GFCI Plugs for Vintage TV???

[jshorva65]

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

As David said, if I was really worried about shock hazards on old equipment, I would just replace the wall outlets with GFCIs. At about US$10 each, often less, that would be even cheaper than modifying plugs on several old devices used in that location, and would leave the devices themselves unmodified.

I remember in the mid-1970's, we had a TV with series-string tube filaments (also often the type with a hot chassis), and I touched some combination of its antenna terminal and some other object in the house, maybe a pipe or telephone, and I felt a moderate current, enough to get my attention. Nothing like my worst "zap", which was when I touched the unattached HV cap of a 23" B&W monitor chassis while it was still powered on. That event was more like getting hit by a truck.

The idea evolved from discussions with clients regarding my recommendation of GFCI receptacle upgrades. All were novice collectors with at least one metal portable set in their small collections and all lacked the confidence in their household wiring abilities to attempt such an upgrade themselves and asked about a more-economical alternative than the quotes they had received from local electricians.

Close proximity to a metal heating vent and some computer network jacks was what prompted my GFCI upgrade to a room where such devices are not required by local codes. My reasoning was to prevent unpleasant shocks and minimize possible damage to expensive computer gear in the event that a fault in one of my low-tech items and contact with some of the high-tech infrastructure happened simultaneously.