1
00:00:00,089 --> 00:00:03,870
A while ago I made a video on the US electrical system.

2
00:00:03,870 --> 00:00:08,522
It was a basic overview designed principally
to get those of you in 240 lands to shu—

3
00:00:09,174 --> 00:00:13,251
uh, to understand that we are also a 240 land,

4
00:00:13,251 --> 00:00:18,383
but since we use split-phase power most of our circuits operate at half that voltage

5
00:00:18,383 --> 00:00:24,909
and the full 240V potential is generally limited to high-power devices on dedicated circuits.

6
00:00:24,909 --> 00:00:27,101
Using split-phase power has some real advantages

7
00:00:27,101 --> 00:00:29,204
particularly when it comes to safety -

8
00:00:29,204 --> 00:00:33,120
and on that note at the end I’m gonna add some clarifying words there

9
00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,319
because in the time since that video I’ve discovered an interesting language quirk

10
00:00:37,319 --> 00:00:39,151
regarding that discussion.

11
00:00:39,151 --> 00:00:42,451
But anyway this video isn’t gonna defend our electrical system.

12
00:00:42,451 --> 00:00:45,385
In fact, it’s about perhaps the worst part of it!

13
00:00:45,932 --> 00:00:49,616
And no, it’s not just our terrible, fully-metal plug design

14
00:00:49,616 --> 00:00:51,990
or completely unshielded receptacles.

15
00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:53,609
Although for what it’s worth,

16
00:00:53,609 --> 00:00:56,146
tamper-resistant receptacles are now available

17
00:00:56,146 --> 00:00:58,708
and usually required in new-construction.

18
00:00:58,708 --> 00:01:03,194
But anyway, this problem has actually nothing to do with a building’s wiring

19
00:01:03,194 --> 00:01:05,104
or the receptacles or plugs.

20
00:01:05,104 --> 00:01:07,206
Instead, it’s that

21
00:01:07,206 --> 00:01:08,699
these exist.

22
00:01:08,933 --> 00:01:09,583
And

23
00:01:10,260 --> 00:01:11,433
these.

24
00:01:11,433 --> 00:01:12,751
And especially

25
00:01:14,106 --> 00:01:15,059
these.

26
00:01:15,789 --> 00:01:20,300
Now there’s nothing wrong with extension cords or power strips themselves,

27
00:01:20,300 --> 00:01:23,190
it’s just how they’re implemented which is the issue.

28
00:01:23,190 --> 00:01:26,023
Here’s a silly fact to preview the problem at hand:

29
00:01:26,023 --> 00:01:31,387
A strand of Christmas lights is a safer extension cord than most extension cords.

30
00:01:31,986 --> 00:01:32,750
Yeah.

31
00:01:33,271 --> 00:01:34,743
I’ll explain why in a bit,

32
00:01:34,743 --> 00:01:37,511
but first we need to address a common misconception.

33
00:01:37,850 --> 00:01:38,968
Circuit breakers!

34
00:01:39,359 --> 00:01:41,044
What are they for?

35
00:01:41,044 --> 00:01:44,946
Well, you might think that they’re there to protect you and your stuff.

36
00:01:44,946 --> 00:01:46,821
This belief is pretty understandable,

37
00:01:46,821 --> 00:01:49,522
after all one of the most common ways they get tripped

38
00:01:49,522 --> 00:01:53,544
is when one of your electrical stuffs has a bad time.

39
00:01:53,544 --> 00:01:57,570
And since they cut the power to a given circuit when they do their thing,

40
00:01:57,570 --> 00:02:01,393
well it stands to reason that they also help prevent electric shock.

41
00:02:01,393 --> 00:02:04,667
But a breaker like these does no such thing.

42
00:02:04,667 --> 00:02:07,549
It couldn’t care less about your stuff, and quite frankly

43
00:02:07,549 --> 00:02:09,627
it doesn’t care about you either.

44
00:02:09,627 --> 00:02:14,032
Of course, there is some nuance here with
the advent of arc-fault circuit interrupters,

45
00:02:14,032 --> 00:02:17,873
and while we usually only put shock protection
devices at the receptacle

46
00:02:17,873 --> 00:02:20,085
in locations where hands can be wet,

47
00:02:20,085 --> 00:02:22,556
breakers with integrated residual current devices

48
00:02:22,556 --> 00:02:25,505
(although we call them ground-fault circuit interrupters)

49
00:02:25,505 --> 00:02:26,861
are available.

50
00:02:26,861 --> 00:02:29,644
I actually made a video about that tech if you want to check it out.

51
00:02:29,644 --> 00:02:31,072
It’s pretty interesting.

52
00:02:31,072 --> 00:02:35,909
But anyway, since AFCI breakers have only somewhat recently been mandated by code

53
00:02:35,909 --> 00:02:39,891
and GFCI breakers are, frankly, quite rare here

54
00:02:39,891 --> 00:02:42,819
you’re going to find lots of electrical panels like this one,

55
00:02:42,819 --> 00:02:46,633
filled with nothing but bog-standard breakers.

56
00:02:46,633 --> 00:02:49,763
And these have one job and one job only.

57
00:02:49,763 --> 00:02:52,621
To protect the conductors in your walls.

58
00:02:53,377 --> 00:02:54,453
That’s it.

59
00:02:54,453 --> 00:02:58,337
They frankly do not care what happens when the electricity leaves the wall,

60
00:02:58,337 --> 00:03:02,775
they just want to know that you’re not overloading the wiring coming out of them.

