Cheater plug question (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey Chin]

My amp has a ground loop.
I used a cheater plug and the annoying hum went away.

Is it safe to use the amp like this (cheater plug --> surge protector)?

 

[Arthur S]

This topic is like a live wire. So I think I will leave it to others.

Artie

 

[Brian Treinen]

HA! Artie - good one!
Jeff, DO NOT use a cheater plug. Search the forum for ground loop hum.
First thing you should do is determine what is causing the hum - in my case it was the cable into the TV. The fix for this is - http://www.dplay.com/tutorial/cablehum.html . That's where I'd start. If it's not the cable then unplug all the power cords and everything else coming from the wall. Plug stuff in one by one until you find the culprit. From what I've heard works once you find the offender run a single speaker wire from the case of one unit the case of the other - attach it to a screw in the case or something. You can also get ground loop hum eliminators to put between the two units at like radio shack where you would run the interconnect cables from the offender into this unit and then to the amp/receiver.
If you use a cheater plug you run the risk of touching the amp/receiver at some point and IF there is a electrical failure when you touch the thing YOU will be act as the ground and get zorked.

 

[Jimmie Lee]

The official response will always be..."no, it is not safe."

However, I have been using cheater plugs on three Acurus amps for five years, and I am still alive. Without the cheater plugs, the ground loop hum on my system is completely unbearable. As long as the amps are built well, and have not been damaged in any way, lifting the ground will not be a problem.

 

[Mike Veroukis]

I think this is the shortest ground-loop related thread ever and I think we just about covered all the major points. Good job guys!
The only thing left to mention is to try different circuits but that's only as a last resort. Good luck!
Shouldn't all this be in a FAQ or something???
- Mike

 

[Ken Custodio]

Well, I work at a Mechanical / Electrical engineering consulting firm. I am a mechanical engineer so this electricity stuff is like magic to me Any way I asked several electrical engineers about using a cheaters plug and they all said that while there is "Less" safety using this plug, unless you are grounded by either touching a concrete slab or a large metal object there is little risk of getting shocked.
So to be safe if you ever do have to touch your power amp, turn off the surge protector just in case.

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

If you short out your amplifier, internally, any modern day circuit breaker if going to immediately break. If you have older electrical in your home, i.e. fuse boxes, the result will be a blown fuse before you get an opportunity to shock yourself.
There is a hardly a danger using cheater plugs. If it makes the hum go away...I say DO IT! It's a cheap and less frustrating way of "hum elimination"
Jeremy

 

[Ken Custodio]

Exactly, but you should try and get your cable company to try and ground it properly if it is your cable causing the hum. I know it is my cable causing the hum, but they have been out here and they have changed the ground block and it still had the hum, then they even sunk a new ground rod into the ground and there was no change. I am at a loss on how to fix it other than using a cheaters plug. The cable isolators I have tried all made me lose half of my digital channels. I guess I will just have to buy a new house