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CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

cpsc.gov

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Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#221

Post by bluGill »

aequitas wrote: post #139
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Likely due to neutral not being tied to a cold water pipe.

In my country (NL) it is advised against that (though it used to be common practice), since a bit of water pipe running from your house might have been replaced with a plastic one and the metal bit still sticking out into your house might not have the proper ground resistance to function as a proper earth wire.

The US used to allow metal pipes to be counted as a ground connection, but not anyway. The US requires metal pipes be connected to ground, but that is not the same as the neutral to ground connection.

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#222

Post by ornornor »

donmcronald wrote: post #207
hedora wrote: post #145

The correct solution here is for the courts to treat Amazon like a retailer. If your local hardware store sells you one of these, then they (assuming the manufacturer cannot be found) assume liability for whatever damage it does.

Exactly. You order it from Amazon, you pay Amazon, it's shipped in an Amazon box, and arrives on an Amazon truck, but they aren't liable for anything because you didn't buy it from Amazon.

Amazon gets away with so much it’s not even funny. What a joke.

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#223

Post by riffic »

TIPSIO wrote: post #74
kevinmchugh wrote: post #39

There's a wonderful kind of writing that pops up at hardware stores in response to annual searches for suicide cables. A couple examples here https://twitter.com/kobunheat/status/1336134415336964096 THESE ARE NOT MADE THEY SHOULD NEVER BE MADE has the kind of direct clarity of existential risk that they sought for with "This is not a place of honor. Nothing of value is here."

Really interesting... What are people doing with their lights where this would ever come up though? Edit: From reddit, a use case is found [1]: > They’re actually used my law enforcement whenever they do a raid and seize a computer. If they turn the computer off, they’ll have to try and get past a password. And if the hard drive is encrypted, they’re basically SOL. > This can be a real issue for things like drug deal…

cops doing cop stuff. best and the brightest members of society, right?

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#224

Post by angrygoat »

NotYourLawyer wrote: post #143
angrygoat wrote: post #78

I've been shocked by one of these – I was setting up some computers, asked for an extension cord, got handed a male-to-male cord. Didn't notice until I plugged one end in, and grabbed the other while fishing around for it while looking. It never occurred to me that it might be male on both ends. The shock was very painful but the RCD tripped and saved my life. I'm quite grateful to the regulators here in Australia th…

Interesting. I’ve never tried it out, but I assumed that an RCD / GFCI would trip more or less instantaneously. I’m kind of surprised you felt much of anything.

It's quite a few years ago now, but the thing I remember was pain in the moment, and then very sore muscles in my hand and arm, presumably because the muscles were convulsed by the shock. I was sore for a couple of days and then I was fine.

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#225

Post by rsync »

amluto wrote: post #170
sokoloff wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are reasonably priced (under $100, though not under $3 like a common receptacle) male power inlets. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Reliance-Controls-30-Amp-Power-I... is the first one I found on Google (4-wire for 240V center-tapped), but there are many, including a 120V version: https://www.amazon.com/Leviton-5278-CWP-Straight-Flanged-Rec... Even these, if hardwired to the building's service, represent some risk,…

The correct low-budget way to connect one of these is using an interlock kit: https://www.se.com/us/en/product/HOMCGK2C/load-center-access... You need the inlet, the kit, and a correctly sized breaker that is suitable for backfeeding.

Yes!

Not only is a mechanical interlock a code-compliant method to properly protect downstream line workers but it is also a simple and comprehensible component that costs very little and never breaks.

We have a whole-house generator connected to our main panel and I made a very deliberate decision not to add the complexity and fragility of an automatic transfer switch. The little metal tab will always work and nobody will ever be confused.

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#226

Post by bluGill »

londons_explore wrote: post #137

Thought experiment: Could you make one of these wires that is safe? I think you'd have to start with human rated GFCI... Current GFCI systems aren't human rated (ie. they might fail, and should only be used as a secondary safety feature, not the primary way to stop the user touching the electricity).

No GFCI needed to create this.

Start with a plastic cover for the end so that you can't touch the plug when it is not plugged in.

Next design an an outlet that retracts the cover above only when the main breaker is turned off. (this implies the outlet is built into your circuit box)

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#227

Post by breakingcups »

TIPSIO wrote: post #74
kevinmchugh wrote: post #39

There's a wonderful kind of writing that pops up at hardware stores in response to annual searches for suicide cables. A couple examples here https://twitter.com/kobunheat/status/1336134415336964096 THESE ARE NOT MADE THEY SHOULD NEVER BE MADE has the kind of direct clarity of existential risk that they sought for with "This is not a place of honor. Nothing of value is here."

Really interesting... What are people doing with their lights where this would ever come up though? Edit: From reddit, a use case is found [1]: > They’re actually used my law enforcement whenever they do a raid and seize a computer. If they turn the computer off, they’ll have to try and get past a password. And if the hard drive is encrypted, they’re basically SOL. > This can be a real issue for things like drug deal…

If they're specially designed, they should have a specialized cable..

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#228

Post by mindslight »

xani_ wrote: post #138
falcrist wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Electricity is like magic to most people. If you ask around you'll find that folks don't have the vaguest idea how it works. All they know is "plug it in and it turns on". These people are eating and sleeping inches from voltages that could easily kill them. Safety measures are fairly good (even with the terrible US plugs), but safety devices can only go so far. I would strongly encourage that everyone (even those wh…

Water analogues kinda assumes you somehow know hydraulics but not electrics tho.

I've used fluid analogies for intuition, even working as a professional design engineer. It's much easier to feel flow, pressure, momentum, etc than try to develop an independent intuition based solely on equations.

I'm actually starting to learn hydraulics at the moment and it's a head trip. I know these schematic symbols must have some kind of method to them, but what. Also all of these components are just created by drilling holes in metal blocks? One simple trick manufacturers don't want you to know.

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#229

Post by andrew_ »

oliveshell wrote: post #218
a2tech wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats why I made one. I've upgraded now to a proper panel setup for my generator, but it was a quick and simple solution in the moment.

For anyone who doesn’t see why this is a bad idea: If you plug your generator in like this, you can backfeed the step-down transformers in your neighborhood, which then step up the voltage from your generator and energize your local utility lines with potentially several thousand volts. This can be a nasty surprise for utility workers trying to restore power to what they think are de-energized wires.

In Florida there are specific legal penalties for injury from this, due to prolific generator use. The simple solution is to turn off the main breaker before plugging in the generator to the home/building. Interlock kits [1] are widely available and can be used with a secondary breaker that an auxiliary male plug can feed.

[1] https://interlockkit.com/

Re: CPSC warns consumers to stop using male-to-male extension cords sold on Amazon

#230

Post by andrew_ »

flyinghamster wrote: post #169

I've heard of these referred to as "Jesus cords," as in you're going to meet Him soon if you mishandle it. But really, if you're going to hook your house up to a generator, you should have a proper transfer switch installed. You don't want to risk energizing the neighborhood distribution lines by feeding power into them. Those transformers work both ways.

An interlock kit and appropriate aux plug box is also legal and code in many places. An expensive transfer switch is not required.
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