Perhaps the weakest link in the US electrical system

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I hope this discussion really strikes a cord.
(and hey, there's a pinned comment I think you should read)
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2021/05/29

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Technology Connections 2 年前

Hey there! Correction time (and more thoughts!): THHN wire is what’s _inside_ the sheathing of Romex, which is actually classified as NM-B cable/wire. As in, the conducting wires are THHN, the whole thing together is an NM-B cable. Yep. So there’s that. Also, I want to be clear that of the problems we have, this isn’t a huge one. Generally, when things get hot because of overloading, it’s at the connection point and not in the wire. For instance, a lot of electrical fires start at the plug/socket interface either because the connection is poor, there could be corrosion, etc. And sometimes they can happen when nothing is overloaded! This is one of the circumstances in which arc-fault circuit interrupters can save lives. It may well be the case that very few fires are started because of the problem we’re discussing in this video. Especially since outside of certain high-draw devices, the risk of overloading the actual conducting wire is low in the first place. That’s why I am comfortable using them! That said, I remain perplexed that this is an issue we’ve let persist. Most electrical fires aren’t the result of a single thing; they’re a cascade of individually not-great circumstances combining to make a bad situation. In order to reduce the risk of fires, we’ve continually been making the not-great things less bad. That way an increasingly large number of bad circumstances have to align for a fire to happen. Simply put, I think allowing unfused 16 gauge extension cords into the market is a potentially bad link in the chain that we could probably do with cutting out. In fairness, it used to be much worse. 18 gauge (maybe even 20 gauge) extension cords were available many years ago, but we at least had the sense to make 16 the minimum as time went on. However, as I hope I’ve demonstrated here, that can still be problematic. Pulling 20 amps through that cord made it get very hot quite quickly.

J G 2 年前

ooof there is some misinformation in this video.

Adnan Abdillah Ghifari 2 年前

Hey, thanks for the correction

Nicolas Busse 2 年前

Couldn't agree more. Almost nothing in the electrical system in the US makes real sense when compared to the EU or UK standard. Thin wires? Lousy plugs that fall off and expose the bare metal? Good lord there's some much to do.

Nuclear Pink 2 年前

Thanks for the correction and remember to add that card at 5:10 🙂

Leth 2 年前

As a Brit, I'd love to hear the full "ring main" rant.

ElectroBOOM 2 年前

You DO realize that with proper protection everywhere, my channel won't be able to operate, right?!

finntodoroki 2 年前

Flashbacks to the UK video

Sion8 2 年前

Well that's a small price to pay…

Walt Dadee 2 年前

I mean if there's a will there's a way, & you always manage to find a way 😄

Rob Spiess 2 年前

And without proper protection, we'd never get the "SHOWER HEAD OF DOOM!"

Megan Heartswell 6 ヶ月前

I work at a hardware store. One lady came in complaining her fuses kept blowing. So I sold her more, she came back a week later for more. She had told me she was only using a hot plate. Her friend ran into her. Turns out it was a small range type thing, microwave, coffeemaker and more. It was like everything in her kitchen was running off the same outlet. She wanted higher fuses. I said no it's a fire hazard. "But what if I'm home" no lady it's in your walls. You cannot see it.

данёк бабаев ヶ月前

Why are there too many stupid people? They think they're always right?

MrQuiche Productions 6 日前

Lel, but what if i'm home, well something will still burn before you'll be able to extiguinsh it but even worse, what if you're NOT home

GordoWG1 WG1 6 日前

@MrQuiche Productions Being "home" could be worse - if awake there's the 'instictive' move to throw water on it, or otherwise fight the fire and, if asleep, being burned up with the house. At least if one's out when the fire takes hold it's harder for it to kill you.

William Rucki 5 ヶ月前

Hi Alec. During my career I developed and taught electrical training classes covering the NEC (NFPA70), Electrical Safety (NFPA70E) and Power Engineering and I have to tell you this was extremely well done. You covered many fundamentals of wiring and thoroughly explained a few of the hazards. Excellent content and context. I don't know how you research your material but you extracted critical details that aren't obvious and not well understood by the general populous. Great job, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

GINGER D 4 ヶ月前

He does this so casually, but the guy must research topics until he’s basically a professional 😂

Marty Frazer 時間前

Electrical extension devices usually sell for under $10, so no one's even going to notice the additional cost of a fuse.The government shouldn't even have to be involved.

Michael Kortsen 5 ヶ月前

On the 'safer/less dangerous' linguistic quirk. I've run into a similar problem with 'feeling better'. Because if you're sick or injured, 'feeling better' can mean 'back to normal' OR 'still bad, but not as bad'.

Keykey70 4 ヶ月前

yeah that's when I feel I have to throw in "feeling a bit better," but that's more over text. spoken, the tone tells exactly whether you mean feeling good again or just less bad

Nicholas Graham 3 ヶ月前

any time there is a need to convey a scale, and a comparator word (specifically when the other end of the comparison is not stated, ie "better than what, and by how much?") is used to denote a place along that scale, this issue will arise. When this exists, there is a generally agreed upon scale, but there is no objective scale, so different people can assume different scales. this is basically a more all-encompassing way to restate what Michael Kortsen said, but the point in doing so is to emphasize the need to point out that a scale is assumed, and that by clarifying what that scale is, there is no linguistic confusion. the issue is that people hate unnecessarily long sentences or phrases, hence the backlash on euphemisms, so really we should just replace "I am better" with something like "I am unsick" since there is no other simple word to describe overcoming an illness of your own accord

The Flying Spaget 3 ヶ月前

@Nicholas Graham unsick is an amazing word, but no longer sick and now in good health also work. Sickn't is my personal favorite with friends though. There's also recovered, if you need a serious yet not wordy way of conveying "though I was sick I am no longer in that state"

Tactical Lemon 2 日前

that’s more of a problem with relative language Which has it’s uses, but i feel like companies use relative words to cover up certain flaws

Ken Flux Pierce Fluxwithit 4 ヶ月前

As an HVAC journeyman 20 years deep. This is probably the best video I have seen on basic household amp ratings and why they matter. Well done

blindsniper35 5 ヶ月前

You never met my friend's neighbor. He took the fuses out of Christmas lights and replaced them with a nails or a bit of wire. The reason he did this was "the stupid fuses keep blowing when I plug all the strands in on this run". Yes this man systematically defeated every single fuse in his Christmas lights because he was plugging too many in to each other and was irritated that they kept blowing fuses.