61
00:03:02,775 --> 00:03:07,130
They will stand idly by as you get zapped
or as your television has a meltdown,

62
00:03:07,130 --> 00:03:12,395
and will only intervene once the current going
through them exceeds their rating.

63
00:03:12,395 --> 00:03:18,416
Circuit breakers like these are overcurrent
protection devices for a structure’s electrical system

64
00:03:18,416 --> 00:03:19,834
and nothing more.

65
00:03:19,834 --> 00:03:25,593
They reduce the risk of electrical fires occurring
due to an overheating conductor igniting a wall stud or whatever,

66
00:03:25,593 --> 00:03:28,444
but that’s about the only thing they can do.

67
00:03:28,444 --> 00:03:30,821
Now, that is very important!

68
00:03:30,821 --> 00:03:33,323
A given conductor (so, a wire)

69
00:03:33,323 --> 00:03:37,790
can only carry so much current before its own electrical resistance becomes significant

70
00:03:37,790 --> 00:03:39,485
and it begins to heat up.

71
00:03:39,485 --> 00:03:40,576
And that’s….

72
00:03:40,576 --> 00:03:41,765
Bad.

73
00:03:41,765 --> 00:03:45,081
Imagine you had a coffee maker and a microwave and,

74
00:03:45,081 --> 00:03:45,660
why not,

75
00:03:45,660 --> 00:03:49,470
also a toaster all connected to the same circuit.

76
00:03:49,470 --> 00:03:52,241
This can be easier to accomplish than you
might think,

77
00:03:52,241 --> 00:03:57,569
as many adjacent outlets are simply daisy-chained and share the same wires in the walls

78
00:03:57,569 --> 00:04:02,586
(though in fairness, kitchens are usually designed more smartly to avoid this).

79
00:04:02,586 --> 00:04:05,676
Now, on a 15 amp 120V circuit,

80
00:04:05,676 --> 00:04:10,704
1,875 watts is the maximum that can be safely drawn.

81
00:04:10,704 --> 00:04:14,852
And in fact, that number is really only good for non-continuous loads.

82
00:04:14,852 --> 00:04:20,942
Devices which draw a load continuously are limited to 80% of a circuit’s capacity.

83
00:04:20,942 --> 00:04:23,685
Let’s say the toaster uses 750 watts.

84
00:04:23,685 --> 00:04:26,575
And we’ll imagine the coffee maker is 1,000.

85
00:04:26,575 --> 00:04:30,951
Making some toast while brewing coffee is really close to the limit,

86
00:04:30,951 --> 00:04:34,871
and if you decide to microwave some bacon while that’s going
on…

87
00:04:34,871 --> 00:04:38,322
now you could easily be more than a kilowatt over.

88
00:04:38,322 --> 00:04:44,069
That is going to cause the wiring coming from
the breaker panel up to wherever you are to get pretty hot,

89
00:04:44,069 --> 00:04:47,911
particularly where splices and other connections have been made.

90
00:04:47,911 --> 00:04:52,139
Because there tends to be flammable material in or near walls,

91
00:04:52,139 --> 00:04:53,604
this is very bad.

92
00:04:53,604 --> 00:04:55,301
And that’s why these are here.

93
00:04:55,301 --> 00:04:56,907
They help prevent that.

94
00:04:56,907 --> 00:04:59,652
If you pull more power than the wires can
safely carry,

95
00:04:59,652 --> 00:05:02,428
the breaker will trip and kill the circuit.

96
00:05:02,428 --> 00:05:04,262
How do circuit breakers work?

97
00:05:04,601 --> 00:05:06,581
Well, we’ll save that for later.

98
00:05:06,581 --> 00:05:10,533
And then we’ll get into the stuff like arc-fault protection and other goodies.

99
00:05:10,533 --> 00:05:14,496
I’ll try to remember to come back here and
put a card for that video but

100
00:05:14,496 --> 00:05:17,067
I have a bad track record, there.

101
00:05:17,067 --> 00:05:18,201
Anyway...

102
00:05:18,201 --> 00:05:18,998
Here’s the problem.

103
00:05:18,998 --> 00:05:24,957
This will do a fantastic job of making sure
the wiring in your walls doesn’t get overloaded.

104
00:05:24,957 --> 00:05:27,405
But once you’re outside of the wall,

105
00:05:27,405 --> 00:05:29,788
this won’t help you.

106
00:05:29,788 --> 00:05:34,492
And since we like to cut costs wherever possible so we can sell cheap stuff,

107
00:05:34,492 --> 00:05:38,495
you will find countless extension cords and power strips

108
00:05:38,495 --> 00:05:42,984
which cannot safely handle the capacity of the circuits they’re plugged into.

109
00:05:43,766 --> 00:05:46,040
Let’s talk about wire gauge.

110
00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,378
The amount of current a given conductor can
carry safely

111
00:05:49,378 --> 00:05:53,786
depends on what it's made from as well as its total cross-sectional area.

112
00:05:53,786 --> 00:05:55,400
And also length.

113
00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,424
There’s some nuance with stranded vs. solid wire

114
00:05:58,424 --> 00:06:02,741
and with really weird stuff like the skin effect but we’re not going there.

115
00:06:02,741 --> 00:06:06,194
Now, I’m going to be talking in the American Wire Gauge.

116
00:06:06,194 --> 00:06:08,807
I know, not everyone uses that.

117
00:06:08,807 --> 00:06:11,490
Here’s a chart for those that want it.

