WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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A while ago I made a video on the US electrical system.

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—

00:00:09.174 --> 00:00:13.251
uh, to understand that we are also a 240 land,

00:00:13.251 --> 00:00:18.383
but since we use split-phase power most of our circuits operate at half that voltage

00:00:18.383 --> 00:00:24.909
and the full 240V potential is generally limited to high-power devices on dedicated circuits.

00:00:24.909 --> 00:00:27.101
Using split-phase power has some real advantages

00:00:27.101 --> 00:00:29.204
particularly when it comes to safety -

00:00:29.204 --> 00:00:33.120
and on that note at the end I’m gonna add some clarifying words there

00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:37.319
because in the time since that video I’ve discovered an interesting language quirk

00:00:37.319 --> 00:00:39.151
regarding that discussion.

00:00:39.151 --> 00:00:42.451
But anyway this video isn’t gonna defend our electrical system.

00:00:42.451 --> 00:00:45.385
In fact, it’s about perhaps the worst part of it!

00:00:45.932 --> 00:00:49.616
And no, it’s not just our terrible, fully-metal plug design

00:00:49.616 --> 00:00:51.990
or completely unshielded receptacles.

00:00:52.120 --> 00:00:53.609
Although for what it’s worth,

00:00:53.609 --> 00:00:56.146
tamper-resistant receptacles are now available

00:00:56.146 --> 00:00:58.708
and usually required in new-construction.

00:00:58.708 --> 00:01:03.194
But anyway, this problem has actually nothing to do with a building’s wiring

00:01:03.194 --> 00:01:05.104
or the receptacles or plugs.

00:01:05.104 --> 00:01:07.206
Instead, it’s that

00:01:07.206 --> 00:01:08.699
these exist.

00:01:08.933 --> 00:01:09.583
And

00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:11.433
these.

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And especially

00:01:14.106 --> 00:01:15.059
these.

00:01:15.789 --> 00:01:20.300
Now there’s nothing wrong with extension cords or power strips themselves,

00:01:20.300 --> 00:01:23.190
it’s just how they’re implemented which is the issue.

00:01:23.190 --> 00:01:26.023
Here’s a silly fact to preview the problem at hand:

00:01:26.023 --> 00:01:31.387
A strand of Christmas lights is a safer extension cord than most extension cords.

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Yeah.

00:01:33.271 --> 00:01:34.743
I’ll explain why in a bit,

00:01:34.743 --> 00:01:37.511
but first we need to address a common misconception.

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Circuit breakers!

00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:41.044
What are they for?

00:01:41.044 --> 00:01:44.946
Well, you might think that they’re there to protect you and your stuff.

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This belief is pretty understandable,

00:01:46.821 --> 00:01:49.522
after all one of the most common ways they get tripped

00:01:49.522 --> 00:01:53.544
is when one of your electrical stuffs has a bad time.

00:01:53.544 --> 00:01:57.570
And since they cut the power to a given circuit when they do their thing,

00:01:57.570 --> 00:02:01.393
well it stands to reason that they also help prevent electric shock.

00:02:01.393 --> 00:02:04.667
But a breaker like these does no such thing.

00:02:04.667 --> 00:02:07.549
It couldn’t care less about your stuff, and quite frankly

00:02:07.549 --> 00:02:09.627
it doesn’t care about you either.

00:02:09.627 --> 00:02:14.032
Of course, there is some nuance here with
the advent of arc-fault circuit interrupters,

00:02:14.032 --> 00:02:17.873
and while we usually only put shock protection
devices at the receptacle

00:02:17.873 --> 00:02:20.085
in locations where hands can be wet,

00:02:20.085 --> 00:02:22.556
breakers with integrated residual current devices

00:02:22.556 --> 00:02:25.505
(although we call them ground-fault circuit interrupters)

00:02:25.505 --> 00:02:26.861
are available.

00:02:26.861 --> 00:02:29.644
I actually made a video about that tech if you want to check it out.

00:02:29.644 --> 00:02:31.072
It’s pretty interesting.

00:02:31.072 --> 00:02:35.909
But anyway, since AFCI breakers have only somewhat recently been mandated by code

00:02:35.909 --> 00:02:39.891
and GFCI breakers are, frankly, quite rare here

00:02:39.891 --> 00:02:42.819
you’re going to find lots of electrical panels like this one,

00:02:42.819 --> 00:02:46.633
filled with nothing but bog-standard breakers.

00:02:46.633 --> 00:02:49.763
And these have one job and one job only.

00:02:49.763 --> 00:02:52.621
To protect the conductors in your walls.

