The US electrical system is not 120V

Рет қаралды 2,622,654

4 жыл бұрын

It's more than 120V. It's even more than the other 120V! It is the sum of the two (and sometimes a different two!) that makes us who we are. Learn about the US electrical system in this not-at-all snarky video!
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Пікірлер: 23 000

@TechnologyConnections 4 жыл бұрын

One of these days I'll tidy up that wire... A minor note; the thing about 208 being 86.7% isn't right for simple resistive loads like heating elements. You'll actually only get 75% the heat on 208! Power (watts) goes up with the square of the voltage. But, if something is designed specifically for 208, you can pull up to 86.7% what you could on 240 with the same amperage.

@caperdoodle 4 жыл бұрын

One day or day one.

@ceralor 4 жыл бұрын

Me to my DIY outdoor sensor wiring too.

@kylefox6115 4 жыл бұрын

Your neutral and ground wires are not looking to (current) code: 1. There are spots where two wires are under one screw. 2. The neutral and ground are not separated (yeah, I know, they are the same potential, but the code says they need to be separated... for reasons.). But the panel probably predates those changes. PS: Wear your electricians gloves when working on a live panel... including just poking at it with a meter.

@ChrisCaramia 4 жыл бұрын

The two wires under one screw is a definite no-no. In my area, however, both neutral and ground must be bonded to the box. It is ridiculous, but that is what the inspector demands.

@TheEDFLegacy 4 жыл бұрын

One day? Shocking.

@theslowmoguys 4 жыл бұрын

Sometimes when I watch these videos I feel like you’re attacking me personally.

@TechnologyConnections 4 жыл бұрын

Only with the kettles :)

@theslowmoguys 4 жыл бұрын

Technology Connections 😂

@dalleth 4 жыл бұрын

Shhh... You're one of us now.

@Gary-Goodridge 4 жыл бұрын

@@richkurtz6053 no good for tea.

@revengejr 4 жыл бұрын

@@richkurtz6053 or an electric powered instant hot tap by the kitchen sink. A tiny electric water heater lives under my sink and keep the water just below boiling. Holds enough for 5 or 6 cups of hot water. All on 120v

@OLITION 4 жыл бұрын

Technology Connections is the only place I go to learn about current events

@alenasenie6928 4 жыл бұрын

Well, depending your age you can go to the university next

@alio2269 4 жыл бұрын

👉🏾🚪

@cat-.- 4 жыл бұрын

Lmao

@menacegallagher7334 4 жыл бұрын

How does it feel to be the worst person alive?

@eliindy3851 4 жыл бұрын

Dad award 🥇

@coreykeesler7014 Жыл бұрын

As an American commercial electrician 15 years I usually steer very clear of videos like this for fear of yelling expletives at my screen because so many people just get so much wrong. BUT you sir have nailed it this is the best starting explanation video for basic electricity you never let me down keep up the good work also I’ll try not to be so pedantic about the 110-120 thing but it does drive me nuts especially seeing as how I’m most homes a voltage of 110 puts you above the range for allowable voltage drop (read inefficiency/dangerous)

@Shonicheck 6 ай бұрын

One of the reasons i like this channel so much - he tries to be as close to the truth as possible and do that while being as clear as possible and in most easy to digest way possible.

@werpu12 5 ай бұрын

Tell that to europe, we have real 230 v here in the outlets... and no it is not dangerous and inefficient! Well current always is dangerous even at 110 but also there are security measures in place every installation needs to have to keep people alive!

@hughleyton693 4 ай бұрын

What do you think has been nailed. ? . . . Not the energy down wires being carried int he E & M Fields.. . Derek is very wrong there.. . The Energy is in the moving ?Electrons INSIDE the wires.

@MattH-wg7ou 4 ай бұрын

@@hughleyton693 what? Can you try that again?

@TriCon3 4 ай бұрын

@@hughleyton693 You're thinking of Veritasium, go yell at him instead 😅

@Kevins-Philippine-Retirement Жыл бұрын

I am a retired electrical engineer and I will tell you this: Your explanations are very clear and concise. Thank you. I am glad I found. Your channel and have subscribed 😊

@larrymaloney877 Жыл бұрын

I take it you graduated last in your class.

@larrymaloney877 Жыл бұрын

must be a title, not a degree.

@elhsgiuloigtn 11 ай бұрын

@@larrymaloney877he’s retired

@MattH-wg7ou 10 ай бұрын

@@larrymaloney877wtf? Why the hostilities?

@MattH-wg7ou 10 ай бұрын

As a retired [wizard]. Fixed it for you. Electrical stuff has always been confusing to me for some reason.

@billy00001 4 жыл бұрын

I've occasionally wondered what a national power grid would look like if you could start again from scratch using current technology. No backwards compatibility, no infrastructure limitations, no analog TVs to sync.

@DeviantOllam 4 жыл бұрын

It would be heaven

@jeremyloveslinux 4 жыл бұрын

400v /230v three phase seems to be pretty good. Decent L-N voltage, high three phase voltage.

@Steets 4 жыл бұрын

Oh, it would be so worth it to resurrect Tesla right now, somebody get on that.

@avalonhamakei 4 жыл бұрын

DC everything, please.

@PaulMansfield 4 жыл бұрын

It used to be that you'd want higher frequency mains allowing smaller transformers etc, but now that switch mode supplies are the norm, that doesn't matter. Still, I'd probably go to 100Hz. Why three phase, why not four? --edit, fixed weird autocorrect

@AldrinAlbano 3 жыл бұрын

As a veteran US Navy Electronics Technician, your presentation, disclaimers and warnings are so ACCURATE!! Great JOB!! Thank you.