118
00:06:11,490 --> 00:06:17,221
But the main point is that a given gauge of
wire has a given maximum current it can carry

119
00:06:17,221 --> 00:06:19,196
before it becomes a problem.

120
00:06:19,196 --> 00:06:20,696
Now, crash course.

121
00:06:20,696 --> 00:06:23,452
The smaller the number, the thicker the wire.

122
00:06:23,452 --> 00:06:28,038
14 gauge wire can carry less current than 12 gauge wire.

123
00:06:28,038 --> 00:06:33,513
12 gauge is thicker than 14 gauge which is
thicker than 16 gauge and so on.

124
00:06:33,513 --> 00:06:36,278
It’s confusing, but are you really surprised?

125
00:06:36,278 --> 00:06:41,061
Except for circuits which handle things like
water heaters, dryers, stoves, etc,

126
00:06:41,061 --> 00:06:46,551
you’re generally going to have a mix of 15A and 20A
circuits in an American home.

127
00:06:46,551 --> 00:06:50,969
It has become pretty common these days to
run 20A circuits for most receptacles

128
00:06:50,969 --> 00:06:54,162
and reserve 15A for lighting circuits.

129
00:06:54,162 --> 00:06:55,623
But not always.

130
00:06:55,623 --> 00:07:01,567
Now it shouldn’t surprise you that 20A circuits
need thicker wires than 15A circuits.

131
00:07:01,567 --> 00:07:05,846
In runs with typical lengths, 15A circuits
will use 14 gauge wire.

132
00:07:05,846 --> 00:07:08,904
And 20A circuits use 12 gauge wire.

133
00:07:08,904 --> 00:07:12,613
This is what that wiring looks like in homes all across the country,

134
00:07:12,613 --> 00:07:14,855
with some particular caveats.

135
00:07:14,855 --> 00:07:16,100
We don’t need to get into that.

136
00:07:16,100 --> 00:07:18,085
Discuss in the comments. It boosts engagement.

137
00:07:18,085 --> 00:07:26,854
[THERE'S AN ERROR HERE - SEE PINNED COMMENT]
Anyway, this is called THHN wiring, short for Thermoplastic High Heat-resistant Nylon-coated (cheaters) wire

138
00:07:26,854 --> 00:07:29,099
but often it’s just called Romex,

139
00:07:29,099 --> 00:07:33,361
which is to household wiring as Kleenex is to facial tissue.

140
00:07:33,361 --> 00:07:36,480
Conveniently, it’s been color-coded for many years now.

141
00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,908
14 gauge wiring has white sheathing,

142
00:07:38,908 --> 00:07:41,835
and 12 gauge wiring has yellow sheathing.

143
00:07:41,835 --> 00:07:43,706
It helps you know at a glance which is which,

144
00:07:43,706 --> 00:07:46,410
and yellow wires will be for 20A circuits,

145
00:07:46,410 --> 00:07:48,600
white wires for 15.

146
00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,680
Oddly, there is also orange for 10 gauge wire,

147
00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,568
good for up to 30A depending on the length of the run,

148
00:07:54,568 --> 00:07:57,772
but then after that color coding
goes out the window.

149
00:07:57,772 --> 00:07:58,960
["I dunno" noise]

150
00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:00,782
Anyway, the circuit breakers?

151
00:08:00,782 --> 00:08:03,270
They’re protecting this stuff.

152
00:08:03,270 --> 00:08:07,370
They’re making sure you don’t put too
much current through these wires.

153
00:08:07,370 --> 00:08:10,796
But these wires are inside your walls.

154
00:08:10,796 --> 00:08:13,511
This one goes on the outside.

155
00:08:13,511 --> 00:08:18,482
And the problem is that this cannot handle
the amount of current that the wires in the walls can,

156
00:08:18,482 --> 00:08:21,097
especially on 20A circuits.

157
00:08:21,097 --> 00:08:24,165
But your circuit breakers don't know that.

158
00:08:24,165 --> 00:08:26,477
Now this doesn’t have to be a problem.

159
00:08:26,477 --> 00:08:32,695
One of the best features of the UK’s electrical
system is that the plugs have fuses in them.

160
00:08:32,695 --> 00:08:35,472
Now, the reason for that is kinda weird.

161
00:08:35,472 --> 00:08:37,243
Ring circuits.

162
00:08:37,243 --> 00:08:38,466
What were you thinking?

163
00:08:38,466 --> 00:08:43,077
But anyway the lasting benefit there is that
you could provide overcurrent protection

164
00:08:43,077 --> 00:08:45,396
on the other side of the wall,

165
00:08:45,396 --> 00:08:51,111
allowing you to safely use smaller wiring that’s sized according to the device’s needs.

166
00:08:51,111 --> 00:08:53,189
If you put in a 7A fuse,

167
00:08:53,189 --> 00:08:56,423
well then that fuse will blow before the wire gets overloaded.

168
00:08:56,423 --> 00:08:57,622
Simple.

169
00:08:57,622 --> 00:08:58,582
Trouble is?

170
00:08:58,582 --> 00:09:00,864
We don’t do that over here.

171
00:09:00,864 --> 00:09:04,342
This extension cord has 16 gauge wire in it,

172
00:09:04,342 --> 00:09:08,762
and it’s only rated for 1,625 watts, or 13 amps.

173
00:09:08,762 --> 00:09:09,757
And yet,

174
00:09:09,965 --> 00:09:13,363
it has nothing to stop you from exceeding that.