00:02:53.377 --> 00:02:54.453
That’s it.

00:02:54.453 --> 00:02:58.337
They frankly do not care what happens when the electricity leaves the wall,

00:02:58.337 --> 00:03:02.775
they just want to know that you’re not overloading the wiring coming out of them.

00:03:02.775 --> 00:03:07.130
They will stand idly by as you get zapped
or as your television has a meltdown,

00:03:07.130 --> 00:03:12.395
and will only intervene once the current going
through them exceeds their rating.

00:03:12.395 --> 00:03:18.416
Circuit breakers like these are overcurrent
protection devices for a structure’s electrical system

00:03:18.416 --> 00:03:19.834
and nothing more.

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,

00:03:25.593 --> 00:03:28.444
but that’s about the only thing they can do.

00:03:28.444 --> 00:03:30.821
Now, that is very important!

00:03:30.821 --> 00:03:33.323
A given conductor (so, a wire)

00:03:33.323 --> 00:03:37.790
can only carry so much current before its own electrical resistance becomes significant

00:03:37.790 --> 00:03:39.485
and it begins to heat up.

00:03:39.485 --> 00:03:40.576
And that’s….

00:03:40.576 --> 00:03:41.765
Bad.

00:03:41.765 --> 00:03:45.081
Imagine you had a coffee maker and a microwave and,

00:03:45.081 --> 00:03:45.660
why not,

00:03:45.660 --> 00:03:49.470
also a toaster all connected to the same circuit.

00:03:49.470 --> 00:03:52.241
This can be easier to accomplish than you
might think,

00:03:52.241 --> 00:03:57.569
as many adjacent outlets are simply daisy-chained and share the same wires in the walls

00:03:57.569 --> 00:04:02.586
(though in fairness, kitchens are usually designed more smartly to avoid this).

00:04:02.586 --> 00:04:05.676
Now, on a 15 amp 120V circuit,

00:04:05.676 --> 00:04:10.704
1,875 watts is the maximum that can be safely drawn.

00:04:10.704 --> 00:04:14.852
And in fact, that number is really only good for non-continuous loads.

00:04:14.852 --> 00:04:20.942
Devices which draw a load continuously are limited to 80% of a circuit’s capacity.

00:04:20.942 --> 00:04:23.685
Let’s say the toaster uses 750 watts.

00:04:23.685 --> 00:04:26.575
And we’ll imagine the coffee maker is 1,000.

00:04:26.575 --> 00:04:30.951
Making some toast while brewing coffee is really close to the limit,

00:04:30.951 --> 00:04:34.871
and if you decide to microwave some bacon while that’s going
on…

00:04:34.871 --> 00:04:38.322
now you could easily be more than a kilowatt over.

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,

00:04:44.069 --> 00:04:47.911
particularly where splices and other connections have been made.

00:04:47.911 --> 00:04:52.139
Because there tends to be flammable material in or near walls,

00:04:52.139 --> 00:04:53.604
this is very bad.

00:04:53.604 --> 00:04:55.301
And that’s why these are here.

00:04:55.301 --> 00:04:56.907
They help prevent that.

00:04:56.907 --> 00:04:59.652
If you pull more power than the wires can
safely carry,

00:04:59.652 --> 00:05:02.428
the breaker will trip and kill the circuit.

00:05:02.428 --> 00:05:04.262
How do circuit breakers work?

00:05:04.601 --> 00:05:06.581
Well, we’ll save that for later.

00:05:06.581 --> 00:05:10.533
And then we’ll get into the stuff like arc-fault protection and other goodies.

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

00:05:14.496 --> 00:05:17.067
I have a bad track record, there.

00:05:17.067 --> 00:05:18.201
Anyway...

00:05:18.201 --> 00:05:18.998
Here’s the problem.

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.

00:05:24.957 --> 00:05:27.405
But once you’re outside of the wall,

00:05:27.405 --> 00:05:29.788
this won’t help you.

00:05:29.788 --> 00:05:34.492
And since we like to cut costs wherever possible so we can sell cheap stuff,

00:05:34.492 --> 00:05:38.495
you will find countless extension cords and power strips

00:05:38.495 --> 00:05:42.984
which cannot safely handle the capacity of the circuits they’re plugged into.

00:05:43.766 --> 00:05:46.040
Let’s talk about wire gauge.

00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:49.378
The amount of current a given conductor can
carry safely

00:05:49.378 --> 00:05:53.786
depends on what it's made from as well as its total cross-sectional area.

00:05:53.786 --> 00:05:55.400
And also length.