@TechGorilla1987 3 жыл бұрын

Orlando boot and BE&E school in San Diego. Came out of boot in 87.

@tjwatts100 3 жыл бұрын

His British wiring knowledge is spot on too. 👍👍👍

@Lambda_Ovine 3 жыл бұрын

That's among the coolest titles I've ever heard

@AldrinAlbano 3 жыл бұрын

@@Lambda_Ovine LOL!! Not sure if you're joking.. but yeah the Navy does have cool titles to brag about amongs ourselves ;)

@AldrinAlbano 3 жыл бұрын

@Kevin Tewey Kindly illuminate your opinion for the world, Sir!

@talpalababa5994 Жыл бұрын

Actually in Germany we typically have 3 phase power to our home. This means you have 3 powelines, 120° appart and one ground. Depending on how you connect these between eachother or to ground you get either 380V or three times 240V. Bigger machines like washing machines, driers, ovens etc. use the 380V three phase power. Other smaller machines, connected to the normal outlets, use the 240V single phase power. Usually the fuses for the main lines are 63A for each phase. There are other breakers like 125A, but these are not so common in normal households. Hosehold machines thypically have lines with 16A breakers. Bigger industrial machines use 32A lines ore less commonly 63A.

@chris_3729 11 ай бұрын

Yeah that's true for the most part but the voltages are 230V and 230VxSQR(3)=400V Fun fact the "normal" 230V plug is only rated for 10A consistently but u can still pull 16A for a short periode Greetings from an electrical engineer from Germany

@hughleyton693 9 ай бұрын

In Germany, the 3-phase is 400V. . . . Which naturally gives 230V Single-phase. . . ( For Americans, Single-phase is a SINGLE live line and Neutral. ) . . Not like their 2- phase 120/240V which is TWO Live lines and Neutral.

@tawnyforest7932 9 ай бұрын

The US 3-phase electrical wires carry 480V at 60HZ but usually only commercial and industrial uses get that much. But none of this matters. Everyone gets what they need which is the point of his video.

@hughleyton693 9 ай бұрын

@@tawnyforest7932 No they don't in America, that is what I am getting at . .. You cant get 120/240V directly from a 3-phase supply. . . From 3-phase, you can get 240/140V nasty for 120V loads. . . Or you can get 208/120V nasty for 240V loads.

@drfisheye 9 ай бұрын

Do you really use 3 phase power for washing machines in Germany? Most run just fine on 10A / 240V single phase. Your fuses are also pretty big at 63A. In the Netherlands we usually get 3 x 25A. More amps are possible, but at much higher monthly network charges.

@DumA2034 Жыл бұрын

As an electrician, I appreciate you and your humor. Found your channel a bit ago, and im going through your old videos. Its a gold mine of terrible jokes and education. Thank you for your service:)

@artiefischel2579 4 жыл бұрын

"This building is a single family home..." "Honey, did you hear that? Is someone downstairs?"

@MarkLoves2Fly 4 жыл бұрын

:D LOL

@silverhawkroman 3 жыл бұрын

That's a Tim and Eric skit in the making

@atzuras 3 жыл бұрын

oh he's the guy who took our laserdisk, our beta vcr and the old microwaves oven.

@robertcuminale1212 3 жыл бұрын

It must be a huge house according to that circuit panel and the number of breakers.

@KingdaToro 3 жыл бұрын

@@robertcuminale1212 Not necessarily. Newer code requires a lot more dedicated circuits than older code, and if he's got a bunch of 240v stuff (furnace, dryer, stove, water heater, car charger) it'll fill up fast.

@Taylorphotostudio 4 жыл бұрын

"We're just going to ignore three-phase for right now" *Angry entertainment electrician noises*

@TheEDFLegacy 4 жыл бұрын

Right?! XD

@fisqual 4 жыл бұрын

3 phase is best!!

@SupremeRuleroftheWorld 4 жыл бұрын

more like all europeans. my entire country has 25A 240v 3 phase in the home.

@KuraIthys 4 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeRuleroftheWorld my studio flat in the UK only had 2 phase power. But I'm sure the building as a whole had 3 phase. (since the usual approach is to split different pairs of 2 out of 3 phases to multiple buildings/units to balance the load on the 3 phase supply system.) Not sure what Australia is using, but I'd be surprised if it isn't also either 3 or 2 phase power to most homes...

@loulou53137 4 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeRuleroftheWorld yep even when individual houses are single phase as in the uk. We usually have one large 3 phase transformer per street.

@meenki347 Жыл бұрын

I like the way that you talk to the viewer like they're 3-year-old kids. And lots of great, on topic information without being condescending.

@41A2E 11 ай бұрын

I went to tech school for HVAC, and I was never really taught the difference between 208/240. Even my super awesome, smart, one-of-a-kind electrical instructor never really mentioned it(I learned a lot of other really valuable stuff from him though, and particularly have a better working knowledge of how motors work than most of the HVAC techs I work with, thanks to him) I had no idea that 208v was from 120v-3 phase. In my (limited) experience I've pretty much only worked with 240v-3 phase or split-phase120/240v and only ran across 208v once or twice, and had no clue why it was different. Thank you sir, I've learned something new today! Been watching your videos for a long time.

@k5sss Ай бұрын

What he doesn’t mention is that 120/208 is usually produced by stepping down a 277/480 utility feed. Commercial/industrial customers often use 480 for motors and 277 for lighting.

@MegaZeta Ай бұрын

@@k5sss What he doesn’t mention is an infinitely large set

@surferdude4487 3 жыл бұрын

When I heard that 60HZ hum, I thought, "Wow! Does this guy have a sub-station in his basement or are all of those breakers in desperate need of replacement?".