GameCube Player 5 ヶ月前

that's why they should have breakers instead of fuses

davidpar2 4 ヶ月前

Lol lots of people do that. Or just replace the fused plugs with non-fused ones

GameCube Player 4 ヶ月前

@davidpar2 that's also the reason why the british plug is overrated

my love songs 3 ヶ月前

so he mighta had 20 plugs going in at once, eh? Like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

The 8-Bit Guy 2 年前

I've noticed that every electric vehicle manual in the world says not to use extension cords with them. And I suspect the reason is simply because these cheap extension cords exist and they don't want to attempt to explain to the owner that they need a specific type of extension cord to handle the current. So instead, they just say not to use them at all. Interestingly enough, I know several people that use extension cords with their EVs, I've even been known to do it occasionally. But we all understand how to pick an extension cord with the right size of wire.

Crazy 2 年前

That's basically my problem with buying an electric vehicle. There classes of people who cannot safely or efficiently own them. Rental property owners would need to provide ample charging stations for residents. Home owners in neighborhoods without off street parking or more vehicles than space close enough to the building are also screwed.

Terrill S Van Dyke 2 年前

Electric Vehicles CHARGE using a 220 volt system ... extension cords ( in the US ) are ONLY made to handle 120 volts. ...

Terrill S Van Dyke 2 年前

@Crazy the US electrical grid .. was made to supply 120 volts to every house ... what would happen if EVRY HOUSE had a 220 volt electrical car charging system ... ( like operating a washer & dryer - every minute of every day ) ... would our electrical grid - as it is now - be able to handle THREE TIMES the power ( if each house had 1 electrical car - but how about 2 electrical cars at each house ) ... the amount of power being delivered to EVERY home in the US ... would BURN up our electrical grid as it was NEVER made to handle 220 volt being delivered to from every home ... 24/7 !

Terrill S Van Dyke 2 年前

@TheDarxide23 ... they use the same 220 volt electrical extension cords BOATS ( over 50 feet ) use to charge their systems while tied up at the dock .... smarter thing would have been to make the "extension cords" ... vehicle specific .

Renegade 15 4 ヶ月前

A helpful way to understand why gauge numbers seem to be backwards (as in a smaller # means bigger wire) is to remember that they are indicative of how many of something can be made from a given amount of material. In this case, copper for wire. For example, let’s suppose I can make 14 wires from one pound of wire. If I decide instead to use up that pound of copper and only make 12 wires of the same length, then they would necessarily be a little thicker because I had more copper for each one.

Joe Kelley ヶ月前

Not exactly, but close. Shotgun gauges are based on how many lead balls the diameter of the barrel can be made from a pound of lead, but wire gauges were originally based on how many times a wire had to be drawn through a die to make that size of wire.

Jonathan Lynch 4 日前

@Joe Kelley I don't think they were providing an explanation but rather a way to recall.

kooolaine Bulger 5 ヶ月前

honestly i'd vibe with having Christmas lights as extension cords

Plaayaa69 4 ヶ月前

Used to do this in college all the time hahah - but they actually would shock me so i had to stop doing it

Pederson Jason 5 ヶ月前

Now I'm terrified of every plug in my house, thanks.

colossalbreacker 5 ヶ月前

Dont be, learn about amperage and device power draw.

Not Me Not Me 5 ヶ月前

I now live like a caveman and suspicious of electrickery

Chandy K. 5 ヶ月前

You should be far more terrified of other people driving on roads.

Andrew Fernie 4 ヶ月前

move to the UK

Sboink The Leg Day 4 ヶ月前

People will never relearn a proper use of old technology. That's why replacement is a thing that mroe often happens, like with USB-C

cheerleader gerard way 4 ヶ月前

Where’s your channel been all my life? Well-produced, educational, hilarious, engaging? Is it just you running this?! Your content is professional! This video alone is an instant subscription.

Savage22 Bolt 4 ヶ月前

Yeah, I wish I saw this in 1970 when I was in high school!

Esad 4 ヶ月前

You should see his video on the color brown. Blew my mind.

Savage22 Bolt 4 ヶ月前

@Esad no such color Lol! I already watched it

Esad 4 ヶ月前

@Savage22 Bolt Yes,. It's just darker orange 😁

Savage22 Bolt 4 ヶ月前

@Esad if I use some imagination, that could mean Trump is actually Mexican..

VoorTrekker88 7 ヶ月前

I remember, as a 10 year old kid, one time when I attempted to run a vacuum cleaner using a strand of Christmas lights as an extension cord... 😆 didn't cause any structure fires (thank God) but I succeeded in making some smoke, melting some lights, and most importantly, learning a valuable lesson about electricity.

grant lack 2 年前

"I plugged these two resistive heaters into this thin copper filament, and now I have three resistive heaters!"

John Boley Jr. 2 年前

It's basically a free heater.

megaharben 2 年前

Buy two heaters, get a third one for free!

Jonathan Pinkerton 2 年前

@megaharben It's not quite free. How much did your house cost? That's the price of your third resistive heater.

Grant Imahara 2 年前

@Jonathan Pinkerton you got a point, but hey at least everyone in this thread understands what's going on.

contytub 2 年前

@Jonathan Pinkerton you missed the joke ... none the less . My aunty almost set the house on fire with a extension runned underneat a carpet ... thank god nobody got hurt and only the rug had some burn marks

Mumu Spain 5 ヶ月前

Yeah, I one time left a space heater on for maybe 2 hours plugged into one of those brown extension cords. I came back into the room, and thought something smelled like fish or a dead animal. I was investigating to see if there was maybe a dead mouse or something in the actual space heater, that could be causing the foul smell. I found no dead critters, but I noticed the cord was very hot to the touch. With some fortunate web browsing, I discovered that melting cables can smell like decaying flesh, and stopped using that extension cord entirely. Now I know the cause of this tomfoolery, and I'm going out to buy a better power strip for extra safety

Abstract Approach 5 ヶ月前

We've standardized voltage, all you have to do is check the current and gauge....

deezz 4 ヶ月前

Or plug directly into the outlet. Extension cords and heaters are a bad mix.