00:05:55.400 --> 00:05:58.424
There’s some nuance with stranded vs. solid wire

00:05:58.424 --> 00:06:02.741
and with really weird stuff like the skin effect but we’re not going there.

00:06:02.741 --> 00:06:06.194
Now, I’m going to be talking in the American Wire Gauge.

00:06:06.194 --> 00:06:08.807
I know, not everyone uses that.

00:06:08.807 --> 00:06:11.490
Here’s a chart for those that want it.

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

00:06:17.221 --> 00:06:19.196
before it becomes a problem.

00:06:19.196 --> 00:06:20.696
Now, crash course.

00:06:20.696 --> 00:06:23.452
The smaller the number, the thicker the wire.

00:06:23.452 --> 00:06:28.038
14 gauge wire can carry less current than 12 gauge wire.

00:06:28.038 --> 00:06:33.513
12 gauge is thicker than 14 gauge which is
thicker than 16 gauge and so on.

00:06:33.513 --> 00:06:36.278
It’s confusing, but are you really surprised?

00:06:36.278 --> 00:06:41.061
Except for circuits which handle things like
water heaters, dryers, stoves, etc,

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.

00:06:46.551 --> 00:06:50.969
It has become pretty common these days to
run 20A circuits for most receptacles

00:06:50.969 --> 00:06:54.162
and reserve 15A for lighting circuits.

00:06:54.162 --> 00:06:55.623
But not always.

00:06:55.623 --> 00:07:01.567
Now it shouldn’t surprise you that 20A circuits
need thicker wires than 15A circuits.

00:07:01.567 --> 00:07:05.846
In runs with typical lengths, 15A circuits
will use 14 gauge wire.

00:07:05.846 --> 00:07:08.904
And 20A circuits use 12 gauge wire.

00:07:08.904 --> 00:07:12.613
This is what that wiring looks like in homes all across the country,

00:07:12.613 --> 00:07:14.855
with some particular caveats.

00:07:14.855 --> 00:07:16.100
We don’t need to get into that.

00:07:16.100 --> 00:07:18.085
Discuss in the comments. It boosts engagement.

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

00:07:26.854 --> 00:07:29.099
but often it’s just called Romex,

00:07:29.099 --> 00:07:33.361
which is to household wiring as Kleenex is to facial tissue.

00:07:33.361 --> 00:07:36.480
Conveniently, it’s been color-coded for many years now.

00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:38.908
14 gauge wiring has white sheathing,

00:07:38.908 --> 00:07:41.835
and 12 gauge wiring has yellow sheathing.

00:07:41.835 --> 00:07:43.706
It helps you know at a glance which is which,

00:07:43.706 --> 00:07:46.410
and yellow wires will be for 20A circuits,

00:07:46.410 --> 00:07:48.600
white wires for 15.

00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:51.680
Oddly, there is also orange for 10 gauge wire,

00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:54.568
good for up to 30A depending on the length of the run,

00:07:54.568 --> 00:07:57.772
but then after that color coding
goes out the window.

00:07:57.772 --> 00:07:58.960
["I dunno" noise]

00:07:58.960 --> 00:08:00.782
Anyway, the circuit breakers?

00:08:00.782 --> 00:08:03.270
They’re protecting this stuff.

00:08:03.270 --> 00:08:07.370
They’re making sure you don’t put too
much current through these wires.

00:08:07.370 --> 00:08:10.796
But these wires are inside your walls.

00:08:10.796 --> 00:08:13.511
This one goes on the outside.

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,

00:08:18.482 --> 00:08:21.097
especially on 20A circuits.

00:08:21.097 --> 00:08:24.165
But your circuit breakers don't know that.

00:08:24.165 --> 00:08:26.477
Now this doesn’t have to be a problem.

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.

00:08:32.695 --> 00:08:35.472
Now, the reason for that is kinda weird.

00:08:35.472 --> 00:08:37.243
Ring circuits.

00:08:37.243 --> 00:08:38.466
What were you thinking?

00:08:38.466 --> 00:08:43.077
But anyway the lasting benefit there is that
you could provide overcurrent protection

00:08:43.077 --> 00:08:45.396
on the other side of the wall,

00:08:45.396 --> 00:08:51.111
allowing you to safely use smaller wiring that’s sized according to the device’s needs.

00:08:51.111 --> 00:08:53.189
If you put in a 7A fuse,

00:08:53.189 --> 00:08:56.423
well then that fuse will blow before the wire gets overloaded.

00:08:56.423 --> 00:08:57.622
Simple.

00:08:57.622 --> 00:08:58.582
Trouble is?

00:08:58.582 --> 00:09:00.864
We don’t do that over here.