@pulsefel9210 3 жыл бұрын

i lived down the road from a substation...that was right next to a park and YMCA. always a constant hum even half a mile way. now that i dont live anywhere near one i find the quiet of night to be unsettling.

@rayh966 2 жыл бұрын

He fucked up and they're both in phase, so the hum is doubled.

@masheroz 2 жыл бұрын

@@pulsefel9210 I've got high voltage power lines near my house. You can hear them when you go outside.

@DanTDMJace 2 жыл бұрын

@@masheroz yes, same

@MarkARoutt 2 жыл бұрын

@@pulsefel9210 okay, so... Does this town happen to love Halloween?

@macedindu829 3 жыл бұрын

"But first, a quick reminder of what transformers do: they're more than meets the eye." Well memed, sir.

@stephensnell1379 2 жыл бұрын

Don't be dumb it's not a meme it's a real day video

@evanknight3629 2 жыл бұрын

@@stephensnell1379 Are you a transformer??

@CorwinPatrick 2 жыл бұрын

@@stephensnell1379 Star Scream thinks so too..

@jjbarajas5341 2 жыл бұрын

Good meme

@Graeme_Lastname 2 жыл бұрын

@Jeff Desert Mountains 250KV goes wherever it wants. :)

@silversonic1 9 ай бұрын

When I was a kid, my little brother decided to drop a penny behind the outlet cover in his room. It was an old 120 2-prong receptacle and that penny fell in just the right way to bridge the gap, my family was all surprised when we screamed. I'm not sure why, but I was the one who ran out, through the living room and kitchen to get to the breaker box. Being 10, I just turned everything off as quickly as I could. Needless to say, my dad pulled out the remains of the penny while replacing the outlet and it proved to be a good lesson to all of us. My dad doesn't neglect electrical repairs these days. Though I don't know why he never did anything about the one power switch in a place we lived in for a year that almost always shocked us. Well, actually I do. My dad was in terrible mental health during that time, so it took a lot out of him just to provide for us. He and my mom had split because of it, which honestly just made things worse, but that's all a different story. The electrical system in the US isn't something you should play around with. Thankfully I know some electricians, so I know who to call to help me. Also, I checked my panel. 100amp @ 240v. I figured, being a manufactured, single wide home. I think I'll save up and get my electrical system reworked, though. The place is about 30 years old and I would like to make sure it's all up to code.

@nw4042 Жыл бұрын

Came home from a day of low voltage distribution design, saw the title here (working on a primary voltage conversion job, swapping out 50 odd transformers with all the end-user voltages you can make) and just wanted to see where you were going with that. Love the video, man. Keep it up!

@kobalt_ren01 4 жыл бұрын

"Like a lil' furnace. But tumbly" is a brilliant phrase

@jamesc4999 4 жыл бұрын

Yep, it is still weird though

@richw3215 4 жыл бұрын

@@jamesc4999 We have homes that are still heated with oil (kerosene) fueled furnaces as well. Which to me is even more strange.

@stitchfinger7678 4 жыл бұрын

@@jamesc4999 I dont see how an appliance consuming power AND gas is weird. That's how water heaters work! And gas stoves!

@PosranaRegistrace 4 жыл бұрын

What could possibly go wrong?

@ty2010 4 жыл бұрын

@@PosranaRegistrace Surprisingly little with all the flame sensors and other safeties.

@danieljennerman7549 4 жыл бұрын

If people were confused by gas clothes dryers you should do a video on gas powered refrigerators. That'll blow some minds.

@pauljs75 4 жыл бұрын

That involves finding some place out in the middle of nowhere or perhaps having access to an RV motor-home.

@flagmichael 4 жыл бұрын

When I was a kid in Iran (1960) we had a kerosene powered refrigerator. Dad had to relight the flame occasionally. I learned the refrigerator used an ammonia absorption cycle... a bit beyond my 8 year old brain.

@Fopenplop 4 жыл бұрын

But.... gas make things hot.......

@alexejgossen6994 4 жыл бұрын

yeah that took me a while to understand how an absorber fridge works, it blew my mind a little bit

@LordZordid 4 жыл бұрын

Mmmm. I love the smell of Freon in the morning.

@PendelSteven Жыл бұрын

Personally I love that we in (mainland) Europe use E/F plugs. While technically F is the Shuko-plug, you'll find that many electrical devices and powercubes and -bricks accept both E (found as (older) French, Belgian, Tunesian and somehow Slovakian outlets) and F. The diffence is in grounding:: E adds a third plug, F has the grounding on the side. Both sides, so you can put the plug in upside down or not. And two plugs is simpler to plug in than three. All in all, I love our Schuko-system. And that also means we use Type C if grounding is not needed. Handy for, well, you find these still on 'boomboxes'.Or gameconsoles. Audioequipment. And your tv. But your computer is connected via Schuko, aka F. Thanks for the video! Now I know how good it is! ❤

@plazmaguy13yago9 7 ай бұрын

ahh yes the type f plug most notably known for being cut out and replaced by type h plug

@szaszm_ 6 ай бұрын

@@plazmaguy13yago9 is it? I'm from Hungary, and the two main types of plugs I see and use are Europlugs and Schuko/Type F (or lately CEE 7/7). The sockets are all type F / Schuko, except in old houses where there are still some ungrounded type C sockets.

@czechgop7631 3 ай бұрын

Guess the type E in Slovakia is from when Czechoslovakia was still a thing, because it's a standard in Czechia as well

@surferdude642 Жыл бұрын

I think you did a good job explaining this. While it's common knowledge to electricians and savvy diy'ers, most homeowners could learn something here.

