Here are my personal opinions and observations regarding a
product I purchased.
Most homes and apartments in Zimbabwe have many fewer
electrical outlets than Americans are used to. Plus, those outlets do not mate
with American appliance plugs. (Most modern appliances are capable of operating
at 50/60 cycles and 120/240 volts. Check
your appliances’ documentation and on-device annotations carefully before
proceeding. Use a transformer and/or cycle converter as necessary.)
To compensate for the low number of electrical outlets, I
purchased an extension cord that would accept appliances with American,
European, and African plugs. This an important distinction from those that
accept only plugs common in Zimbabwe. Here is the kind of socket I recommend.
Note also the individual-socket control switch. This type is very common in Zimbabwe.
Notice the three prongs. These accommodate appliances
requiring a separate ground. But, therein lies the rub with the first extension
cord I purchased. Electricity did flow, even though I found the extension to be
unsafe. When the prongs broke off the plug that inserted into a common wall
socket, I thought I would simply purchase another plug and replace the broken
one. What a surprise I had.
After cutting the old plug off the extension cord’s power
cable I found that there were only two wires within the cable. Further
investigation revealed that the ground circuit was not connected.
This is a very unsafe situation. While it is true that many
appliances are self-grounding, an appliance with a ground-plug requires a separate
ground for safe operation. If the extension cord’s ground port is not connected
to the electrical outlet’s ground port then an unsafe condition results. The
mere fact of mechanical accommodation is necessary but far from sufficient.
The product I purchased carried the Globe GE-4 model annotation. One
must admit that the particular product I received could have resulted from a
manufacturing error.
While you must be on your own responsibility, how can you check
if you are getting stuck with an unsafe electrical extension? One could look for
the marks of respected inspection centers such as Underwriters’ Laboratory (http://ul.com)
or Intertek (http://www.intertek.com). Both are well recognized and respected
worldwide. But, their marks can be counterfeited and it is impossible to track
down all the charlatans in the world.
Another way to look for a safe extension cord is to use a Continuity
Meter. A device like this can be cheaply purchased or constructed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9fgjr4gRjc).
You can also use an Ohm Meter but you just need something that turns off when
there is no electrical pathway between a socket port on the extension and the
associated blade on the extension’s power inlet plug. You need to check all
plugs on the extension. Be sure there is no power applied to the extension and
that no appliances are plugged into it. The extension should not be connected
to anything and nothing should be connected to the extension. If a test is not possible
to perform before purchase, you will just have to trust the vendor, or not make
the purchase.
Always be sure that appliances are grounded, either
self-grounded or via a three-wire electrical supply cable. To do otherwise
opens you to electrical shock and your appliance to damage. Under no
circumstances should you defeat the ground wire, or be talked into using
extension cords that do not support electrical grounding when that is required.
Certainly, you should not purchase from companies that are known to supply unsafe
devices or to otherwise bypass safety.
