In message , Bill in Co
writes:
R.Wieser wrote:
John,

Hi Rudi.

But does equally make *certain* that any earth connection it might have
contained is also broken

You seem to regard that earth connection as the holy grail. It isn't.

I don't. On the whole, I consider it preferable to have it, but having
the operator and the chassis at the _same_ potential is more important
from the point of minimising the chance of damage _to the equipment_.
Minimising the chance of damage (including death) to the _user_ probably
_is_ best served by yanking out _all_ connections, as you recommend.

I would say "leave it plugged in but turn off the power at the socket"
[]
Even in this thread you could have read that Mark Twain mentioned that he
had a problem with *multiple* sockets not being earthed (because of a
failure somewhere). In the same way a dual- or single-wire socket switch
could fail - or be mis-wired! - leaving a hot wire to enter a device, just
not with a neutral out of it. Why take that chance ?

In the UK, the socket switches are part of the socket. (I've never liked
them - mainly because I don't see the point of them - but I doubt they
_can_ be miswired [and still actually appear to work]. [An extension
_lead_, of course, which may be _feeding_ some switched sockets,
certainly _can_ be, of course.)

A mains lead (line cord) that _only_ has the earth/ground wire present -
i. e. cannot supply power - is arguably useful in some circumstances. (I
do not possess such.)

Mark Twain? (I know this is unrelated, and my apologies for that, but I
thought Mark Twain died a century ago. So is the OP just assuming his name?
Seems weird).

There's been a poster using that identity here for some time (years I
think). It could be his real name, though I _suspect_ not.

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Personally, I don't like the Senate idea, I don't like the idea of having to
elect another bunch of overpaid incompetents. I don't like the idea of having
wholesale appointments by the PM of the day for domination of the second
chamber. I like anachronism. I like the idea of a bunch of unelected congenital
idiots getting in the way of a bunch of conmen. - Charles F. Hankel, 1998-3-19.