610
A genius solution! (startrek.website)
submitted 2 years ago by The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website to c/memes@lemmy.world
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[-] spicytuna62@lemmy.world 77 points 2 years ago

I'm calling fake now.

Christmas lights, if made correctly, should have a fuse. These cords aren't made to handle the full 20A the breaker can. They usually cap somewhere around 3A. Nothing is stopping you from plugging a two prong 12A vacuum cleaner into them. So if you actually tried that, you'd blow the fuse in your lights before you tripped the breaker.

This is how 16 gauge extension cords should be made, too. Unfortunately, they aren't, and people light those up all the time.

Either that, or here goes Amazon, once again not vetting the shit they sell, and selling average intelligence people fire hazards.

[-] DannyMac@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago

Also, I think the lights would be perfectly happy being plugged in like that because they are LEDs. I don't know how many it would take stacked like that before you would have trouble, but I feel like it would be a lot more.

[-] DocMcStuffin@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

I was comparing lights two weeks ago. The sets I was looking at had 150 bulbs. The manufacturer recommended a max of 4 incandescent strings in series. For led it was 30 in series. Led only draws around 7 watts each.

[-] nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 years ago

Yeah and 7watts at 120 volts is only around 60mA. To get to a standard home circuit’s 15 amps (15,000mA) would take 250 LED strings. There may be some inrush current, but not of there are resistors in the led sets (every set I own has em).

[-] EatYouWell@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

The fuse doesn't matter. Those LEDs draw like 69W per 1k LEDs. You'd need about 12,000ft of lights to pass 20A

[-] nomecks@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

15a plug socket, 20a breaker. Fake.

[-] spicytuna62@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Actually, many houses are built this way. My house has 15A receptacles on 20A circuits. I don't agree with it. The breaker should always be the weakest point. But the NEC (section 210.21) allows you to put 15A receptacles on 20A circuits as long as you use a duplex receptacle OR there are multiple simplex receptacles on the circuit.

This kind of thing is why code requires washing machines to have their own dedicated circuits, but you always find a duplex receptacle where the washing machine goes. It's not for your convenience. It's the most cost-effective way to pass code.

[-] QuinceDaPence@kbin.social 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

As long as the wiring is good for 20A it's fine. Also if you break open a 15A recepticle a lot of them have the 20A contacts in there as well since it's the same unit just with a different face.

[-] nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yeah, I wonder if anyone makes a UL listed 15A receptacle that don’t have a safety factor well over 20A.

What it really comes down to though, is as long as code allows it, your ok.

[-] banneryear1868@lemmy.world 67 points 2 years ago

They would still trip in this case

[-] Luci@lemmy.ca 49 points 2 years ago

Yeah, the switch isn't the breaker it's just the reset is my understanding.

[-] lugal@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 years ago

So would this reset immediately or not reset at all?

[-] GrayBoltWolf@lemmy.world 35 points 2 years ago

Not at all, it has to be flipped off before you can turn it back on.

[-] QuinceDaPence@kbin.social 10 points 2 years ago

When a breaker pops the switch moves to the middle, to reset, you have to turn it all the way off and then back on. If it's in the middle and you go straight to on then it's just springy and nothing happens, and it moves back to the middle.

So yeah, ruins the joke but nothing's compromised here.

[-] Gambler@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago

That actually is good context tho. Ive sometimes turned a switch from middle to on and wondered why it did nothing and then turned them all off and on and it worked. I assumed i was flipping the wrong switch

[-] lugal@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago

Thanks!

So yeah, ruins the joke but nothing's compromised here.

I wouldn't say you ruined the joke but used it as an opportunity to teach. Thanks again

[-] grue@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

...over the stack of plugs sticking so far out from the wall.

[-] EatYouWell@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

I highly doubt those LEDs are drawing over 20A in the first place. Those lights only draw like 0.2W per ft, or 69W per 1k LEDs.

You'd need nearly 35,000 LEDs, or about 12,000ft of lights to trip the breaker.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 years ago

Yeah the best option is to just bypass the breaker box completely.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 66 points 2 years ago

Fun fact: holding the breaker in the closed position don't stop it from kicking off.

[-] danielbln@lemmy.world 30 points 2 years ago

And that's just smart design, so you don't get fried if the breaker or RCD is physically blocked or is wilfully held in place, like with hillbilly Bob over here.

[-] dipshit@lemmy.world 52 points 2 years ago

~~Electricians~~ Fire departments hate this one weird trick!

[-] thesilverpig@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago

Electricians either have and easy service call or a new contract to wire a new house. Win win.

[-] InEnduringGrowStrong@sh.itjust.works 48 points 2 years ago

I really do like the festive warm glow of a bonfire more than LEDs.

[-] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 years ago

(Water those trees!)

[-] Lemjukes@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

Something something Technology Connections!

[-] oleorun@real.lemmy.fan 19 points 2 years ago

Nothing wrong with grounding the plastic breaker switch to the breaker box AND preventing the breaker from tripping. Genius work, genius.

(Note: sarcasm)

[-] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

Could be improved by placing a bucket of water nearby in case of an electrically caused fire.

[-] CalicoJack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 years ago

Worth noting, the breaker will still trip just fine if you do this. It'll just be more annoying to reset since you'd need to remove that wire first.

Still very stupid, just not in the way it seems at first glance. Pointless, but not dangerous.

[-] IWantToFuckSpez@kbin.social 17 points 2 years ago

That’s lit.

[-] franklin@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

I guess they need to get the chestnuts ready for that open fire they're about to have.

[-] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 years ago

I always wondered what those holes are for!

[-] Adubya@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

This is the sanest Lemmy user

[-] aeronmelon@lemm.ee 5 points 2 years ago

Every Christmas they find another fragment of that person and their house underneath the snow.

[-] Voyajer@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

In-wall radiative heating to boot!

[-] bruhduh@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Same vibes as 2kilowatt pc

[-] nick@midwest.social 2 points 2 years ago

Oh my god.

this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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