Originally Posted by
Beefy
Please excuse my directness but it seems you don't understand the life saving purpose of that ground prong you cut off.
Normally current runs from the active/live wire, through the appliance, and returns on the neutral wire. Under normal conditions, the earth wire has no current flowing in it.
However, if you have an appliance with an external conductive surface (like metal), and a circuit develops from the active/live wire to that conductive surface, the current should flow in the ground wire (which is connected to the metal case). Because the ground wire SHOULD be at ground potential, then the theory is that anyone touching the exterior surface will not get electrocuted if they touch the external case. Often, enough current flows from active/live to ground, to blow the fuse or trip the circuit breaker, or even trip an earth leakage circuit breaker if used.
If you remove the ground prong, you've just allowed any conductive exterior case to become LIVE if a fault circuit develops to it from the live/active wire. Then when a person touches that case, the electric circuit is completed from the case, through the persons body to ground (i.e. where they are standing), and they get electrocuted. They may get very lucky if they are standing on a highly insulating surface, but it does not take that many milliamps to stop a heart beating.
Just thought I'd better warn people about this. My advice - leave that ground prong as it is.
You'll often find appliances with only the active and neutral prongs, and no earth prong. They are often termed "double insulated" and have no exterior surface that conducts electricity, and thus cannot prevent a live exterior surface to the user.