Why do Plugs have Holes?
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Why do Plugs have Holes? (Everything you need to know)

ByBrianbogglers

Why do plugs have holes? If you’ve noticed, most two-prong electrical plugs, including the top two on a tri-pronged plug, have holes in them (try saying that five times fast).

Why do Plugs have Holes?

However, have you recently examined an electrical plug? If you reside in the United States or another nation that employs identical electrical sockets, you might have noticed that plugs have holes in them.

These holes have a purpose beyond mere beauty; they are functional.

Why do Plugs have Holes?

Unless they detest their work and don’t want to be reminded that they gave up their dance career to install circuit breakers, an electrician who lives with you will likely be happy to extol the merits of these two tiny holes.

Further, there is a 98 percent likelihood that the two flat prongs on any unplugged appliance in your home have holes in them. However, there are three reasons for the holes:

Why do Plugs have Holes?

1. Grip

You would see that the contact wipers used to communicate an electric current have small “bumps” on them if you were to peek inside an outlet after a plug had been inserted to acquire power.

Also, the tight fit of these circular parts into the plug’s holes contributes to a stronger connection. In order to keep things running smoothly, this helps to ensure that there is no disruption in the electricity supply.

Hence, this explains why a well-made plug won’t just fall out of a socket and why it aids in maintaining a stronger connection between the contact wipers and the device or appliance that is attached to the plug.

2. Seal the Deal

Manufacturers will occasionally include crucial information about their electronic items in a tag linked to a zip tie that passes through the prongs.

Meanwhile, this is done when they have critical messages they want to get over to their customers. Cutting that zip tie signifies that you have “read the terms and conditions” in real life.

However, the reason is that they finally save money on raw materials. Consider the metal you get from those tiny punch-outs if you’re mass-producing a lot of these little prongs.

Then, you take that metal, melt it down, and probably get another “free” plug from it for every 20 plugs you manufacture.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Plugs have holes in their prongs to fit the round bits and provide a safe connection. Therefore, this is why it is not easy for a plug to fall off the socket.

Also, it helps maintain a secure connection between contact wipers and the appliance to which the plug is connected.

Yes, you can. Plugs can be used with or without holes in their prongs and yet, it is safe. However, there are two flat prongs in Type A and B plugs that have a hole near their tip.

This is because if a wire were to fall off on a right side outlet of the plug, the neutral and hot sides will shot out. Meanwhile, if it is upside down, the wire will reach the floor first.

This is because their plugs are double insulated, which means that two layers of insulation between the conductor and you do not require an earth connection.

An orange outlet is a ground receptacle that is isolated to provide electricity directly from a point where they maintain power even when power or the circuit breaker is interrupted somewhere else.

Sockets, also known as red outlets found in medical facilities and hospitals show that they are using an emergency power backup.

Furthermore, this helps doctors and nurses immediately identify where to plug equipment during emergencies.

A blue color outlet is a self-ground outlet that provides an alarm indication, especially in the case of a loss of ground protection.

A plug with one prong larger than the other is a polarized plug. However, the larger prong is neutral to ensure that the smaller prong which is the hot wire, is tapped appropriately.

The point of a third prong is to provide an alternative path for the flow of electricity in case of a fault. This is what happens when you use a three-pronged plug.

An electrical outlet comprises three holes. The left hole which is the first is neutral, while the right hole which is the second, is hot. Then, the last hole which is the third, is the ground hole.

Finally, to answer the question why do plugs have holes in them, it can be said that it is to prevent the plug from falling out of the socket either from the weight of the cord or the plug.

CSN Team.

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