M. TTT. 4 ヶ月前

Wow are you serious? Jfc

Mumu Spain 4 ヶ月前

@deezz this video literally explained how they aren't at all dangerous if they have the proper rating for the current going through them. the issue is those cheap brown/green ones don't have proper wire gauge for a space heater

꧁GlorifiedGremlin꧂ 4 ヶ月前

Oh Jesus, well it's common knowledge that you don't plug heaters or ACs into ANY extension cord, of any kind. It's literally written in red all over the thing 😂

Mark Cross 5 ヶ月前

As a firefighter, I love your use of FLIR for the visual demonstrations (especially at 11:46). I think the only saving grace these days is the push for energy efficiency, which *can* put less load on things like extension cords. Strands of incandescent C9 Christmas lights could easily overload a cheap extension cord, whereas LED C9 lights draw just a tiny fraction of the amps that incandescent do. Of course, greater awareness of UL Listing and other fire safety tips help as well.

A barrel 16 時間前

I don't know if you've been in it long enough. But has there been a reasonable decrease in house fires in the last 20 years? Just from the efficiency in modern things, TVs, av, lights, / other stuff

Ben Wah 5 ヶ月前

Prior to 1965, there were in fact fuse plugs that could be had in the USA. They were typically Bakelite housings with a pair of 3AG-type fuses inside. (I have a few of them buried somewhere in the cellar) One screw held the whole affair together. They were a little bit bulky, but they were relatively common, especially with electronic experimenters. They are now totally against code. This was the days before phased plugs. (back when to eliminate hum in your audio, one of the first things you did was "turn the plug the other way around") The problem with those old fuse plugs is that they used *two* fuses; one in the hot leg and one in the neutral. You didn't know which side would pop first, so you had a 50% chance of the neutral side opening... and that is a serious shock hazard, especially with old metal-cased appliances/equipment. As a result, we no longer have fuse plugs like that in the USA, and most appliances have plastic non-conductive cases.... especially power tools. (the old term used to be "double-insulated") Ok... here in the USA we have 240V at the box and it is possible to wire up all 240V wall sockets in the house with dedicated breakers feeding each socket, use step-down transformers for all your 120V appliances, and use British wall sockets and plugs with 240V appliances in the process. Problem... using British wall sockets is a violation of electric code & if the local building inspector gets wind of it, you'll lose your certificate of occupancy. (nobody can live in the house until the issues are corrected) Not worth it just to use British-made fuse plugs. Power strips... Used to be that prior to the 1980s, power strips were fairly expensive and mechanically-robust devices that typically had metal housings and NEMA style plugs; be it NEMA 5-15 or the types intended for installation on equipment as convenience outlets. (like what you used to find on the back of old stereo equipment preamps and receivers.) They were wired up with #12 wire and a proper UL-type strain relief and a heavy power cord. Then came the cheap imports. Pop one of those open and you have some thin metal made of who-knows-what and small contacts, all held in place by a plastic housing. Let those get a little bit warm and they melt... and not all of them have circuit breakers or fuses. When using *any* of those convenience devices like power-strips/surge-supressors and extension cords, you have to use your common sense and know what outlets are daisy-chained, what outlets have a dedicated line, how much each can handle and how much you intend to load them with. As mentioned in the video it is really easy to exceed a circuit leg's current capacity and *not* trip the breaker. (yeah, I know... problem is that common sense isn't all that common anymore.) One thing worth mentioning... there's a lot of folks who think that because a circuit-breaker resembles a switch, they can use it as a switch. No. Breakers aren't meant for that kind of day-to-day use; that's what switches are meant for.

Greg Keeyaco 4 ヶ月前

Wernt a lot of grounded outlets back then, and even prior we had knob and tubing. 😉

Greg Keeyaco 4 ヶ月前

There are special switch breakers for 15 and 20 amp single pole circuits. They have an SWD designation.

Shey 5 ヶ月前

This video is super informative and I've learned my home is probably a death trap waiting. But this video gave me enough info to hopefully start mitigating the risks.

nalinea18 8 ヶ月前

Today I learnt that the CE standard has saved my ass all my life. I currently have half the kitchen whirring away on one extension cord (not for length but for extra plugs) while I make a big meal for a party. Zero issue, no part of anything is hot. According to the thick-as-heck cord it's equivalent to US 10 gauge and can handle about 30% more than the circuit breakers. I think in a country that has wet-room three-phase devices (sauna stoves) in most homes we have probably learnt the hard way that if someone can draw too much current from anywhere, they eventually will.

Bart Rolloos 2 ヶ月前

Well, to be more exact, the manufacturer of the cord who chose to adhere to the CE standard probably saved your ass. The CE mark is a mark any manufacturer can put on its products if they themselves think the product conforms to it, without any external testing. This leads to a lot of products with sub-par quality on the shelves in the EU. If someone wants more quality assurance, look for the marks of independent labs like VDE or KEMA if buying electric stuff from the EU.

Robert Johnson 年前

Talent: The ability to get people to happily spend 25 minutes learning about extension cords

Juyran Monticelli 年前

He gets my attention every time. It's pure sorcery.

Jo S 年前

I didn't make it to 3 minutes. Get. To. The. Point.

charles reid 年前

Im an expert on many obsolete technologies because of this channel

Abicol 年前

@Jo S idk how you could tear yourself away at 3 min. By then I'm already hooked. You do realize the point of any explanation usually comes at the end. Did you want his conclusion at the beginning?

fletchoid 5 ヶ月前

While watching this video, a section of my brain was taking inventory of all the extension cords in my house, and assessing the electrical load on them. Also, that same section of brain was wondering if every power strip I had in use actually had a circuit breaker function. I think I am going to throw out all the cheap, crappy extension cords I have, and start paying attention to the guage of the wire on the new ones I buy. I love your videos. Time well spent.

Ash Willis 5 ヶ月前

Its been hammered into me my whole life that those cheap three plug extension cords are basically death. I don't even own one as an adult now even though I can think of several cases where it would be convenient and safe to use them.

Benjamin Lantz 3 ヶ月前

Don’t do it. You know what’ll happen.

Matthew Sigley 9 ヶ月前

Do a video on the difference between powerstrips and actual surge protectors. For an average consumer it is very hard to tell the difference and also which surge protector actually have resettable breakers. Alot of them you are supposed to throw away and replace after their protection circuits have been tripped.

Leholen 5 ヶ月前

My house was rewired many years before my parents bought it by a shop teacher. He used 12 gauge wire and most of the circuits are 20 amps. I’ve had to replace most of the outlets over the years and used 20 amp outlets for them all. I did make one sketchy move in uping our kitchen circuit to a 25 amp circuit because the fuse (yes this house still has fuses) kept blowing. I made sure that the 12 gauge wire could handle it before I did it though. All that being said, it’s actually time this house gets rewired again.