@damionlee7658 4 жыл бұрын

That ending fun rant was hilarious (I'm a Brit). Maybe one day we can all get together internationally and produce an IEEE standard for electricity distribution. Based on the age old model of identifying all the best bits given by the available systems, and then implementing the worst bits instead...

@FeNite8 4 жыл бұрын

Not gonna lie. You had me in the first half

@glee21012 4 жыл бұрын

UK has those big ass plugs

@Rick-vm8bl 4 жыл бұрын

The best standard would be a compact version of the UK plug, ditching the switch, keeping the rcd and fuse in plug, keeping 230v, etc

@garfieldtkat 4 жыл бұрын

50 or 60hz, one will've to die

@garfieldtkat 4 жыл бұрын

you can't throw a pair of dime at the american plug

@usmcvet0313 4 жыл бұрын

"I'm showing you mine, so you don't need to see yours." - Technology Connections 2020

@ketas 4 жыл бұрын

so you can be fat and don't need mirror to see it

@marcmakes1725 4 жыл бұрын

That should be on a shirt of sticker.

@cezarcatalin1406 4 жыл бұрын

Dirty... I like it

@y0uCantHandle 4 жыл бұрын

My dad said this to me when I was young

@posadist681 4 жыл бұрын

@@y0uCantHandle I'm 24 and he stills says it to me 😳

@jeanpierrelabonte2868 11 ай бұрын

I’m glad to have seen your speech. For 32 years my dad worked for Hydro-Quebec The electric company in our province. I loved your simple explanations on voltage amp Wattage,transformers. In Quebec we also have 120-240 voltage and are still naming that 110-220.

@lidge1994 Жыл бұрын

Can't watch your videos when I'm tired as they're too calm, but when I'm wide awake and interested, I love finding a new one of them to enjoy and learn! :D

@codyfedeler2915 4 жыл бұрын

lmao the last couple minutes where you're just going off is 10/10

@artcamera5514 4 жыл бұрын

That was spot on. Those uppity foreigners need to shut up and stay in their lane. We don't give a rat's ass what they think.

@OneVerySadPanda 4 жыл бұрын

I laughed so loud just now finishing the video. Like some sort of crackhead at 3:30 in the morning.

@bradskis81 2 жыл бұрын

@@artcamera5514 True. I travel the world for work, and using plugs all over the place, I can appreciate the smaller form factor of North American style plugs. The UK bricks, forget about trying to plug in more than one or two chargers in most cases. Australia, same thing. And the massive size of those plugs, you damn near need another suitcase to carry them around. EU two pronged- never know if any given combination of plug and outlet will fit together to make a connection, and they always just flop around loosely and fall out, usually have to get a stack of books or something to support the adapters or plug ends. And the switches on outlets.. no labels usually so it's a guessing game of flipping everything on and off to try to figure it out, let alone accidentally bumping them or setting something on them and shutting off the power.

@gabmaia23 4 жыл бұрын

"To those of you in europe this looks horribly gross and terribly unsafe" Laughs in brazilian

@fabioguedes4872 4 жыл бұрын

I remember being a Kid having lessons about how electricity is dangerous and stuff... Here in Minas Gerais we still have TV ads from our electricity company warning about that kind of stuff... And maybe because of that I studied and got a Electronics Engineering degree today :) (Not that I have any use for it these days lol )

@chrismorse3862 4 жыл бұрын

Do yall just do the jumper cables off the pole? That's how it goes in Panama

@justanotherperson4939 4 жыл бұрын

And our president still wants to Go back to the old plugs that are even worse. Like, for fucks sake Bolsonaro, dont you have better things to do?

@glock4455 4 жыл бұрын

Laughs in 50A electric shower

@pvtpain66k 4 жыл бұрын

"Hue hue hue hue hue"

@Crainke Жыл бұрын

Just wanted to say thanks for explaining the difference between 3 phase and split phase service. I’ve watched a number of videos and your 30 seconds of this video summed it up for me quickly. Thanks!

@frankgulla2335 8 ай бұрын

What an educational and entertaining video about the US domestic electrical system. Thank you. I knew some of this but your summary made it all make sense.

@PendragonDaGreat 4 жыл бұрын

That rant at the end is perfect. I've got several Aussie friends and we get into that pretty often.

@spugintrntl 4 жыл бұрын

The whole "it's not the volts that kill you etc. etc." always annoyed me. That's like saying it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end. The higher the fall, the more likely the stop is to kill you. They're kinda dependent on each other.

@christiancarassai9540 4 жыл бұрын

Really that's not true. Is worst a fall from a 3rd floor than the 10th floor!!!!

@Snix121 4 жыл бұрын

it's actually the frequency that kills you

@worldbfr3e263 4 жыл бұрын

qflux the frequency of how many times you fall off a building

@Falcrist 4 жыл бұрын

@@Snix121 You could certainly break the velocity of the falling mass down by running it through a fourier transform. In which case, higher frequencies would (roughly) represent greater accelerations. In which case, the higher frequencies would be worse for you.

@saasseli 4 жыл бұрын

@@bobthebuilder609 I think he is trying to say that at least the 10-story fall will kill you instantly and not leave you alive but mangled and most likely suffering from the resulting damage the rest of your life like the 3-story fall would.