00:09:00.864 --> 00:09:04.342
This extension cord has 16 gauge wire in it,

00:09:04.342 --> 00:09:08.762
and it’s only rated for 1,625 watts, or 13 amps.

00:09:08.762 --> 00:09:09.757
And yet,

00:09:09.965 --> 00:09:13.363
it has nothing to stop you from exceeding that.

00:09:13.363 --> 00:09:14.864
Isn’t that lovely?

00:09:14.864 --> 00:09:18.705
Even a 12 amp load, which is technically OK to put on this,

00:09:18.705 --> 00:09:21.424
makes the cord disconcertingly warm.

00:09:21.424 --> 00:09:23.897
But on any otherwise unloaded circuit,

00:09:23.897 --> 00:09:28.726
you can still pull at least another three amps through here without the breaker tripping.

00:09:28.726 --> 00:09:31.327
As far as it's concerned, well there’s nothing wrong.

00:09:31.327 --> 00:09:34.864
15 amps are on the wires in the walls, which is OK.

00:09:34.864 --> 00:09:37.697
But it’s not OK here.

00:09:37.697 --> 00:09:41.962
Keep a wire overloaded for too long and it will get very hot.

00:09:42.010 --> 00:09:45.001
And since flammable stuff may be around it,

00:09:45.001 --> 00:09:47.326
well that can easily start a fire.

00:09:47.326 --> 00:09:51.021
In fact, the wire’s insulation itself is often flammable,

00:09:51.021 --> 00:09:55.547
so if you let it get hot enough it will just spontaneously combust.

00:09:55.547 --> 00:09:56.571
Fun!

00:09:56.571 --> 00:10:00.661
Oh, and even relatively slight overloads can be a problem.

00:10:00.661 --> 00:10:03.496
If you have a long cord coiled up like this,

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

00:10:08.370 --> 00:10:12.562
(and the fact that it’s surrounded by other warm bits of wire).

00:10:12.562 --> 00:10:16.139
This is a fire hazard that we’ve just decided is…

00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:17.821
fine, I guess.

00:10:17.821 --> 00:10:20.551
And it’s not limited to these cheap cords.

00:10:20.551 --> 00:10:24.723
Go to a hardware store and you’ll find plenty of “heavy-duty” looking cords

00:10:24.723 --> 00:10:27.100
that are in fact only 16 gauge.

00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:32.488
They cannot safely supply the entire amount
that the wiring in the walls can,

00:10:32.488 --> 00:10:37.094
which means it can be overloaded without your circuit
breakers intervening.

00:10:37.094 --> 00:10:38.650
And this is just…

00:10:38.650 --> 00:10:39.832
normal here.

00:10:39.832 --> 00:10:43.864
You’re just expected to know that this cord
is only rated for 13 amps,

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.

00:10:48.190 --> 00:10:50.289
It’s frankly bonkers.

00:10:50.289 --> 00:10:54.101
Oh, but it’s actually worse now that 20A circuits are so prevalent.

00:10:54.101 --> 00:10:58.195
Don’t get me wrong, 20A circuits are largely a great thing.

00:10:58.195 --> 00:11:01.233
They allow for much greater flexibility in individual rooms,

00:11:01.233 --> 00:11:05.591
especially in the kitchen where nearly everything is a high-power device.

00:11:05.591 --> 00:11:08.734
But consider something like this power strip.

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.

00:11:14.553 --> 00:11:17.531
Its limit and the circuit’s limit are the same,

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.

00:11:23.696 --> 00:11:26.001
That’s ideally how everything should work.

00:11:26.001 --> 00:11:32.612
But on a 20A circuit you can now severely
overload this without the circuit breaker caring.

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.

00:11:38.084 --> 00:11:41.246
The outlets in this room are on a 20A circuit.

00:11:41.246 --> 00:11:44.601
So I could plug a space heater into this.

00:11:44.601 --> 00:11:48.130
And also another one on medium.

00:11:48.130 --> 00:11:53.188
That is now 20 amps going through a cord which is only rated for 13.

00:11:53.188 --> 00:11:55.007
It’s a very dangerous situation,

00:11:55.007 --> 00:11:58.939
especially if the cord is near anything flammable like, oh I dunno,

00:11:58.939 --> 00:11:59.972
curtains.

00:11:59.972 --> 00:12:00.665
Carpet.

00:12:00.665 --> 00:12:01.667
A sofa.

00:12:01.667 --> 00:12:03.624
Stuff that goes in houses.

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.

00:12:09.347 --> 00:12:13.018
Complicating things further is that you don’t necessarily even know

00:12:13.018 --> 00:12:16.325
what circuits are 20 amps and which ones aren’t.