Rhodin 8 ヶ月前

i gotta say, every single video ive seen on this channel was extremely interesting. i also like the humor

IstasPumaNevada 2 年前

For my final in my high school speech class I demonstrated making pancakes right in the classroom. To do this I brought in a (rather modest) countertop griddle and, to reach the wall outlet... a flimsy brown extension cord. I didn't think twice about it. ...until partway through the demonstration-speech there was a flash of light as the cord literally melted away from the plug in the wall. We had to get a maintenance guy to come safely remove the now-bare-wire plug from the wall outlet. (He also brought a (better) extension cord, I finished my speech, and got a 99%. And the class got sample pancakes. :)

Hastypete 2 年前

and no fire and no one was hurt.

Neon Demon 2 年前

@Hastypete okay?

Baltic Ivanov 2 年前

@Hastypete mmm american

frzstat 2 年前

Great story!

zombieregime 2 年前

I would have docked 5 points for not setting up an appropriate electric griddle station. ALWAYS KNOW YOUR LOAD!

Hendog 5 ヶ月前

This is the first video I've ever watched about electrical circuitry... and now i want to map out how many amps are in each of my house's outlets, what gauge all of my extension chords are, etc. lmao

Jeremy Jutila 5 ヶ月前

I'm a bit of an electrical nerd, so when I bought a house, one of the first things I did was survey the house's electrical system. That turned out in me completely rewiring the entire house. Lol. Was remodeling anyways, but didn't plan on doing all that 😂 found out the house still had a good bit of old aluminum Romex buried in the walls, had tons of 14ga on 20a circuits, no dedicated circuits whatsoever for high-draw appliances, wires with insulation that had turned to dust, etc. maybe the worst one was a junction box that was buried in a plaster & lathe wall with no cover, stuffed with newspaper from the 1920's and then plastered over. Lol.

Abstract Approach 5 ヶ月前

It's probably labeled in your breaker box. If not just test thrm one by one. Look for either rooms (bedroom, kitchen, ect) and type (sometimes lights have thier own, the fridge and AC are usually on a 20+ and not the best for aircompressors abd stuff as you don'trun that stuff all the time) you'll likely have two with one switch for a 220 for your stove, and that us likely the only outlet they go too unless you have a cool shop

Abstract Approach 5 ヶ月前

Meant to say they are the best for aircompressirs and stuff. If you have a fixed AC in the wall or likely the thickest gauge/highest allowed 110V amperage in your home.

littlestbroccoli 4 ヶ月前

@Jeremy Jutila holy shit

Jeremy Jutila 4 ヶ月前

@littlestbroccoli yeah it was sketchy AF lol. Straight up just packed with newspaper & plaster.

N M 3 ヶ月前

100 years and I have a whole bunch of extension cords that are cheap that I bought and plug-in air conditioner into them all summer-long melted them and I didn't understand why until now you probably just saved my life and my family's life thank you for making this episode and explaining it in the way that everybody can make sense of it thank you

john kelly 9 日前

Get 12 gauge ext cords

John Gaynor 4 ヶ月前

I've just sat through a 25 minute video about extension cords and I'm not only enthralled, but I want more, because goddamn this was super interesting.

Chris Pot 4 ヶ月前

I’m a (relatively) smart guy. In my 20s, I worked in construction for a few years, remodeling and building homes and things. I’ve done some rewiring and am ‘somewhat’ aware of ‘amp’ safety, but after watching your video I looked around and realized how lazy I’ve gotten. So many things ‘plug in’ these days, and if using a fat extension cord, I figured I’d probably be safe. But, the there’s the power strip plugged into the power strip…hmmm. I should probably change that. Thanks for the info, and I’m looking forward to other videos you’ve put out this past year..

Aeroworcx 5 ヶ月前

Good Sir, what a terrific video and presense! I just subscribed to your channel and will be watching more of your stuff. Extremely informative and helpful. I am a technician myself but never looked into the complexities of extension cord safety. You my good man, are a delight and a scholar. On to more of your work :)

By Data ten 5 ヶ月前

I was an eye witness to a fire investigation once. The fire marshal (at first) wanted to blame a fire caused by a cigarette on AA batteries in a remote. Yep, tricky business that fire investigation stuff.

Jeremy Jutila 5 ヶ月前

It genuinely is pretty tricky. Especially nowadays, with heavy use of synthetic materials in homes. As a firefighter, I took a single fire investigator certification course (most investigators have 8-10+ courses) and that was enough for me. Lol. I knew right away fire investigator wasn't my route. One of our training burn scenarios had the students 100% convinced the fire was the result of accelerants poured all over the bedroom. Turns out, they just lit a lays potato chip bag on fire and set it on the mattress. Turns out potato chip oil is insanely flammable.

John Pepp 6 ヶ月前

I remember as a teenager in the 80s that I was into computers and other electronic devices. I kept on adding extension chords when I got another device. My late father freakout saying that I shouldn't be using so many chords. So one day he put in a couple outlets in my bedroom so I would not use so many extension chords. I own the house now, but whoever buys the house is going to scratch their heads wondering why so many outlets in such a small bedroom. 🤣 My father was a strange when it came to safety as he was cautious in some areas and not so much in other areas.

Jimpenjao 6 ヶ月前

He saved you from having to pay for another house...

cheerleader gerard way 4 ヶ月前

I love your sense of humor. “It’s frankly bonkers” is now part of my vernacular, and everyone in my life is about to hear about extension cords & wire gauges.

Grey 8 ヶ月前

A year later, I have found this very valuable information. I hope you know we appreciate you!

BeerWrench Garage 4 ヶ月前

Thank you for turning me on to what a power meter is - I had no idea these things were available so readily and cheaply.

Justin Kashtock 2 年前

Space Heater: "Do not use with extension cord!" Also Space Heater: "Here's an incredibly useless 3 foot cord. Enjoy!"