175
00:09:13,363 --> 00:09:14,864
Isn’t that lovely?

176
00:09:14,864 --> 00:09:18,705
Even a 12 amp load, which is technically OK to put on this,

177
00:09:18,705 --> 00:09:21,424
makes the cord disconcertingly warm.

178
00:09:21,424 --> 00:09:23,897
But on any otherwise unloaded circuit,

179
00:09:23,897 --> 00:09:28,726
you can still pull at least another three amps through here without the breaker tripping.

180
00:09:28,726 --> 00:09:31,327
As far as it's concerned, well there’s nothing wrong.

181
00:09:31,327 --> 00:09:34,864
15 amps are on the wires in the walls, which is OK.

182
00:09:34,864 --> 00:09:37,697
But it’s not OK here.

183
00:09:37,697 --> 00:09:41,962
Keep a wire overloaded for too long and it will get very hot.

184
00:09:42,010 --> 00:09:45,001
And since flammable stuff may be around it,

185
00:09:45,001 --> 00:09:47,326
well that can easily start a fire.

186
00:09:47,326 --> 00:09:51,021
In fact, the wire’s insulation itself is often flammable,

187
00:09:51,021 --> 00:09:55,547
so if you let it get hot enough it will just spontaneously combust.

188
00:09:55,547 --> 00:09:56,571
Fun!

189
00:09:56,571 --> 00:10:00,661
Oh, and even relatively slight overloads can be a problem.

190
00:10:00,661 --> 00:10:03,496
If you have a long cord coiled up like this,

191
00:10:03,496 --> 00:10:08,370
the wire at the center of the bundle will get very warm thanks to the lack of airflow

192
00:10:08,370 --> 00:10:12,562
(and the fact that it’s surrounded by other warm bits of wire).

193
00:10:12,562 --> 00:10:16,139
This is a fire hazard that we’ve just decided is…

194
00:10:16,139 --> 00:10:17,821
fine, I guess.

195
00:10:17,821 --> 00:10:20,551
And it’s not limited to these cheap cords.

196
00:10:20,551 --> 00:10:24,723
Go to a hardware store and you’ll find plenty of “heavy-duty” looking cords

197
00:10:24,723 --> 00:10:27,100
that are in fact only 16 gauge.

198
00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:32,488
They cannot safely supply the entire amount
that the wiring in the walls can,

199
00:10:32,488 --> 00:10:37,094
which means it can be overloaded without your circuit
breakers intervening.

200
00:10:37,094 --> 00:10:38,650
And this is just…

201
00:10:38,650 --> 00:10:39,832
normal here.

202
00:10:39,832 --> 00:10:43,864
You’re just expected to know that this cord
is only rated for 13 amps,

203
00:10:43,864 --> 00:10:47,538
and that if you really need 15 amps you gotta pony up for the 14 gauge cord.

204
00:10:48,190 --> 00:10:50,289
It’s frankly bonkers.

205
00:10:50,289 --> 00:10:54,101
Oh, but it’s actually worse now that 20A circuits are so prevalent.

206
00:10:54,101 --> 00:10:58,195
Don’t get me wrong, 20A circuits are largely a great thing.

207
00:10:58,195 --> 00:11:01,233
They allow for much greater flexibility in individual rooms,

208
00:11:01,233 --> 00:11:05,591
especially in the kitchen where nearly everything is a high-power device.

209
00:11:05,591 --> 00:11:08,734
But consider something like this power strip.

210
00:11:08,734 --> 00:11:14,553
This actually does use 14 gauge wiring and could be used safely on a 15 amp circuit.

211
00:11:14,553 --> 00:11:17,531
Its limit and the circuit’s limit are the same,

212
00:11:17,531 --> 00:11:23,696
so if you’re overloading this thing you’re also overloading the circuit so the breaker will intervene.

213
00:11:23,696 --> 00:11:26,001
That’s ideally how everything should work.

214
00:11:26,001 --> 00:11:32,612
But on a 20A circuit you can now severely
overload this without the circuit breaker caring.

215
00:11:32,612 --> 00:11:38,084
And of course that problem still applies to
a cord like this which can handle even less.

216
00:11:38,084 --> 00:11:41,246
The outlets in this room are on a 20A circuit.

217
00:11:41,246 --> 00:11:44,601
So I could plug a space heater into this.

218
00:11:44,601 --> 00:11:48,130
And also another one on medium.

219
00:11:48,130 --> 00:11:53,188
That is now 20 amps going through a cord which is only rated for 13.

220
00:11:53,188 --> 00:11:55,007
It’s a very dangerous situation,

221
00:11:55,007 --> 00:11:58,939
especially if the cord is near anything flammable like, oh I dunno,

222
00:11:58,939 --> 00:11:59,972
curtains.

223
00:11:59,972 --> 00:12:00,665
Carpet.

224
00:12:00,665 --> 00:12:01,667
A sofa.

225
00:12:01,667 --> 00:12:03,624
Stuff that goes in houses.

226
00:12:03,624 --> 00:12:09,347
And yet we’re not overloading the circuit
so as far as this guy is concerned it’s A-OK.

227
00:12:09,347 --> 00:12:13,018
Complicating things further is that you don’t necessarily even know

228
00:12:13,018 --> 00:12:16,325
what circuits are 20 amps and which ones aren’t.

229
00:12:16,768 --> 00:12:19,892
This is a NEMA 5-15 receptacle.