00:12:16.768 --> 00:12:19.892
This is a NEMA 5-15 receptacle.

00:12:19.892 --> 00:12:22.845
It’s the normal one you find everywhere here.

00:12:22.845 --> 00:12:27.030
And this is a NEMA 5-20R receptacle.

00:12:27.030 --> 00:12:30.264
You will only find these on 20A circuits.

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.

00:12:36.178 --> 00:12:39.673
You basically never see this plug outside
of commercial settings

00:12:39.673 --> 00:12:44.755
as it’s reserved for devices which actually need more than
15A to operate.

00:12:44.755 --> 00:12:51.123
But, you aren’t always required to use NEMA
5-20R receptacles on 20 amp circuits.

00:12:51.123 --> 00:12:55.514
In fact, if I’m reading things right, you almost never have to.

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.

00:13:01.852 --> 00:13:07.570
Which, because duplex receptacles are the
norm here, there pretty much always is.

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,

00:13:12.693 --> 00:13:15.573
and we don’t put protection on things like
extension cords

00:13:15.573 --> 00:13:16.983
so really it’s just a mess.

00:13:16.983 --> 00:13:18.239
It’s terrible.

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.

00:13:24.268 --> 00:13:27.334
So, how do we manage with this terribleness?

00:13:27.631 --> 00:13:28.306
Fear.

00:13:29.036 --> 00:13:34.398
If there’s one aspect of electrical safety
that has successfully permeated through American culture,

00:13:34.398 --> 00:13:37.921
it’s that plugging things into other things is dangerous.

00:13:37.921 --> 00:13:39.992
It’s practically a trope at this point.

00:13:39.992 --> 00:13:42.953
And frankly, this is almost too effective.

00:13:42.953 --> 00:13:44.977
When I revealed the details of this set

00:13:44.977 --> 00:13:47.721
I showed the cabinet of power strips that everything’s plugged into

00:13:47.721 --> 00:13:49.653
and y’all freaked out!

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,

00:13:55.705 --> 00:13:57.562
barely more than 2 amps.

00:13:57.562 --> 00:14:02.045
The whole thing could easily be run through
a cheap extension cord like this.

00:14:02.697 --> 00:14:04.615
This is not actually dangerous.

00:14:04.615 --> 00:14:09.166
But lots of people see this and cringe, which frankly is great.

00:14:09.166 --> 00:14:11.773
If we can’t do things right on the infrastructure side,

00:14:11.773 --> 00:14:15.262
we can at least make people leery of doing stuff like this.

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.

00:14:21.701 --> 00:14:25.338
If you’ve ever been in a reasonably modern American home,

00:14:25.338 --> 00:14:28.296
you’ll probably have noticed that there are outlets.

00:14:28.296 --> 00:14:29.536
Everywhere.

00:14:30.005 --> 00:14:35.019
The purpose of this is to minimize the need
for extension cords in the first place.

00:14:35.019 --> 00:14:38.942
Because the folks at the NEC recognize that these are bad.

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

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.

00:14:51.125 --> 00:14:52.342
But guys.

00:14:52.342 --> 00:14:53.840
I gotta ask.

00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:58.952
Have you considered, maybe, making extension
cords less bad?

00:14:58.952 --> 00:15:02.208
This place follows those outlet-spacing guidelines

00:15:02.208 --> 00:15:04.521
but I still use extension cords.

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.

00:15:09.199 --> 00:15:12.926
It’s nice to be able to plug in a lamp,
phone charger, and another thing

00:15:12.926 --> 00:15:17.900
while leaving the other outlet free for a laptop or a vacuum
cleaner or whatever.

00:15:17.900 --> 00:15:20.240
These aren’t going away, is the point.

00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:22.335
They’re just too convenient.

00:15:22.335 --> 00:15:25.830
Really, we should have been copying the Brits this entire time.

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.

00:15:32.817 --> 00:15:36.000
In fact, we’ve already done that!

00:15:36.997 --> 00:15:42.020
These weedy little plugs in our Christmas lights contain fuses.

00:15:42.020 --> 00:15:45.205
Christmas lights are cost-cut to a ridiculous degree

00:15:45.205 --> 00:15:49.016
and have something absurd like 22 gauge wiring going through them

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.

00:15:54.838 --> 00:15:59.446
That’s why I said Christmas lights are a
safer extension cord than most extension cords.

00:15:59.446 --> 00:16:02.465
They actually have overcurrent protection.

00:16:03.325 --> 00:16:06.989
Granted, they don’t work so well as extension
cords

00:16:06.989 --> 00:16:09.639
since they’re usually not polarized but hey.