MatthewJBD 2 年前

Another reason why 🇬🇧 wins

Bright Mong 2 年前

It could be anti-trip? So that you don't stumble over it and knock it over perhaps. We got an Instant Pot and that was the reasoning it gave in the manual for a short cord.

dh 2 年前

@MatthewJBD go team GB, always being nocked, for it very large plugs :-)

Lemon Flowers 2 年前

@Bright Mong most space heaters have a sensor if it’s knocked over it’ll turn off automatically

Deathbrewer 2 年前

Yea, when he was saying 6 foot power cords for devices are pretty standard, I was like... most of my devices seem to cheap out and have a 1 meter (~3 feet) power cord, AT BEST these days, lol. All my game consoles (Xbox One, PS4, PS5)? 3 foot power cables. My monitor? 3 foot power cable. My PC's power supply? 3 foot power cable. My HDMI splitter? 2 foot power cable. I really WISH more stuff actually came with a 6 foot power cable at least, lol.

Kevin Chastain 5 ヶ月前

Most electrical fires start at the plug receptacle because when the receptacle gets loose it will start arcing this will get hot enough to start melting metal that will start burning plastic and wood, If you have a receptacle that does not hold the plug firmly replace it.

Amy ヶ月前

I'm glad they're making them put more outlets in houses. If you've ever lived in an old house or apartment, you know the struggle.

Cathy Herbert 8 ヶ月前

I work as a lighting tech in film and my best days are the ones when we shoot at a real world location and all the outlets are labeled with what circuit they're on.

Miss Pocket 4 ヶ月前

you sort of remind me of The History Guy here on the tubes. definitely not a bad thing. very good informative content and not a lot of crazy editing, whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it right! thank you for sharing.

arxaaron 4 ヶ月前

I always learn something new from your deep dives into the everyday tech we all use. Every obscure or mundane curiosity thoroughly explained! 👍👍💚😏

Capt'Wes Starwind 2 年前

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." - Douglas Adams

Evans Wonderland 年前

why dont they have one nuculear generator off shore that powers a big fan that spins windmillsl all clean aeroelectrical power

DJ Scottdog 年前

Watch AEVs video on that cable car crash , someone made the same comment on that

Capt'Wes Starwind 年前

@DJ Scottdog Cool, I'll check that video out. Thanks.

Capt'Wes Starwind 年前

@DJ Scottdog Is it AEV or AvE?

test_tickle 年前

42. . . Oops, wrong question.

scbbc81 6 ヶ月前

Thank you for pointing these things out. I have one cheap Dollar store one that I use consistently so that I can charge my phone or headphones, otherwise I have to constantly reach behind my desk which is annoying, but those things draw very little power. So it makes it much more convenient. The problem is when people try to use them to plug in things like space heaters that draw a lot more power

Amber Black 5 ヶ月前

A church around the corner from my parents house was partially gutted a few years ago because there weren’t enough outlets in the old building, so they had chained together a bunch of extension cords from the kitchen to the chapel. At least that’s what a guy told me after he was vacuuming the place a few weeks later. It was enough for me to be careful with extension cords from that point.

ferrariteddy 5 ヶ月前

I lived in an industrial building where you had 2 whole homes worth of electrical appliances running off of literally 5 power strips end to end to end

Beau B. 2 ヶ月前

Basic knowledge of electrical devices and how much current they draw should be something everyone knows, as well as different battery types and their specifications. It's a shame people don't understand these things. Thanks for the vid!

Justin Deane 4 ヶ月前

Great stuff! I had no idea that fused cords were not really a thing in the US. I’m shocked! (Sorry, hard to resist. Darn, I did it again.) One might gauge (see what I did) that a lower voltage circuit warranted fuses more. After all, fuses are primarily there to protect wires, not people (or appliances), as you rightly point out.

Don E. 9 ヶ月前

I truly learned a lot watching this. Thank you!

Dan Morgan 2 年前

Seriously, I love the line "the only conclusion I feel comfortable making here, is that I don't have enough information to come to a meaningful conclusion." We live in a world, and in particularly on an internet, that is so often devoid of nuance. Combined with a toxic mentality that generally prohibits admitting that you don't know something, and basic levels of communication and debate break down. You're one of the last few bastions of rational discourse and I applaud that. Thank you, Alec.

Kairu Hakubi 2 年前

seriously. I keep waiting for this channel to say something that pisses me off purely because the guy is smart, and he just doesn't ever go there. well, rarely.

Nick Wallette 2 年前

I would really like to see a return to civilized argument.

Doru Min 2 年前

We live in a society hehe

SCORPION FIRE 2 年前

Yep, Alec is a gem.

Joe Cool 2 年前

Yes. I was extremely happy to hear him say that

Adil Hakim 5 ヶ月前

You’re the coolest electrical professor if there is such a title.

m0anderson 4 ヶ月前

I watched this video when it first came out, and it just popped up again in my recommend. In the time since, my grandparents home had a major electrical fire (extension chord played a role but wasn’t the immediate cause) and let’s just say the warnings here hit different this time around lol.

Davina Bookbinder 9 ヶ月前

Fun fact: my partner and I didn't even finish watching this video before pausing, checking our breaker, confirming which outlets were 15A vs 20A, marking the 20A outlets, checking all our extension cords, and then buying all new 15A rated, over current protected, surge protectors as ours were either not rated high enough or were not surge protecting. 😁

Maryland Farmer 6 ヶ月前

Another tip: I like to label each outlet to it's breaker. That way if I need to cut power I'm not guessing which breaker to flip.

Max Sobina 8 ヶ月前

I love you my man you make learning fun and easy! It’s strange especially because I suffer from Asperger’s making learning on the regular basis more than difficult! So thank you!

Aaron Lesse 9 ヶ月前

I use 12 gauge extension cords wherever possible, or 14 gauge at the very least. And even though I still have way too many extension cords plugged into surge-protected power strips, those power strips are at least rated to cover higher power draws. So, while my setup may be "safer" than some of the worst setups, I still have room for improvement. Thanks for sharing!

fizzys26 2 年前

After my Grandfather died we cleaned out his workshead. That’s when we found out he “wired” it with extension cords. Not too bad, just a workshead... Until the house he had with my Grandmother needed an updated breaker box. That’s when the electrician found my Grandfather also wired parts of the house with extension cords. Behind the walls.

James Faulkner 2 年前

This made laugh so damn hard and loud. Hilarious. Sounds like something I would think about doing.

Paul Belanger 2 年前

Do you mean a workshed? I've never ever seen shed, spelled shead. Just wonder if it's how you spell it elsewhere or just a typo.

PookyMo 2 年前

I use two extension cords to meet my ideal outlet position 😅😅😅

John Keels 2 年前

So? Some of the outlets in my mother’s house had been wired (by previous owner) with lamp cord!!! Lmao. Basically it’s the same stuff used in the cheapest, lightest extension cords.