@gtgene Жыл бұрын

First off your presentation is informing and entertaining. It did cover a lot I missed or forgot. We are not only coping, but improving in the plug/socket area. Plugs now have that rim to keep the fingers away from the prongs. Appliances are double-insulated and wall adapters by design won't let you anywhere near the prongs. Then again accidentally coming in contact with 120V is the best safety teacher if you live through it.😊

@mr.piernik4770 18 күн бұрын

120V best teacher? I had them at home and a few times they hooked me up as a receiver and I didn't feel any respect. now I have 230v (because I live in Poland) and after nothing else I started to care about not becoming a consumer

@calcubite9298 6 ай бұрын

i watched that whole end rant and I am in awe. Give 'em hell, Tech Connections!

@literallycanadian 3 жыл бұрын

You know this is really just a great example of engineers solving safety hazards through different methods. When analyzing hazards you got two scales, likelyhood of injury, and severity of injury. In america, we decided to tackle the severity part, dropping the voltage and making it less likely to kill you as easily. In britian they tackled the likelyhood part, designing better plugs, leakage current detectors, ect. In both places they felt that these considerations brough the hazard level down to a point that was acceptable and moved on with their lives, not thinking about it much more after that.

@eleftheriaithanatos1162 2 жыл бұрын

Then you have Brazil: even in the 220V parts of the country, electric showers are mostly ungrounded, and we use exactly the same plug both for 127V and 220V.

@lal12 2 жыл бұрын

Not necessarily true. In Europe you have 230V on one phase yes, but pretty much any house has 3 phases coming in, so you can use 380V for higher power devices or for devices like a motor which needs it to function anyway. So using the US system is not really applicable for Europe anyway. Those 3 Phases have the same safety advantages the split phase system has. Besides I would argue that the severity of injury is not that highly reduced by 120AC, since the things that make AC dangerous are the frequency which the heart still can react to and the body having a lower impedance than ohmic resistance, which means AC can more easily pass through it than DC. So decreasing the likelyhood of injury is the only sensible way to go here.

@eleftheriaithanatos1162 2 жыл бұрын

@@lal12 In the UK and Ireland it's not really common to have 3-phase in a household. Neither is it in Australia or NZ (230V@50Hz, just like Europe). I hear the same happens in France and the Netherlands, though I may be wrong. Also, they get far less amps, which means that even in Germany, where 3-phase supply is commonplace in households, the maximum power is lower than in America. That, of course, comes at the expense of having to spend a little more on wires, but the cost is marginal relative to the cost of a house. Having three-phase for households has many advantages though, but they are related more to the possibility of running more efficient motors (3-Phase Air Conditioners, for example, are becoming very common here in Brazil for residential use, where three-phase supply is quite common for homes, though not ubiquitous as in Germany). Now, 120VAC is unquestionably safer than 230VAC. Your resistance doesn't change when you are closer to a 230V outlet. U = RI. Hence, the current going through your body IS nearly twice, which means a much worse shock. The higher the current, the higher the risk.

@lamonde515 2 жыл бұрын

💯

@SamsonOng 2 жыл бұрын

You deserve an upvote bro. Very great amicable summary of the situation here (compared to whatever argument to which is better)

@mannye 4 жыл бұрын

I can feel his frustration at having to explain the difference between "safer" and "safe." LOL

@vibingwithvinyl 4 жыл бұрын

I think "less dangerous" would've been more accurate.

@kainpwnsu 4 жыл бұрын

It's almost as if he's deflecting a veritable library of comments on that topic. ;)

@TheShizzlemop 4 жыл бұрын

@@vibingwithvinyl it certainly does sound better in a sentence relating to high voltage current

@RicoElectrico 4 жыл бұрын

I see stuff like this in Techmoan videos as well. Why not just get over the fact some of his viewers are retards? Someone will _always_ complain. Both Alec and Matt would make it more pleasant for sane viewers to just ignore the vocal minority. The funny thing is, I never saw the complaints they refer to.

@ryanmitcham5522 4 жыл бұрын

@@RicoElectrico I'm not sure I agree. His moans about stupid complaints are themselves entertaining to watch.

@njlauren Жыл бұрын

Awesome video, I knew about the 240v service and how you wire a 240v circuit but it never dawned on me that the two busses were 180 degrees apart, thus 240v potential.

@derrickymilo 7 ай бұрын

This was one of the best explanations I've ever heard of the standard US breaker box. Bravo sir!

@Steets 4 жыл бұрын

I could listen to Alec ranting about electricity for hours on end.

@jhsteddy 4 жыл бұрын

I was waiting for when he would say "Where did you get that dress? And those shoes and that coat..."

@toferj7441 4 жыл бұрын

Same. Haha!!

@FirestoneFilm 4 жыл бұрын

obsoleteUbiquity or the perfect toaster! 😂

@lottievixen 4 жыл бұрын

same

@robspiess 4 жыл бұрын

Steets, your thumbnail animates, but as far as I can tell KZfaq doesn't support animated thumbnails. Is that visible anywhere?

@BrendanOrr 4 жыл бұрын

The snark level of this video increased exponentially at the end....I love it.

@bm1747 4 жыл бұрын

Of all the people, I did not expect HIM to go "full American." I'm dying 🤣

@tygonmaster 3 жыл бұрын

@@bm1747 Sometimes you need to go full American to explain why nannystater comments are dumb.

@RetroRockGamer 11 ай бұрын

I've been in the electrical distribution business for about 15 years and this video taught me more than any work training.

@jorgecardoso9597 7 ай бұрын

I really enjoyed how you explained this. Can't wait to see more of your videos!

@brenatevi 4 жыл бұрын

"To Europeans this looks horribly dangerous. That's OK, we're coping." You have the best lines.

@MustNotContainSpaces 4 жыл бұрын

Having seen into his fuse box, I would say that his lines are actually pretty bad...