00:16:10.915 --> 00:16:11.829
The point remains.

00:16:13.262 --> 00:16:16.329
Frankly, if we’re gonna keep selling extension cords like this

00:16:16.329 --> 00:16:20.735
that can’t even carry the minimum current of our smallest circuits,

00:16:20.735 --> 00:16:23.595
maybe we oughta put fuses in them.

00:16:23.595 --> 00:16:27.161
Ideally it would go here so it protects the length of the wire,

00:16:27.161 --> 00:16:30.569
but I’ll settle for putting it in the other end if it makes things easier.

00:16:30.569 --> 00:16:34.616
Sure, if suddenly we were like “extension cords need fuses now!”

00:16:34.616 --> 00:16:38.142
that would be confusing (heh) and annoying to a lot of folks,

00:16:38.142 --> 00:16:40.890
but it would be a heckuva lot safer.

00:16:40.890 --> 00:16:43.608
And fuses are very, very cheap.

00:16:43.608 --> 00:16:46.058
It wouldn’t add much cost to the cord set,

00:16:46.058 --> 00:16:50.365
and if people are using them correctly they’re unlikely to blow in the first place.

00:16:50.365 --> 00:16:53.663
And for what it’s worth, power strips aren’t
always terrible.

00:16:53.663 --> 00:16:56.800
Lots of them - but certainly not all, to be clear -

00:16:56.800 --> 00:17:00.035
actually incorporate circuit breakers of their own.

00:17:00.035 --> 00:17:04.230
Ever notice that the switch says “reset” opposite of "off"? 

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.

00:17:09.840 --> 00:17:10.426
Look.

00:17:10.426 --> 00:17:14.106
I plug two space heaters into this and it trips.

00:17:14.106 --> 00:17:19.101
Now, lots of people will say “never plug a space heater into a power strip”

00:17:19.101 --> 00:17:21.318
and honestly that’s not terrible advice.

00:17:21.318 --> 00:17:23.999
A lot of these are made quite cheaply and they do get…

00:17:23.999 --> 00:17:25.710
kinda melty sometimes.

00:17:25.710 --> 00:17:28.463
But the effort is at least often made.

00:17:28.463 --> 00:17:30.747
Now here’s where I step back and ask,

00:17:30.747 --> 00:17:33.313
how bad is this really?

00:17:33.313 --> 00:17:37.441
How many house fires are started due to an
overloaded cord or power strip?

00:17:38.379 --> 00:17:41.165
In fact, I don’t think we know!

00:17:41.165 --> 00:17:43.796
It looks like it might not be that many.

00:17:43.796 --> 00:17:47.438
According to a 2019 report by the National Fire Protection Association,

00:17:47.438 --> 00:17:52.254
only about 10% of fires can be blamed on electrical distribution
and lighting equipment,

00:17:52.254 --> 00:17:56.133
of which only 11% can be blamed on cords or plugs,

00:17:56.133 --> 00:18:01.517
and further of that subset only 12% could be blamed on overloaded equipment.

00:18:01.517 --> 00:18:04.795
So, we’re talking 12% of 11% of 10%.

00:18:04.795 --> 00:18:08.120
Or about a tenth of a percent of all fires.

00:18:08.120 --> 00:18:12.287
However, I personally take issue with this particular study because

00:18:12.287 --> 00:18:17.816
“electrical failure and malfunction” is really, really, vague.

00:18:17.816 --> 00:18:22.794
And that category gets a huge proportion of
all the known fires which makes me think

00:18:22.794 --> 00:18:24.677
it may not mean a whole lot.

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.

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

00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:36.176
and I don’t know what exactly it can tell us.

00:18:36.176 --> 00:18:41.231
The report even says 50% of these fires are
of unclassified cause so, frankly,

00:18:41.231 --> 00:18:45.065
I don’t know how useful this study is for this particular
discussion.

00:18:45.065 --> 00:18:46.982
And in fairness, I get it.

00:18:46.982 --> 00:18:49.782
Investigating the cause of a fire is tricky
when

00:18:49.782 --> 00:18:52.483
everything was on fire at one point.

00:18:52.483 --> 00:18:55.696
This whole “electrical failure, malfunction”
category

00:18:55.696 --> 00:18:59.160
also finds its way into this FEMA study where it accounts for

00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:02.511
88% of electrical fires!

00:19:02.511 --> 00:19:04.338
...what?

00:19:04.338 --> 00:19:05.235
Again.

00:19:05.235 --> 00:19:09.001
I’m gonna stress that I am a person on the internet with a Google.