DragonWarriorFreak 6 ヶ月前

If I'm buying a power strip, I always buy one with one of those reset switches, as that implies some sort of surge protection. When I have a computer, 2 monitors, and a speaker system all on the same power strip, I want to make sure devices don't short and my desk doesn't combust.

Pops Fereal 4 ヶ月前

Always good info presented with entertainment. I like the out takes too.

Techforms' Master 9 ヶ月前

Ahh, another thing to add to my "power key" idea, wherein the power key informs the outlet how many volts, watts, or amps are allowed through before shutting it off, all three are 0 by default, and each pin on the key allows more to pass through, effectively making it safe in the event of a flood, sticking a fork in it, or whatever else you can think to put it through, aside from a power key breaking off inside it, or an improperly made power key

Sinthasized 10 日前

This explained so much I was confused about. Thank you very much! I got in to high powered electric scooters last year and a I’ve been trying to find something to explain how extensions and the gauging works. I have to use a EV adapter to power my 220v chargers on the go and I’ve been trying to find an extension that can handle them at 220v with a NEMA 5-15 female split connection run by a single NEMA 5-15 male. Brilliant explanation on the word “Safer”. Spot on!

Tyler Wong 3 ヶ月前

Apparently some manufacturers(mainly on Amazon) make fused US extension cords, though the only ones I saw with a quick peruse were 7A or less.

C S 2 年前

My in-laws are deaf and, as such, we always have the CC on. I really appreciate that you manually create the CC. it is a noticeable difference when I watch your vids. I love the "Overloadedly Smooth Jazz" at the end.

Sīlis 2 年前

One of the benefits of using a script.

Yuppi 年前

Funnily enough, today I watched a video with auto-generated subtitles. The person started driving a tank with a ton of tank noise. The subtitles said [music]. Perhaps to some people who prefer Meshuggah :)

Ddub1083 年前

Through closed captioning is the only way to enjoy smooth jazz

SchlossRitter 年前

the blooper captions are the best part

SomberShroud 年前

If your in-laws ever want to experience music for the first time in their lives again, LCD-4 has been known from deaf war veterans to be able to listen to music crystal clear. to them its worth way more than the MSRP.

Plan B 5 ヶ月前

This is probably one of the most important, informative videos I've seen, thanks I'm going to reevaluate and inspect all my power strips , thank u so much

Dolvaran 4 ヶ月前

Some extension cords here in the UK have both a fuse in the outlet block and (of course) one in the plug also. That way, you protect the house wiring and the extension cable too.

RetroByte 3 ヶ月前

I always thought ring main was a good idea, it gives us a 230 volt 30 amp circuit on just 2.5mm cable, what don't you like about it? Also we can have two phase which is 415 volt here in the UK., although that's mainly for industry. I enjoy your videos, keep up the good work! :)

Chill Monkey 7 ヶ月前

I used to work at a hardware store. I remember in the back room, there was a nightmare of extension cords and power strips powering fans, battery chargers and other devices. I thought it was highly dangerous, but the boss refused to listen.

Dampsausage 4 ヶ月前

That fused plug thing is nice, I bet that's why the Christmas light is safer as you said Another thing not sure about everywhere but in Kentucky, by law on any commercial setting an extension cord is a fire hazard. Fire chiefs really hate seeing them in an operating business.

StatikDynamik 2 年前

"Kitchens are usually designed more smartly to avoid this." Let me introduce you to my house, where when I moved in if you used the microwave and toaster at the same time, a breaker would trip that covered the kitchen, 3 bedrooms, a hallway, and one bathroom. (yes, I have fixed the wiring after discovering this)

Didi Kohen 2 年前

My folks had two ovens connected on the same circut, after a rewiring of the entire place.

Natalie Gath 2 年前

My office kitchen has one single circuit breaker for every plug in there (6) outside the fridge. You try to microwave or toaster oven or even plug in something random like a projector while the coffee maker is on (which is always, let's be honest here, it's an office) and the breaker trips. It is the stupidest design ever for a room.

nhilz 2 年前

this reminded me, at one point one of the light switches in my bedroom would trip a breaker and the entire house's power would go out. my parents didn't know about it at first, so whenever they'd make me mad id flip the switch

CoffeeConsumer 2 年前

@Natalie Gath ive literally daisy chained 12 outlets together in offices

greenaum 2 年前

@nhilz Wow! That's crap, yet also amazing!

frederikbh1 8 ヶ月前

Now it makes sense that all the extension cords I can buy here in the EU are so thick. They are required to be capable of carrying large currents. Thanks!

Adam Bassett 5 ヶ月前

I rewired my "rewired" house because so many circuits were over loaded. I also use GFIC on any plugs that are on the same line. Works great. I did that on my outside plugs as well not just because it's code, but because it also protects against a short if you have a bad extension cord.

Bernhard Wagner 10 ヶ月前

Well explained. I am a NYS degreed secondary art teacher. I did a lot of remodeling work in the summer months. I followed code and never had an issue. I called on electrical inspectors and if they said CODE, I was happy. I will recommend your video to family, friends and clients.

Robert Castillo 4 ヶ月前

Wow amazing video. I like to use surge protectors to do exactly what you said, plug in more than 2 devices. I always tried to go with quality as well because its normally electronics I'm plugging in. I also have some 3 way splitters in my kitchen because who doesn't have multiple devices they keep plugged in. It's good to know that on those the breaker has my back if I am actually overloading the outlet. Now to amazon to buy some more splitters!

Adon Von Ilesere 9 ヶ月前

I lived in a house that had bare wire running between glass insulators in the attic... and it turned out the walls were insulated with crumpled up news papers. How did that not ever burn down?

Albtraum 5 ヶ月前

bare wire running between glass insulators?

Adon Von Ilesere 5 ヶ月前

@Albtraum Circa 1920's if I had to guess. Most of the old wiring throughout the house had been upgraded to at least 1970's standards, but the old wires were still in the attic and the paper (from 1954 if I recall) was still in the walls. This would have been around 1990

meetoo594 5 ヶ月前

The main electrical supply cable entering my house is lined with lead and asbestos. I managed to blow the supply fuse to the house and when the SWEB engineer turned up he looked visibly worried, called a load of other engineers and gingerly tried getting the old fuse out with a chain mail looking set of gloves without causing an explosion as the cabling was so old and brittle. Then another van turned up with a 1960s era fuse unit to replace it. They promised to log an emergency and replace the feed into the house but then the covid happened and nothing got done. The fuse box/distribution unit is bakalite and falling apart as well. Wish they would hurry up and replace the bloody thing lol. Some of the house wiring is switched on neutral for some reason which apparently is also bad.

