance has only a two-pin plug and you touch it with wet hands or unknowingly, the electricity will try to pass through your body to the ground. The result will be that you will get a very terrible and fatal electric shock.
Earthing Pin: Helpful in times of crisis
To protect against this great danger, plug in third pin Is given. This earthing pin or ground pin It is said. Its function is to connect the metal body of the appliance directly to the ground through the earthing wiring of the house. Since earth is the best conductor of electricity and has low resistance, as soon as any current leaks, it goes straight into the ground through this third pin instead of harming your body.
2-Pin vs. 3-Pin Plug: Which is Safer?
The difference between these two plugs used in home appliances can be easily understood from the table given below:
Why is the third pin slightly longer and thicker?
If you have ever noticed while inserting the plug into the socket, the third pin is slightly longer than the other two pins. A very beautiful and safe rule of electrical engineering works behind this:
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Reason for being long: When you insert the plug inside the socket, due to its longer length the upper earthing pin comes in contact with the socket first. This means that the protection system (Earth Connection) of the appliance gets activated even before the power is turned on (phase connected). Similarly, while removing the plug, phase and neutral come out first and earthing remains connected till the end.
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Reasons for being fat: This pin is deliberately made thick so that no one can accidentally insert it into the thin hole of phase or neutral. If this happens, the equipment will receive a direct current instead of protection.
This is the reason why all the modern and government standards in place today consider 3-pin plug mandatory for heavy equipment. The next time you use a device at home, don’t mistake that third pin for a minor design flaw; He is a silent guardian of your house who is saving your life every moment without making any sound.