• wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Strand of exterior lights, one end male plug one female. Idiots start to mount the lights with the female end near their outlet. Get done, become confused, go to store for male to male cord to plug into female end.

      The female end is for chaining multiple strands, not for supplying power (directly) from the power socket.

      • tyler@programming.dev
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        3 months ago

        The power can go through the female end just fine, that’s not the problem. The problem is people plug this “suicide cable” into the wall first, thus creating a 120v taser of sorts. Like someone else in this thread said, the only problem from cables like that is people tend to try to backfeed energy into the system with a generator or solar panels. Boom.

        • fraksken@infosec.pub
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          3 months ago

          Also, at the end of the chain there is a male terminal exposed with live current. Could cause a fire I guess.

        • RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 months ago

          So is the problem solved by not plugging it into a powered wall plug? Just like… flick the switch off, like you would a light switch before changing a bulb?

          • bjorney@lemmy.ca
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            3 months ago

            Yes, but if someone trips over the cord there is a 50% chance the wrong side comes unplugged and potentially kills them, hence why they don’t make these cords

        • starelfsc2@sh.itjust.works
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          3 months ago

          Every Christmas light string I have seen has had a small fuse inside of the plug, so even if you managed to get a female plug full of water or something and somehow manage to get shocked before a breaker trips in the outlet, you’re probably just going to blow the fuse.

          • SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Every Christmas light I’ve ever seen were all low voltage. The last Christmas light that was directly into main power instead of having a power convertor plug was decades ago. I guess that’s EU regulations at work.

        • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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          3 months ago

          You cam cover them with electric tape or put a cover on them. It’s nobmore dangerous than your home’s exterior outlets though.

          • AItoothbrush
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            3 months ago

            Homes exterior outlets??? It might be europe but we dont have neither of those seemingly pretty dangerous things.

            • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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              3 months ago

              I’m going to assume you are English, since they seem to have extreme fear of electric shocks. But there is never any issue with exterior outlets. 99% of them have covers like this and are no nore dangerous that light switches on a patio or in your bathroom.

              • AItoothbrush
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                3 months ago

                The places where i lived for longer times are hungary, sweden and ireland. Ireland has the same plug as the uk, and in hungary and sweden its the general eu plug. While the plug you linked does seem mostly safe, i think its a good thing that the uk takes electrical safety seriously. My main problem with the female plug is its a christmas tree that can catch on fire and i dont think an exposed wire near it is a good idea. If the cover is required in some way to complete the circuit then i have no problem with it. Thats good design but the sad thing is most of times they skip the good design part.

                • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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                  3 months ago

                  Thr cover doesn’t complete the circuit, it just prevents debris getting into the socket. An extension cord doesn’t have a cover on the female end and it is completely safe, just like an outlet in a bathroom or a surge protector.

                  • AItoothbrush
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                    3 months ago

                    Ok but an extension chord isnt on a TREE. If the breaker trips or the fuse blows the tree is already on fire.

    • youRFate@feddit.org
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      3 months ago

      Their lights usually have a plug on one end and a socket on the other. Ppl put them around the exterior of their hoses, then realise they did it the wrong way, and the socket end is near the outlet they wanted to plug them in.

      Or they mounted two strands of lights, and where they meet up it’s either 2 plugs or two sockets accidentally.