00:19:09.001 --> 00:19:11.515
This is speculation and conjecture, nothing more.

00:19:11.515 --> 00:19:16.278
But this study also says that in almost 31%
of electrical fires,

00:19:16.278 --> 00:19:20.597
electrical wire or cable insulation was the first thing ignited.

00:19:20.597 --> 00:19:24.167
Annoyingly, though, that could mean cable in the walls, or lamp cords.

00:19:24.167 --> 00:19:25.060
Who knows.

00:19:25.060 --> 00:19:29.481
However we do see up here that only 8.7% of
electrical fires

00:19:29.481 --> 00:19:33.045
start in a wall cavity or concealed space, which,

00:19:33.045 --> 00:19:35.544
if my grasp of math is at all intact,

00:19:35.544 --> 00:19:40.595
means the majority of cable and wire-related fires occur outside the wall.

00:19:40.595 --> 00:19:45.968
Which frankly makes sense because that’s
beyond what a circuit breaker is designed to manage.

00:19:45.968 --> 00:19:48.645
The only conclusion I feel comfortable making
here

00:19:48.645 --> 00:19:52.474
is that I don’t have enough information to come to a meaningful conclusion.

00:19:52.474 --> 00:19:54.883
I don’t think this isn’t a problem,

00:19:54.883 --> 00:19:58.597
especially since 20A circuits are so common these days,

00:19:58.597 --> 00:20:02.105
but in all likelihood it’s probably still a small one.

00:20:02.105 --> 00:20:06.916
People are well-trained to be leery of overloading stuff, for the most part.

00:20:06.916 --> 00:20:11.825
As it is, electrical problems are by no means
the leading cause of house fires,

00:20:11.825 --> 00:20:15.191
accounting for only 13% in the US.

00:20:15.191 --> 00:20:19.760
But I do think it’s telling that the NEC
is making us put outlets everywhere

00:20:19.760 --> 00:20:25.579
so that we don’t need to - or shouldn’t need to - use
extension cords.

00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:28.201
It seems we know that they’re dangerous

00:20:28.201 --> 00:20:33.027
but are addressing that danger in what I would call an insufficient way.

00:20:33.027 --> 00:20:36.805
I understand the impulse to eliminate the need for extension cords

00:20:36.805 --> 00:20:40.148
which would in theory nip the problem in the bud.

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,

00:20:45.735 --> 00:20:49.010
but because it’s a cheap and convenient
splitter.

00:20:49.010 --> 00:20:53.007
I think the problem at hand is imagined incorrectly,

00:20:53.007 --> 00:20:55.140
so the solution doesn’t fit.

00:20:55.140 --> 00:21:00.393
I would say we should consider addressing
the danger of the thing itself,

00:21:00.393 --> 00:21:03.649
and not try to reduce the need for the thing.

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.

00:21:09.267 --> 00:21:13.867
Our electrical safety isn’t exactly… great.

00:21:13.867 --> 00:21:15.938
I don’t think it’s awful by any means

00:21:15.938 --> 00:21:19.105
and it does continue to get better year over year,

00:21:19.105 --> 00:21:22.991
but we could do with an examination of all these items.

00:21:22.991 --> 00:21:26.208
If you’re smart about how you use extension
cords,

00:21:26.208 --> 00:21:27.672
you really don’t need to worry.

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

00:21:34.114 --> 00:21:38.468
once it leaves the wall and not doing anything
to prevent overloading it.

00:21:38.468 --> 00:21:41.145
And frankly, this isn’t even limited to extension cords.

00:21:41.145 --> 00:21:45.963
As far as I’m concerned everything should be protected by a user-replaceable fuse

00:21:45.963 --> 00:21:48.750
sized for its cord set and purpose.

00:21:48.750 --> 00:21:49.604
You know.

00:21:49.604 --> 00:21:51.160
Reasonable precaution.

00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:52.568
What a concept!

00:21:52.568 --> 00:21:53.926
Anyway, for now,

00:21:53.926 --> 00:21:57.068
just be smart with extension cords and power strips.

00:21:57.068 --> 00:22:00.817
Be sure to use one that’s appropriate for
whatever you need to do with it.

00:22:00.817 --> 00:22:02.875
And to be clear,

00:22:02.875 --> 00:22:06.383
I use these cheap ones all the time,

00:22:06.383 --> 00:22:10.994
it’s not like I have anything against them or consider them terrifyingly dangerous

00:22:10.994 --> 00:22:14.641
It’s just… there’s a component of risk to their use

00:22:14.641 --> 00:22:19.622
that I feel should be more widely known and, hopefully one day, addressed.