230
00:12:19,892 --> 00:12:22,845
It’s the normal one you find everywhere here.

231
00:12:22,845 --> 00:12:27,030
And this is a NEMA 5-20R receptacle.

232
00:12:27,030 --> 00:12:30,264
You will only find these on 20A circuits.

233
00:12:30,264 --> 00:12:36,178
The neutral pin is T-shaped to accommodate a NEMA 5-20 plug which looks like this.

234
00:12:36,178 --> 00:12:39,673
You basically never see this plug outside
of commercial settings

235
00:12:39,673 --> 00:12:44,755
as it’s reserved for devices which actually need more than
15A to operate.

236
00:12:44,755 --> 00:12:51,123
But, you aren’t always required to use NEMA
5-20R receptacles on 20 amp circuits.

237
00:12:51,123 --> 00:12:55,514
In fact, if I’m reading things right, you almost never have to.

238
00:12:55,514 --> 00:13:01,852
You can just use NEMA 5-15 so long as there’s
more than 1 individual plug on a circuit.

239
00:13:01,852 --> 00:13:07,570
Which, because duplex receptacles are the
norm here, there pretty much always is.

240
00:13:07,570 --> 00:13:12,693
So anyway, you usually can’t tell by looking
at an outlet if it’s a 15 or 20A circuit,

241
00:13:12,693 --> 00:13:15,573
and we don’t put protection on things like
extension cords

242
00:13:15,573 --> 00:13:16,983
so really it’s just a mess.

243
00:13:16,983 --> 00:13:18,239
It’s terrible.

244
00:13:18,239 --> 00:13:24,268
It is way too easy to create a dangerous situation
with a power strip or extension cord.

245
00:13:24,268 --> 00:13:27,334
So, how do we manage with this terribleness?

246
00:13:27,631 --> 00:13:28,306
Fear.

247
00:13:29,036 --> 00:13:34,398
If there’s one aspect of electrical safety
that has successfully permeated through American culture,

248
00:13:34,398 --> 00:13:37,921
it’s that plugging things into other things is dangerous.

249
00:13:37,921 --> 00:13:39,992
It’s practically a trope at this point.

250
00:13:39,992 --> 00:13:42,953
And frankly, this is almost too effective.

251
00:13:42,953 --> 00:13:44,977
When I revealed the details of this set

252
00:13:44,977 --> 00:13:47,721
I showed the cabinet of power strips that everything’s plugged into

253
00:13:47,721 --> 00:13:49,653
and y’all freaked out!

254
00:13:49,653 --> 00:13:55,705
Now I’ve put this set on a power meter,
and the entire thing uses 256 watts,

255
00:13:55,705 --> 00:13:57,562
barely more than 2 amps.

256
00:13:57,562 --> 00:14:02,045
The whole thing could easily be run through
a cheap extension cord like this.

257
00:14:02,697 --> 00:14:04,615
This is not actually dangerous.

258
00:14:04,615 --> 00:14:09,166
But lots of people see this and cringe, which frankly is great.

259
00:14:09,166 --> 00:14:11,773
If we can’t do things right on the infrastructure side,

260
00:14:11,773 --> 00:14:15,262
we can at least make people leery of doing stuff like this.

261
00:14:15,262 --> 00:14:21,701
And the National Electrical Code has some
rules as far as how you need to build-out an electrical system.

262
00:14:21,701 --> 00:14:25,338
If you’ve ever been in a reasonably modern American home,

263
00:14:25,338 --> 00:14:28,296
you’ll probably have noticed that there are outlets.

264
00:14:28,296 --> 00:14:29,536
Everywhere.

265
00:14:30,005 --> 00:14:35,019
The purpose of this is to minimize the need
for extension cords in the first place.

266
00:14:35,019 --> 00:14:38,942
Because the folks at the NEC recognize that these are bad.

267
00:14:38,942 --> 00:14:44,088
See, the theory is if there’s an outlet within six feet of any point on a wall

268
00:14:44,088 --> 00:14:51,125
well you shouldn’t need an extension cord since 6
feet is more or less the standard length of a power cord.

269
00:14:51,125 --> 00:14:52,342
But guys.

270
00:14:52,342 --> 00:14:53,840
I gotta ask.

271
00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:58,952
Have you considered, maybe, making extension
cords less bad?

272
00:14:58,952 --> 00:15:02,208
This place follows those outlet-spacing guidelines

273
00:15:02,208 --> 00:15:04,521
but I still use extension cords.

274
00:15:04,521 --> 00:15:09,199
In fact the main reason I use them is because, well,
they have three plugs on the end.

275
00:15:09,199 --> 00:15:12,926
It’s nice to be able to plug in a lamp,
phone charger, and another thing

276
00:15:12,926 --> 00:15:17,900
while leaving the other outlet free for a laptop or a vacuum
cleaner or whatever.

277
00:15:17,900 --> 00:15:20,240
These aren’t going away, is the point.

278
00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:22,335
They’re just too convenient.

279
00:15:22,335 --> 00:15:25,830
Really, we should have been copying the Brits this entire time.

280
00:15:25,830 --> 00:15:31,749
I mean, honestly, it can't be that difficult to design
a plug that contains a fuse.

281
00:15:32,817 --> 00:15:36,000
In fact, we’ve already done that!

282
00:15:36,997 --> 00:15:42,020
These weedy little plugs in our Christmas lights contain fuses.