@vezokpiraka 4 жыл бұрын

Holy fuck, he wasn't kidding. That looks more than horribly dangerous.

@F3Ibane 4 жыл бұрын

@@vezokpiraka Only if you're fiddle-farting around in the service panel with the cover off. Something he explicitly said *not* to do. Try to keep up, pal.

@leerman22 4 жыл бұрын

@@vezokpiraka OK, the neutrals look like a rat's nest, but those are neutrals :P

@Artemis0713 4 жыл бұрын

@hawkturkey I mean. Our wires rlly aren't that thin tho? I'm not entirely sure where you'd have gotten that idea? And even then our actual breaker panels are way better designed

@camclarke567 4 жыл бұрын

I'm an electrician from Australia and I thoroughly enjoyed this video haha cheers mate

@razeezar 4 жыл бұрын

Greetings, fellow Aussie! I recently had a sparkie install a new oven in my kitchen. He also fitted an isolator switch in-line with the conduit which is required by law. However, with the oven installed in its recess in the kitchen cabinet, the switch ends up being concealed behind everything and is completely out of sight / reach. I suggested that he fit the switch to the wall outside of the cabinet where it would be accessible so that it can be turned off if necessary. But no, apparently he wasn't allowed to do that... The switch 'had' to be behind the oven specifically. Gotta love the nanny state. :o)

@dcaonoek 4 жыл бұрын

@@razeezar Im sorry mate but that is total bullshit and he needs to fix it as he has not followed the standards. The cooking appliance isolator needs to be within 2 meters but also easly accessable without reaching across the cooking surface. If you need to you can tell him to double check AS3000:2018 Section 4.7.1 If you have any issues with getting it resolved I suggest you call your state licencing registrar. I hope it is sorted for you. Peace.

@razeezar 4 жыл бұрын

@@dcaonoek Cheers Dane, I'll check that out.

@jackhewitt7902 4 жыл бұрын

razeezar Australia honestly seems like regulations gone mad.

@razeezar 4 жыл бұрын

It looks like section 4.7.1 pertains to open stove tops. I haven't found any specific info regarding an isolator required for built in ovens, but cursory reading of discussions on whirlpool indicate that an isolator is required for a stovetop but, confusingly, not for an oven. It'd be nice if the standards code stated this specifically either way!

@AVJunk Жыл бұрын

Fantastic! I'm traveling in Australia from Canada and am perplexed by the outlet switches! Thank you for mentioning that!! Also, I've definitely learned a bit more about our power grid back home in North America. Thanks for an awesome video!

@mikejosef2470 10 ай бұрын

We like 'em. To us, the idea that the only way to disconnect something from the supply is to pull the plug seems weird. If the socket is located underneath/behind a TV cabinet, fridge etc., plugging it back in can be difficult. For the nearly immeasurably low cost of having a switch, you get another way to disconnect the power other than the plug or the circuit breaker.

@russellc3251 4 ай бұрын

@@mikejosef2470 so you have no way to turn stuff off other than pulling the plug or the switch on the outlet?

@cooperlittlehales6268 2 ай бұрын

@@russellc3251 no 95% of things still have an off button, it's just easier for larger things like appliances that don't have an obvious off button on them like fridges and the like. Plus it feels safer than just unplugging something.

@steveinoz8188 10 ай бұрын

In Australia, we use 3 phase systems but they aren't by default installed in houses: they are usually restricted to commercial buildings. We also use Residual Current Devices in our switchboards for all the power circuits - to prevent electrical shocks. It doesn't look like they are used in the US.

@markmontagna7637 6 ай бұрын

We use them but they are at the outlet not the panel and electrical code only requires them in rooms close to water sources like bathrooms and kitchens

@oldschooldude8370 5 ай бұрын

A ground fault? Outdoor circuits, kitchen & garage.

@Karjis 4 жыл бұрын

With this logic almost all European installations are "400" volts as phase to phase is 380-420 and phase to ground 220-240 volts.

@mad87645 4 жыл бұрын

That's actually true and acknoledged, here in Australia all live electrical hazards are labelled as "danger 415 Volts"

@brownr82993 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it's called '3-wire' power and is good for 400V.

@IIVQ 4 жыл бұрын

I just found out that while most of modern Belgium has three phase with 400V between the phases and 240 between phase and neutral (as most of Europe has), some older installations have 240V between phases. And this can sometimes differ per house in a street.

@stefannilsson2406 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, here in Sweden we have 400 volts phase to phase and 230 volts phase to ground. We also have all 3 phases in our homes instead of the split phase system.

@draxxicek 4 жыл бұрын

I just wanted to say the same thing :)

@mrmerlin6287 4 жыл бұрын

UK residents have learned after stepping on plugs to leave them in their respective sockets and just flick the switch.

@compzac 4 жыл бұрын

That is just one thing about the square pin plug i wish we had, the ability to switch an outlet at the outlet itself. But i think what people forget is that the american BI plug is older. A lot of other plug standards had the ability to learn from previous plug failings. We didnt really have that chance and since compatibility is a thing we just kinda got stuck with it only modernizing little bits like polarizing the plug with the neutral being bigger and adding the circular ground pin, as an option wheras the square pin a ground lug is required to operate the safety shutters in the plug even if its just a fake pin of plastic, and really the bi pin could be made better by shoving a bit of plastic on the end of the pins and making the recepticle make contact on the tip of the pins, that way compatibility is kept for older plugs but newer plugs are safer, the fact that our pins are to close your fingers could also be negated by making the plug a bit bigger with a more pronounced shield, but like I said its a standard weve had for a while and since japan and china also use the bi pin for residential appliances its not gonna change anytime soon.

