my grounded cord lost the ground prong, I drilled it out and replaced it with a prong which is the same size and length and epoxied it. It fits precisely in the outlets. Is it safe?
Electrical – Is a plug with a repaired ground prong safe
electricalsafetywiring
Related Solutions
According to howstuffworks.com the most common type of surge protectors contain a metal oxide varistor or a gas discharge arrestor that utilizes the grounding wire to divert extra current.
However, as others have commented, the neutral wire is usually also used in conjunction with the ground, and therefore, you should get some, but not full protection when bypassing the 3rd prong.
That said, it's never considered safe to use bypass the 3rd prong (even with 2 to 3 prong adapters) and it is likely your insurance / the manufactures insurance will not cover damages caused as a result of such use.
This is an obsolete socket type called a parallel and tandem socket, and is designed to accept either standard parallel plugs without a ground or older tandem style plugs (again without a ground):
None of the connections is a ground - it consists of 2 pairs of hot and neutrals, one oriented vertically, the other horizontally. If there is a ground wire to the box (which I doubt), this can be replaced with a standard 3 prong outlet. If not, you'd have to find a way to get a ground into the box.
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Best Answer
No, that's not safe, Epoxy will not make a strong conductive bond to the ground wire in the plug. While the replacement prong may good contact in the outlet, you also need to be sure that it will make good contact to the ground wire in the plug. A simple multimeter test may show that it's connected right now, but the wire and/or replacement prong may shift over time, making the extension cord unsafe due to the lack of a ground connection.
Instead, replace the whole plug with a replacement plug, such as this Heavy-Duty 3-Wire Replacement Male Electrical Plug (there are many other varieties or replacement plugs available):