283
00:15:42,020 --> 00:15:45,205
Christmas lights are cost-cut to a ridiculous degree

284
00:15:45,205 --> 00:15:49,016
and have something absurd like 22 gauge wiring going through them

285
00:15:49,016 --> 00:15:54,838
so there needs to be a fuse since you can only safely pull, like, I dunno, 3 amps through here.

286
00:15:54,838 --> 00:15:59,446
That’s why I said Christmas lights are a
safer extension cord than most extension cords.

287
00:15:59,446 --> 00:16:02,465
They actually have overcurrent protection.

288
00:16:03,325 --> 00:16:06,989
Granted, they don’t work so well as extension
cords

289
00:16:06,989 --> 00:16:09,639
since they’re usually not polarized but hey.

290
00:16:10,915 --> 00:16:11,829
The point remains.

291
00:16:13,262 --> 00:16:16,329
Frankly, if we’re gonna keep selling extension cords like this

292
00:16:16,329 --> 00:16:20,735
that can’t even carry the minimum current of our smallest circuits,

293
00:16:20,735 --> 00:16:23,595
maybe we oughta put fuses in them.

294
00:16:23,595 --> 00:16:27,161
Ideally it would go here so it protects the length of the wire,

295
00:16:27,161 --> 00:16:30,569
but I’ll settle for putting it in the other end if it makes things easier.

296
00:16:30,569 --> 00:16:34,616
Sure, if suddenly we were like “extension cords need fuses now!”

297
00:16:34,616 --> 00:16:38,142
that would be confusing (heh) and annoying to a lot of folks,

298
00:16:38,142 --> 00:16:40,890
but it would be a heckuva lot safer.

299
00:16:40,890 --> 00:16:43,608
And fuses are very, very cheap.

300
00:16:43,608 --> 00:16:46,058
It wouldn’t add much cost to the cord set,

301
00:16:46,058 --> 00:16:50,365
and if people are using them correctly they’re unlikely to blow in the first place.

302
00:16:50,365 --> 00:16:53,663
And for what it’s worth, power strips aren’t
always terrible.

303
00:16:53,663 --> 00:16:56,800
Lots of them - but certainly not all, to be clear -

304
00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,035
actually incorporate circuit breakers of their own.

305
00:17:00,035 --> 00:17:04,230
Ever notice that the switch says “reset” opposite of "off"? 

306
00:17:04,230 --> 00:17:09,840
That’s because this toggle is actually a small circuit breaker and not just a simple switch.

307
00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:10,426
Look.

308
00:17:10,426 --> 00:17:14,106
I plug two space heaters into this and it trips.

309
00:17:14,106 --> 00:17:19,101
Now, lots of people will say “never plug a space heater into a power strip”

310
00:17:19,101 --> 00:17:21,318
and honestly that’s not terrible advice.

311
00:17:21,318 --> 00:17:23,999
A lot of these are made quite cheaply and they do get…

312
00:17:23,999 --> 00:17:25,710
kinda melty sometimes.

313
00:17:25,710 --> 00:17:28,463
But the effort is at least often made.

314
00:17:28,463 --> 00:17:30,747
Now here’s where I step back and ask,

315
00:17:30,747 --> 00:17:33,313
how bad is this really?

316
00:17:33,313 --> 00:17:37,441
How many house fires are started due to an
overloaded cord or power strip?

317
00:17:38,379 --> 00:17:41,165
In fact, I don’t think we know!

318
00:17:41,165 --> 00:17:43,796
It looks like it might not be that many.

319
00:17:43,796 --> 00:17:47,438
According to a 2019 report by the National Fire Protection Association,

320
00:17:47,438 --> 00:17:52,254
only about 10% of fires can be blamed on electrical distribution
and lighting equipment,

321
00:17:52,254 --> 00:17:56,133
of which only 11% can be blamed on cords or plugs,

322
00:17:56,133 --> 00:18:01,517
and further of that subset only 12% could be blamed on overloaded equipment.

323
00:18:01,517 --> 00:18:04,795
So, we’re talking 12% of 11% of 10%.

324
00:18:04,795 --> 00:18:08,120
Or about a tenth of a percent of all fires.

325
00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:12,287
However, I personally take issue with this particular study because

326
00:18:12,287 --> 00:18:17,816
“electrical failure and malfunction” is really, really, vague.

327
00:18:17,816 --> 00:18:22,794
And that category gets a huge proportion of
all the known fires which makes me think

328
00:18:22,794 --> 00:18:24,677
it may not mean a whole lot.

329
00:18:24,677 --> 00:18:28,544
Now, I don’t know anything about fire investigation
so don’t take my word for this.

330
00:18:28,544 --> 00:18:33,759
But I do have to say that I feel this category
is being used as a catch-all

331
00:18:33,759 --> 00:18:36,176
and I don’t know what exactly it can tell us.

332
00:18:36,176 --> 00:18:41,231
The report even says 50% of these fires are
of unclassified cause so, frankly,

333
00:18:41,231 --> 00:18:45,065
I don’t know how useful this study is for this particular
discussion.

334
00:18:45,065 --> 00:18:46,982
And in fairness, I get it.

335
00:18:46,982 --> 00:18:49,782
Investigating the cause of a fire is tricky
when

336
00:18:49,782 --> 00:18:52,483
everything was on fire at one point.

337
00:18:52,483 --> 00:18:55,696
This whole “electrical failure, malfunction”
category

338
00:18:55,696 --> 00:18:59,160
also finds its way into this FEMA study where it accounts for

339
00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:02,511
88% of electrical fires!