00:22:21.267 --> 00:22:24.489
To close out, here’s that language quirk
I mentioned in the beginning.

00:22:24.489 --> 00:22:27.046
It has to do with the word “safer.”

00:22:27.046 --> 00:22:29.618
See, here’s what I said in that original video.

00:22:29.618 --> 00:22:34.065
In any given scenario where one is receiving
an electric shock,

00:22:34.065 --> 00:22:38.921
a lower voltage is safer than a higher one when all other factors are the same.

00:22:38.921 --> 00:22:47.170
Therefore, 120V could (and I would say should) be considered safer than 240V.

00:22:47.170 --> 00:22:49.364
Now, here’s where things get wonky.

00:22:49.364 --> 00:22:54.752
I use the word “safer” synonymously with “less dangerous.”

00:22:54.752 --> 00:22:59.961
Just as how I think extension cords would
be safer if they had fuses.

00:22:59.961 --> 00:23:04.436
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they
would be 100% safe.

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.

00:23:11.800 --> 00:23:13.934
I found out because people told me!

00:23:13.934 --> 00:23:18.926
And the thing is, that’s just not at all how that word functions for me!

00:23:19.603 --> 00:23:23.109
I use it literally as a stand-in for “less dangerous.”

00:23:23.109 --> 00:23:25.342
Or perhaps "less risky."

00:23:25.342 --> 00:23:28.829
Like how driving 100 miles an hour with your
headlights on

00:23:28.829 --> 00:23:32.925
is safer than driving the same speed in the dark.

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.

00:23:37.812 --> 00:23:41.177
It’s just safer than doing 100 by moonlight.

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.

00:23:47.045 --> 00:23:48.688
So… yeah.

00:23:48.688 --> 00:23:51.924
I actually was genuinely delighted to hear
this explanation

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.

00:23:55.903 --> 00:24:02.144
And I am absolutely in agreement that the shock-mitigation efforts in 240V countries

00:24:02.144 --> 00:24:05.418
are by and large much better than ours.

00:24:05.418 --> 00:24:08.255
It’s stupidly easy to get a shock here.

00:24:08.255 --> 00:24:11.950
Seriously. Just hold a plug wrong and you’ll get a tingle.

00:24:11.950 --> 00:24:17.572
So I’m not saying that our electrical system is safer than your electrical system.

00:24:17.572 --> 00:24:19.746
Because it’s undeniably not.

00:24:19.746 --> 00:24:23.131
But I am saying that, because the voltage is lower,

00:24:23.131 --> 00:24:27.059
electric shocks are less likely to be fatal over here.

00:24:27.059 --> 00:24:31.577
And that’s why our efforts to prevent them
are half-assed.

00:24:31.577 --> 00:24:35.427
The voltage itself is safer, as in less dangerous.

00:24:35.427 --> 00:24:39.402
The electrical system as a whole though sure isn’t.

00:24:39.402 --> 00:24:41.259
Anyway, toodles!

00:24:42.249 --> 00:24:44.713
♫ overloadedly smooth jazz ♫

00:24:45.104 --> 00:24:47.317
It couldn’t care less about you and your..

00:24:47.317 --> 00:24:48.399
Shoot!

00:24:48.399 --> 00:24:52.071
Circuit breakers like these are over-
[thud]

00:24:52.670 --> 00:24:54.777
Well, that wasn’t nice.

00:24:55.038 --> 00:24:57.034
...igniting a wall stud or whatever,

00:24:57.034 --> 00:24:59.328
but that’s a … blpppt.

00:25:02.767 --> 00:25:04.400
Would you please stop doing that?

00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:07.821
This is a NEMA 5-20R receptacle,

00:25:07.821 --> 00:25:09.228
and I’m holding it upside down.

00:25:11.651 --> 00:25:14.940
You can tell that I start every shoot with everything I need.

00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:16.745
Right?

00:25:17.110 --> 00:25:19.124
I don’t think it’s awful by any means,

00:25:19.124 --> 00:25:21.949
and it does continue to de get de be de de de de bu debba du

00:25:21.949 --> 00:25:25.358
And especially… these.

00:25:26.348 --> 00:25:28.084
And I only got the one.

00:25:28.084 --> 00:25:29.792
Oh well.

00:25:31.121 --> 00:25:32.478
Hi.

00:25:32.478 --> 00:25:34.578
It's the end.

00:25:34.578 --> 00:25:37.597
As in, the part where the video stops.

00:25:37.597 --> 00:25:40.376
Now you can watch something else.

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?

00:25:45.888 --> 00:25:46.970
Just a suggestion.