@georgeprout42 4 жыл бұрын

Our UK plugs and sockets are designed to last for millions of connection/disconnection cycles and still have a switch to discourage wear. Every US hotel I've stayed in, the plug falls out if you walk past too quickly. But for non-UK (or Ireland, Oman, or any of the other 50+ countries using IEC type G) imagine standing on Lego. We're immune to that as the plug is much, much worse.

@mrmerlin6287 4 жыл бұрын

@@JorgTheElder We rarely buy portable fans as it's just not that warm here to warrant them, and anybody who does buy one realises that they're probably only useful in June and then that's when it's not drastically cool outside due to freak rain storms. After then our small houses are just cluttered by useless appliances and get thrown up in the attic and forgotten about.

@ChaosTherum 4 жыл бұрын

@@georgeprout42 I've never had an issue with plugs not holding unless it was a cheap plug the sockets tend to stay fine as long as you have a modern high quality plug.

@userPrehistoricman 4 жыл бұрын

Meanwhile, there's basically no such thing as a UK plug that is loose. There are simply none made that badly.

@eoslensman Жыл бұрын

Great video. Plugs in the UK have a plastic peg finished with the copper contact at the end. When the copper is fully enclosed in the socket even if the plug isn't in all of the way only plastic is exposed so touching a live connection isn't possible. The Earth connector is fully copper as that needs to be stronger as it opens the shutters in the socket but as it doesn't (mostly) carry any voltage, touching it doesn't matter.

@WakeSheepleUp Жыл бұрын

This is the best video on electricity I have ever seen. Such a good explanation of voltage and amperage that explains more than most electricians know

@KentHambrock 4 жыл бұрын

In this video: The KZfaq's most beloved pedant tells people to stop being pedantic.

@purplegill10 4 жыл бұрын

This might be my favorite techcon comment ever

@katiefincher2433 4 жыл бұрын

KZfaq's most beloved pedant is, as usual, incorrect.

@foxpup 4 жыл бұрын

That's because it's his job. He gaciously does it for us so we don't have to. :-)

@TheChipmunk2008 4 жыл бұрын

He is deliberately incorrect to make it intelligible to people. I think he's being stupid about the sarcasm about plugs. US plugs are actually fecking LETHAL And he's wrong about the 240 vs 120 shocks. Both are equally lethal.

@hankadelicflash 4 жыл бұрын

So of I want 240 for a welder I just need to put in a double breaker and run that to the welder?? I assumed it was more complicated than that.

@zevfarkas5120 4 жыл бұрын

Note how he does the voltage measurements with only one hand. Standard smart move to prevent his heart from being part of the circuit if he makes a mistake. (I'm sure someone else said this somewhere in the other 12000+ comments, but worth repeating...)

@SkyChaserCom 4 жыл бұрын

Thats very smart and safe in case there's a shock and avoids placing the heart and internal organs in the circuit.

@jonathanellis3169 4 жыл бұрын

Also always put right hand to danger. If you use left hand then a leak to earth via your feet will go near heart

@bensemusx 4 жыл бұрын

I noticed that too. At first I wondered why he was making it harder but then realized it contain the potential shock to just his had.

@Lapantouflemagic0 4 жыл бұрын

i actually never though about that, i thought he just didn't want to be blocking the camera too much.

@SmirnovSB 3 жыл бұрын

@@r.h.8754 That's why you always put a warning sign on a breaker and/or controls. A simple and effective safety measure your co-worker ignored. Another safety rule: you don't remove a sign if it's not placed by you.

@paulb4496 Жыл бұрын

I was a home products service (Major Appliance) repairman for 27 years and have been shocked hundreds of times. One day while repairing a Microwave oven the charge in the capacitor stopped my heart. The room went dark. Fortunately the sudden fall to the floor re-started my heart. Rubber gloves is always a good idea around electrical circuits...Great video!

@Martyz-TV Жыл бұрын

That is crazy!! Did you know that an 240 AC jolt can make your heart stop even hours after? You should go to hospital to be monitored after getting a shock. Lucky man!!

@l0k048 Жыл бұрын

@@Martyz-TV these capacitors are rated up to 3000 volts, much higher voltage

@EDHCoffee Жыл бұрын

I have been on the internet for a very long time. This is one of the most interesting and informative videos I have ever watched.

@BarbarianGod 4 жыл бұрын

*laughs in 3 phase, 30A × ?, 240V electricity* In all seriousness tho, this is quite informative and has cleared up a lot of things I was wondering about when it comes to US electrical systems

@Pentti_Hilkuri 4 жыл бұрын

We laugh in minimum 380V 3PH 16A in our houses. Most often in 25A.

@arienh4 4 жыл бұрын

@@Pentti_Hilkuri 16A is actually really low… in order to be selective that means you can only run 10A circuit breakers. I'd hope you get 25A minimum.

@jeandelafuente1 4 жыл бұрын

@@arienh4 AT my country most houses have 20A inlet which then is only split intro "lights" and "sockets" lol At least we got current leak protection onto the system. Chile btw 220v

@Demonslayer20111 4 жыл бұрын

@Cr0Lar I mean we can get three phase installed. A lot of people have 3 phase in thier sheds or garages for things like mills and lathes

@Alienking01 4 жыл бұрын

Most houses in Germany have 3 phase 240V 50A or 63A . 100A is not as common but gets used too. It is common to have a "400V" 32A (5p CEE) outlet in the garage/workshop, the bigger garages/workshops will also have a "400V" 63A outlet. Gets used mostly for: air compressors,, grinding wheels, saws and welders I work in electric wholesale.