340
00:19:02,511 --> 00:19:04,338
...what?

341
00:19:04,338 --> 00:19:05,235
Again.

342
00:19:05,235 --> 00:19:09,001
I’m gonna stress that I am a person on the internet with a Google.

343
00:19:09,001 --> 00:19:11,515
This is speculation and conjecture, nothing more.

344
00:19:11,515 --> 00:19:16,278
But this study also says that in almost 31%
of electrical fires,

345
00:19:16,278 --> 00:19:20,597
electrical wire or cable insulation was the first thing ignited.

346
00:19:20,597 --> 00:19:24,167
Annoyingly, though, that could mean cable in the walls, or lamp cords.

347
00:19:24,167 --> 00:19:25,060
Who knows.

348
00:19:25,060 --> 00:19:29,481
However we do see up here that only 8.7% of
electrical fires

349
00:19:29,481 --> 00:19:33,045
start in a wall cavity or concealed space, which,

350
00:19:33,045 --> 00:19:35,544
if my grasp of math is at all intact,

351
00:19:35,544 --> 00:19:40,595
means the majority of cable and wire-related fires occur outside the wall.

352
00:19:40,595 --> 00:19:45,968
Which frankly makes sense because that’s
beyond what a circuit breaker is designed to manage.

353
00:19:45,968 --> 00:19:48,645
The only conclusion I feel comfortable making
here

354
00:19:48,645 --> 00:19:52,474
is that I don’t have enough information to come to a meaningful conclusion.

355
00:19:52,474 --> 00:19:54,883
I don’t think this isn’t a problem,

356
00:19:54,883 --> 00:19:58,597
especially since 20A circuits are so common these days,

357
00:19:58,597 --> 00:20:02,105
but in all likelihood it’s probably still a small one.

358
00:20:02,105 --> 00:20:06,916
People are well-trained to be leery of overloading stuff, for the most part.

359
00:20:06,916 --> 00:20:11,825
As it is, electrical problems are by no means
the leading cause of house fires,

360
00:20:11,825 --> 00:20:15,191
accounting for only 13% in the US.

361
00:20:15,191 --> 00:20:19,760
But I do think it’s telling that the NEC
is making us put outlets everywhere

362
00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:25,579
so that we don’t need to - or shouldn’t need to - use
extension cords.

363
00:20:25,579 --> 00:20:28,201
It seems we know that they’re dangerous

364
00:20:28,201 --> 00:20:33,027
but are addressing that danger in what I would call an insufficient way.

365
00:20:33,027 --> 00:20:36,805
I understand the impulse to eliminate the need for extension cords

366
00:20:36,805 --> 00:20:40,148
which would in theory nip the problem in the bud.

367
00:20:40,148 --> 00:20:45,735
But as I said, extension cords are often used
not because there’s no outlet within reach,

368
00:20:45,735 --> 00:20:49,010
but because it’s a cheap and convenient
splitter.

369
00:20:49,010 --> 00:20:53,007
I think the problem at hand is imagined incorrectly,

370
00:20:53,007 --> 00:20:55,140
so the solution doesn’t fit.

371
00:20:55,140 --> 00:21:00,393
I would say we should consider addressing
the danger of the thing itself,

372
00:21:00,393 --> 00:21:03,649
and not try to reduce the need for the thing.

373
00:21:03,649 --> 00:21:09,267
We could mitigate much of the danger quite
easily with a ten cent fuse in the plug.

374
00:21:09,267 --> 00:21:13,867
Our electrical safety isn’t exactly… great.

375
00:21:13,867 --> 00:21:15,938
I don’t think it’s awful by any means

376
00:21:15,938 --> 00:21:19,105
and it does continue to get better year over year,

377
00:21:19,105 --> 00:21:22,991
but we could do with an examination of all these items.

378
00:21:22,991 --> 00:21:26,208
If you’re smart about how you use extension
cords,

379
00:21:26,208 --> 00:21:27,672
you really don’t need to worry.

380
00:21:27,672 --> 00:21:34,114
But it still makes me uncomfortable how we’re
OK with stepping the wire gauge down twice

381
00:21:34,114 --> 00:21:38,468
once it leaves the wall and not doing anything
to prevent overloading it.

382
00:21:38,468 --> 00:21:41,145
And frankly, this isn’t even limited to extension cords.

383
00:21:41,145 --> 00:21:45,963
As far as I’m concerned everything should be protected by a user-replaceable fuse

384
00:21:45,963 --> 00:21:48,750
sized for its cord set and purpose.

385
00:21:48,750 --> 00:21:49,604
You know.

386
00:21:49,604 --> 00:21:51,160
Reasonable precaution.

387
00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:52,568
What a concept!

388
00:21:52,568 --> 00:21:53,926
Anyway, for now,

389
00:21:53,926 --> 00:21:57,068
just be smart with extension cords and power strips.

390
00:21:57,068 --> 00:22:00,817
Be sure to use one that’s appropriate for
whatever you need to do with it.

391
00:22:00,817 --> 00:22:02,875
And to be clear,

392
00:22:02,875 --> 00:22:06,383
I use these cheap ones all the time,

393
00:22:06,383 --> 00:22:10,994
it’s not like I have anything against them or consider them terrifyingly dangerous

394
00:22:10,994 --> 00:22:14,641
It’s just… there’s a component of risk to their use

395
00:22:14,641 --> 00:22:19,622
that I feel should be more widely known and, hopefully one day, addressed.

