[sdbrewer]

This is an issue with the electrical wiring in my apartment as much as anything else.

I have 3 prong outlets in every room in my apartment, but for some reason the solenoid on my regulator only turns on when it's plugged into one of the outlets in the kitchen. As a result I have to run an extension cord from the kitchen to my tank. I haven't been able to find any other appliances in my apartment that have this same issue.

It is possible for me to wire a different cord (2 prong) to my solenoid? Or should I attempt to replace the solenoid with one that only requires 2 prongs?

Thanks!

 

[PlantedRich]

We could create problems or hazards here so let me check first. Does the solenoid have three or two prongs? Is the problem that the one near the tank only has two hole and you have three prongs on the cord?
Or is the problem that the solenoid only works in the kitchen but not at one outlet near the tank.

Two different solutions, maybe. If it is the outlet not having enough openings to match the plug, you may have to do a bit of testing and then add a cheap little adapter to make it all work safe. There are adapter to go from three prongs to two hole and then screw the center lug down under the faceplate screw. But this only adds safety if the center screw is actually a ground so some testing may be needed.

On the other hand the second might be as simple as the outlet not getting power. Have you tested the outlet by plugging a light , etc. into that outlet? It could be as simple as a GFCI outlet in another room somewhere which has tripped. There are ways to wire so that one GFCI feeds power to more than one outlet. If it is reasonably new house, check bathrooms and kitchen counters for GFCI that are tripped. They will have a test button and a rest button on them. try pushing the buttons to test and/or reset them.

Bump: Something like this for an easy fix to the 2-3 prong problem. Totally safe and good if the center screw is ground.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_409865-43469-5501___?productId=3772899&pl=1&Ntt=outlet+adapter

Changing the cord? Maybe easy, maybe not but it does require a bit more knowing what goes where and taking the solenoid apart.