Adon Von Ilesere 5 ヶ月前

@meetoo594 Someone could do a complete series on all the dangers lurking around American homes. Good luck getting it up to code

meetoo594 5 ヶ月前

@Adon Von Ileserety. I'm in 240v land, which probably isn't an advantage in my case. Kettle boils really fast though.

Daraul Harris 2 年前

The fact that you cover, in depth, the technology that we all take for granted, and not the new-fangled fancy stuff that everybody can't afford, makes you my favourite tech channel. Thank you

Felix C 2 年前

I have so little interest in The Latest In Smart Technology and would much rather hear about the mechanisms of how the things around us operate and the complexity of making appliances function as intended

Daraul Harris 2 年前

@Felix C case in point: I have the exact same white extension cord at 5:42 with a few devices plugged into it 10 feet away right now. I always thought that was a bad idea, but never knew why. Now I do.

K.o.R 6 ヶ月前

I like the window that turns bright orange to show which breaker has tripped. I guess it's necessary when it's a black switch on a black background. I don't know if it's the rules or not but here in the UK all the breakers I've seen have the switch lever in a different colour (ours are white breakers with blue levers; seems like a missed opportunity to have the lever also indicate the breaker rating like the old fuse holders)... which often still isn't that handy when you're hunting for the breaker box in a dark cupboard under the stairs with no light.

MrSimoc1969 4 ヶ月前

Here in Australia even a $2.50 AUD power board has to have a 2400 w 10 amp circuit breaker built into it. As our main power is 16 amp per a fuse or circuit breaker, our power system is limited to 10 for most plug in items. Yes we do have more heavy duty items like welders that run on 15 amp 3600 w but they are a different plug again.

IceRiver1020 9 ヶ月前

Growing up, my mom always told me to be careful about what/how much stuff I plug into an extension cord/power strip, i.e. one outlet. They don't often get used for more than lamps and phone chargers in this house.

Gabriel V. 3 ヶ月前

Not only in US, in South America, Extension cords are sooo weird too And these wall breakers are just as cheaper too

King 2 ヶ月前

In school (in UK) I had to learn to wire a plug and put a fuse in it. I remember the teacher telling us how important the fuse was and how it'd save our lives. He'd then tell us in USA and other countries they don't have to learn this because they don't care about it. He'd show us their plugs and tell us we are lucky. He really made me scared and that I had to learn to wire a plug or I'd burn my house down. I don't know if they even teach this anymore in the UK. I'm pretty old.

Michael Steeves 2 年前

One guy in my engineering group works full time making a model of the electrical system in our plant, ensuring that overcurrent protection is, in fact, appropriate at every level of the electrical system. Another person did some work on extension cords and ended up banning most extension cords, causing grief and hard feelings throughout the plant: only 14 AWG cords with single outlets allowed!

Pavel Oleynikov 2 年前

That was dreadful tale from times of begining of mass installation of PCs in ex-soviet organisations. Looks like it is really tempting to shove space heater and kettle to that convinient power strip that come with new PC, and takes some time (especially for older users) to understand that it gets to funny results.

Machinist 72 2 年前

See, this is why I tend to buy 12awg 50 foot cords.,

Mercenary7 2 年前

The weird thing is briefly looking on Amazon, the 14 gauge isnt all that more expensive then 16...

Rich Martin 2 年前

At first I read "plant" as "planet" and was really impressed that a single guy could handle that job!

RingingResonance 2 年前

@SeanBZA On top of that, it's hard to even find a decent pair of jumper cables at local stores now. They seem to only sell the cheap 16, 18, or 20 AWG ones. Anything less and they don't sell it or it's out of stock!

Michael Beckerman 4 ヶ月前

If you haven't already done so, would you consider making a similar video on surge protectors and line conditioners?

Vespanation 8 ヶ月前

Wow! I stumbled upon your site today, and, man, I learned A LOT. I've used extension cords for my whole life, and have been warned about them for just as long, (but for vague, unclear reasons). Today I learned the the why. Excellent video. AND hilarious. "Melty", haha!

Atharaenea 6 ヶ月前

This video is fun for me, because I used to run all sorts of crazy stuff on power strips many years ago. I had a space heater and microwave plugged into one, and I had to remember to always turn off the space heater before running the microwave because the breaker in the power strip would trip if I forgot. On the opposite side of the wall I had a different cheaper power strip powering just a space heater, which I usually ran on high. I never thought twice about that, because nothing bad had happened before so why would I think about it? Anyways for a lot of this particular winter I kept smelling like a rotten fish smell, couldn't figure out where it was coming from, thought maybe a dead rat in the wall or something. The following fall we moved apartments and when I unplugged the power strip from behind the couch the plug was kinda melted and the outlet was blackened. Around that time I took an intro to electrical engineering class that was required for my degree and learned that sometimes burning electrical insulation sometimes smells like rotten fish, and that is what made me never overload extension cords again. It blows my mind now that I ever thought that I could run a microwave and space heater off a power strip safely. These days when I need to use an extension cord for something I make sure it's UL listed and rated for the device(s). I have special extension cords for space heaters now, which are rated for high wattage appliances exceeding the power draw of the space heater so I don't risk burning down my home again.

U Cannot Defeat My Shmeat 8 ヶ月前

Both my parents and friend are horrible with just leaving wires around, and I’m amazed they haven’t spilled something on them or tripped over 1 cord and ripped out everything

Will Tourtellot 年前

This video should be required viewing for all homeowners. I’m a Master Electrician, but I learned and was reminded of several very important t facts. Thank you!

Voron Agrrav 年前

these kinds of things should be basic education for everyone, just like First Aid...

Bacteriophagebs 年前

Thanks to LEDs, apart from kitchen appliances, the only things that can cause overload these days are vacuums, space heaters, and hair dryers. Those are always kept below 1200 watts, usually running 1100 or less, making them safe (alone) in all but the cheapest extension cords. Hair dryers and vacuums almost always have sufficiently-long cords, so it's really just space heaters, which are already a fire hazard themselves, and only if someone plugs in other things to the same cord. Or uses a really old one, I guess. I guess desktop PCs can get pretty power-hungry, but no one would plug a 1000-watt PC into an extension cord. That's a high-end gaming rig, it's going into a surge protector if not an UPS.