396
00:22:21,267 --> 00:22:24,489
To close out, here’s that language quirk
I mentioned in the beginning.

397
00:22:24,489 --> 00:22:27,046
It has to do with the word “safer.”

398
00:22:27,046 --> 00:22:29,618
See, here’s what I said in that original video.

399
00:22:29,618 --> 00:22:34,065
In any given scenario where one is receiving
an electric shock,

400
00:22:34,065 --> 00:22:38,921
a lower voltage is safer than a higher one when all other factors are the same.

401
00:22:38,921 --> 00:22:47,170
Therefore, 120V could (and I would say should) be considered safer than 240V.

402
00:22:47,170 --> 00:22:49,364
Now, here’s where things get wonky.

403
00:22:49,364 --> 00:22:54,752
I use the word “safer” synonymously with “less dangerous.”

404
00:22:54,752 --> 00:22:59,961
Just as how I think extension cords would
be safer if they had fuses.

405
00:22:59,961 --> 00:23:04,436
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they
would be 100% safe.

406
00:23:04,436 --> 00:23:11,800
But I found that a lot of people interpret the word “safer” as implying some amount of baseline safety.

407
00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:13,934
I found out because people told me!

408
00:23:13,934 --> 00:23:18,926
And the thing is, that’s just not at all how that word functions for me!

409
00:23:19,603 --> 00:23:23,109
I use it literally as a stand-in for “less dangerous.”

410
00:23:23,109 --> 00:23:25,342
Or perhaps "less risky."

411
00:23:25,342 --> 00:23:28,829
Like how driving 100 miles an hour with your
headlights on

412
00:23:28,829 --> 00:23:32,925
is safer than driving the same speed in the dark.

413
00:23:32,925 --> 00:23:37,812
That statement doesn’t suggest to me that
driving 100 miles an hour is a safe activity.

414
00:23:37,812 --> 00:23:41,177
It’s just safer than doing 100 by moonlight.

415
00:23:41,177 --> 00:23:47,045
To me “safer” is always a comparator alone, and
doesn’t bring its own implication of any safety.

416
00:23:47,045 --> 00:23:48,688
So… yeah.

417
00:23:48,688 --> 00:23:51,924
I actually was genuinely delighted to hear
this explanation

418
00:23:51,924 --> 00:23:55,903
because I was starting to lose my mind thinking Ohm’s law was a trick or something.

419
00:23:55,903 --> 00:24:02,144
And I am absolutely in agreement that the shock-mitigation efforts in 240V countries

420
00:24:02,144 --> 00:24:05,418
are by and large much better than ours.

421
00:24:05,418 --> 00:24:08,255
It’s stupidly easy to get a shock here.

422
00:24:08,255 --> 00:24:11,950
Seriously. Just hold a plug wrong and you’ll get a tingle.

423
00:24:11,950 --> 00:24:17,572
So I’m not saying that our electrical system is safer than your electrical system.

424
00:24:17,572 --> 00:24:19,746
Because it’s undeniably not.

425
00:24:19,746 --> 00:24:23,131
But I am saying that, because the voltage is lower,

426
00:24:23,131 --> 00:24:27,059
electric shocks are less likely to be fatal over here.

427
00:24:27,059 --> 00:24:31,577
And that’s why our efforts to prevent them
are half-assed.

428
00:24:31,577 --> 00:24:35,427
The voltage itself is safer, as in less dangerous.

429
00:24:35,427 --> 00:24:39,402
The electrical system as a whole though sure isn’t.

430
00:24:39,402 --> 00:24:41,259
Anyway, toodles!

431
00:24:42,249 --> 00:24:44,713
♫ overloadedly smooth jazz ♫

432
00:24:45,104 --> 00:24:47,317
It couldn’t care less about you and your..

433
00:24:47,317 --> 00:24:48,399
Shoot!

434
00:24:48,399 --> 00:24:52,071
Circuit breakers like these are over-
[thud]

435
00:24:52,670 --> 00:24:54,777
Well, that wasn’t nice.

436
00:24:55,038 --> 00:24:57,034
...igniting a wall stud or whatever,

437
00:24:57,034 --> 00:24:59,328
but that’s a … blpppt.

438
00:25:02,767 --> 00:25:04,400
Would you please stop doing that?

439
00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:07,821
This is a NEMA 5-20R receptacle,

440
00:25:07,821 --> 00:25:09,228
and I’m holding it upside down.

441
00:25:11,651 --> 00:25:14,940
You can tell that I start every shoot with everything I need.

442
00:25:15,539 --> 00:25:16,745
Right?

443
00:25:17,110 --> 00:25:19,124
I don’t think it’s awful by any means,

444
00:25:19,124 --> 00:25:21,949
and it does continue to de get de be de de de de bu debba du

445
00:25:21,949 --> 00:25:25,358
And especially… these.

446
00:25:26,348 --> 00:25:28,084
And I only got the one.

447
00:25:28,084 --> 00:25:29,792
Oh well.

448
00:25:31,121 --> 00:25:32,478
Hi.

449
00:25:32,478 --> 00:25:34,578
It's the end.

450
00:25:34,578 --> 00:25:37,597
As in, the part where the video stops.

451
00:25:37,597 --> 00:25:40,376
Now you can watch something else.

452
00:25:40,376 --> 00:25:45,888
Maybe click on the little (i) doohickey and see the other videos of mine that I referenced?

453
00:25:45,888 --> 00:25:46,970
Just a suggestion.