Bacteriophagebs 年前

@Voron Agrrav Also some law like basic rights and when to talk to the police (never).

tgccffddfvvcdgtff 年前

@Bacteriophagebs Lots of people plugging their highend 1000Watts PCs to extension cords

johnathon007 年前

@tgccffddfvvcdgtff A PC that actually draws 1000W is very rare. Having a 1000W PSU doesn't mean it ever draws that much, a modern high draw PC can draw around 700W when under extreme load.

moto324 4 ヶ月前

There should be some sort of certification for extensions cords, like how snell exists for helmet. You’d still be able to buy the cheap ones but it would make people more aware and make it easier and more accessible to buy proper, safer cords.

tom ruth 4 ヶ月前

I'm pretty careful about overloads until I used one of those orange plug splitters on a 20 amp circuit. It actually caught on fire when I overloaded it. The breaker never tripped. I was lucky that I was in the same room and smelled the smoke. Lesson learned. So I agree with you.

3henry21 10 ヶ月前

Love this guy's sense of humor!! Priceless at the start of the video, and of course great info as always.

Jeremy Jutila 5 ヶ月前

The idea behind allowing NEMA 5-15 receptacles on 20 amp circuits/etc is because of the idea of branch circuits - since you very rarely find dedicated circuits (except refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, microwaves, etc which require dedicated circuits per code), so you'll nearly always have multiple receptacles on a single circuit. So if you have 2 15-amp receptacles on a 20 amp circuits, each receptacle can theoretically only pull 10 amps. Etc.

techmage89 27 日前

That's the idea, yes, but you can just as easily draw 18A through a 15A receptacle. If you want the circuit to be safe, the overcurrent protection needs to be sized to the lowest-rated component on the circuit.

Paul Jackson 8 ヶ月前

I am actually amazed that a single outlet is rated to provide 15A of electrical current, like damn. Here in India, mostly all the outlets are rated for 6A and some for like Washing machine, oven, water heaters, etc are on 16A outlet. But still, that's like, WOW (the fact that my 1BHK apartment is only limited to 32A service is also the fact)

Tyler Booth 年前

This is funny because my school dance was actually evacuated due to whoever set things up, deciding to use one single outlet to run all the stage lights, speakers, projectors, and led panels. Sure enough, there was a fire in the school gym and the dance was canceled.

Voron Agrrav 年前

I just read that going, oh no, no he did not... no way ...

xEl 年前

If only there was such a place where one could learn these sort of stuff...

Christo 年前

was the song 'safety dance' playing or not playing at the time?

Da' Memes 年前

power strip-ception

A.J. McCracken 5 ヶ月前

The explanations of all the topics in this video are spot on.

R.D MCMAC 4 ヶ月前

So happy I found this channel. Love it

SenileOtaku 9 ヶ月前

The thing I've most often had to use extension cords for is to plug in "wall warts" (power adapters) onto a power strip, so that I can plug in more than one without them covering up ALL the remaining outlets. Power bricks seem to be some of the worst engineered things in yoyur house/office. Properly done, they should instead have an IEC C7/C8 port on them, and then you would use a proper-length C7/C8 cord, which takes up the same amount of space on your power strip as your typical lamp cord plug. But that might cut into some CEO's Donut-and-Sushi budget. I've seen various "outlet saver" cords for sale, but they're far more expensive than they should be.

Felipe Braz 9 日前

Curiously after watching your videos about US electrical system I became shocked how brazilian electrical systems are more "modern" and somehow safer than US. Sure, we have bad installations, work around,... but on a standard home I feel good about it. You could do a video talking about some curious or facts about electrical systems around the world. I may share some interesting facts about BR electrical stuff.

theelmonk 9 ヶ月前

I don't like much about the US electrical system but the colour-coded gauge is a good idea. Pretty crazy that you don't then identify the outlets too, though.

klfjoat 2 年前

I have to say, the approach you took to explain this issue ("the breakers only protect the wires in the walls") is SUCH A GREAT way to frame the problem. How an explanation is framed is one of the most important parts of good explanations, and you do that really well in general. But I think it really shines here. Kudos!

Adriaan Stolk 2 年前

Yeah I was surprised to learn how many people thought the fuses/breakers were for their safety than to stop the wires melting, when I studied electrical engineering. It was eye opening seeing so many first years that thought it would trip if they were earthing the phase

Nemo ex Nuqual 7 ヶ月前

Fun fact: Gauge is backwards, smaller numbers mean bigger wire, because of how many times the wire is drawn through the machine. Each time it is run through the gauge machine the wire gets smaller. It’s similar to sheet metal gauge. Shotgun gauge is also set so smaller gauge is bigger bore but a bit weirder. It is how many lead sphere of the bore diameter it takes to weight 1 lb.

Paul Blart 5 ヶ月前

When working construction in NY at/around the schools, we had breakers trip every. 5 minutes. I literally timed/videod it. After a while.. we decided to have a dedicated switch flipper stand at the box and turn it back on every time it tripped. It was honestly great But… I didn’t know anything back then as a year 1 laborer. I knew it shouldn’t be like that though… our wires would burn out too after only a few weeks of use. Even the .5in diameter wires (20gau i think?). Our brand new tools would overheat as well after long hours of use which is more understandable but I always felt there was more too it, and they should be lasting longer..it could’ve been over-use… or… negligent power management. And after watching this video I’m leaning more towards the latter

Darth Panda 5 ヶ月前

Well what did y’all do about it? Finished the job and left the shitty wire?

Paul Blart 5 ヶ月前

@Darth Panda Yes

David Bowman 1701 9 ヶ月前

We use the same electrical standard as in the US and I love it!

wynott givemore92 3 ヶ月前

I enjoy your humour...ever since I've been plugging in space heaters into outlets ,and only once an extension cord it got hot ,and it says on the heater itself do not plug into any extension cords. Every one that I have plugged into an extension cord got hot . And now because of your video I finally understand why that is. And I've only noticed this last Christmas that they started to put fuses in the strings of lights. Ps I agree with the not being fatal, I as a kid I stuck a coat hanger ,both sides at the same time into an outlet. It blew me back and I got knocked out. It burnt my hands to a crisp and I had to use Vaseline and wear knit gloves until they healed, I had calluses for years after. I couldn't tell you what i was thinking at the time...I probably was trying to time travel. 😁🤗

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