@vitaliygoldish1993 3 жыл бұрын

- Wait, it's all 240 volts? - Always has been

@ventilate4267 3 жыл бұрын

LOL

@dweaver28602 3 жыл бұрын

CaptainAmericaReference.gif

@vdfritzz 3 жыл бұрын

also it's all metric

@LavenderSystem69 3 жыл бұрын

@13blackg Жыл бұрын

Glad you didn't run down the rabbit hole of the different types of 3 phase transformers (Y, Delta, corner grounded Delta)

@EMAngel2718 Жыл бұрын

I love the way you caption your outtakes

@Veylon 4 жыл бұрын

On the subject of weird gas dryers, I'd love to see you cover gas fridges.

@jakeaurod 4 жыл бұрын

or gas air conditioners

@kabj06 4 жыл бұрын

My RV has one. No clue how it works lol

@drewcipher896 4 жыл бұрын

Those are really niche and normal [electric] fridges are much cheaper to operate.

@davidcastillo1340 4 жыл бұрын

or gassy people

@DrFreeeman 4 жыл бұрын

@@kabj06 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator

@Chlorate299 4 жыл бұрын

The switches on UK wall outlets are for people to turn things off at the wall in order to mildly annoy other members of the household.

@SeabooUsMultimedia 4 жыл бұрын

There's some outlets in the United States where it's like that it's just the power switches are usually next to light switches intend to get confused with them all the time because they are normal Power switches that are wired in between the breaker and the outlet. I knew somebody who had their Wi-Fi router on one and somebody turned off the light switch knocked out the internet for everyone in the house.

@stonedsavage7814 4 жыл бұрын

@WindowsLogic Productions the UK has flaps covering the neutral and live terminals so no its not for safety.

@adelsoftgmail 4 жыл бұрын

@@stonedsavage7814 It was when they were first designed. They've been kept because that's what people expect. Australia has automatically shuttered outlets (eref.se.com/au/en/clipsal/product-pdf/2025S-WE) as well, but not many houses use them. They'd be seen more frequently in child care centres. They're also a pain in the arse if you're using double insulated appliances in them, as they need an earth pin in order to actuate the shutter.

@TheRip72 4 жыл бұрын

& for those with timer adapters plugged in, to annoy me after I've set them correctly!

@anon7631 10 ай бұрын

When my apartment building has power issues, it's usually just one phase affected rather than a total outage, so I'll end up with major appliances and half my lights or outlets not working, while the other half are fine. I knew that that state was usually referred to as having lost or blown a phase, but the demonstration of the breaker panel and its busbar in particular made it a lot clearer what that actually means. The video also explains why it takes forever for my stove/oven to heat up, which is not something I expected and had just attributed to it being a lousy unit.

@CONSOLETRUTH2 Жыл бұрын

I've TURNED ON many friends to this channel whom are now very well CONMECTED. They always make sure to stay up to date and CURRENT as to the most recent video.Its awesome to see how AMP'D they get when a new video shows up. WATT can I say other than this channel is awesome and you will never get any RESISTANCE from me!!

@evindrews 3 жыл бұрын

the amount of shade in this video is incredible

@tygonmaster 3 жыл бұрын

Given the amount your average American gets from nannystaters a day, it does not even come close to balancing out.

@drloko4013 4 жыл бұрын

My grandfather died in the AC/DC Wars; he was Thunderstruck.

@FastBowtie388 4 жыл бұрын

That joke was a touch too much.....

@NatureOkie 4 жыл бұрын

LOL

@1S1KStealth 4 жыл бұрын

such a shocking sense of humor

@sujimtangerines 4 жыл бұрын

On the Highway to Hell?

@TheAllMightyGodofCod 4 жыл бұрын

@@sujimtangerines no, shockingly it was on electric avenue...

@Clynikal 10 ай бұрын

Great video. RCD or MCBO are now mandatory on every single circuit in Australia. I’ll never be convinced electricity isn’t a big deal.

@KarldorisLambley 9 ай бұрын

why would some person suggest to you that " electricity isn’t a big deal.". i am utterly baffled? does this happen a lot in Australia?

@ErokowXiyze Жыл бұрын

Cool video! It was much more entertaining than I expected.

@SKyrim190 4 жыл бұрын

"I don't know why you are so afraid of electricity!" Me: _laughs in Brazilian electric showers_

@TheLuxkywalker 4 жыл бұрын

Seeing the bus bars in the switchboard made me laugh too

@rafaceschin1 4 жыл бұрын

Stand on tip toes, use palm of your hand, and pray...

@alphaascii 4 жыл бұрын

I still install my own showers in Brazil, and every time, i get scared as hell when i am going to test them.

@SKyrim190 4 жыл бұрын

@@TheLuxkywalker I've never done any personal maintenance in a switchboard, so I don't know how they are like. But electric showers, man, they are just a resistor that turns up when you pass water through them.

@charlesball6519 4 жыл бұрын

So those replace the water heater?

@TomMarsh1010 2 жыл бұрын

I'm proud to say I've been shocked by 240UK and 120US. 240 hurt more. I have also stood on a UK plug. Being shocked by 120V hurts less than stepping on a UK plug (in the common case)... I don't think anyone has died from stepping on a plug, they just wish they had.

@TiagoAlmeidalive 2 жыл бұрын

Say no more, I've been shocked by 120AC, 240AC, 400AC and 570DC... Nothing in the whole world compares to stepping on a UK plug!! It's a horrible sensation!!

@johnburns4017 2 жыл бұрын

@@TiagoAlmeidalive I have never stepped on a UK plug ever. I know no one who has. I have had these around me all my life.

@protonneutron9046 2 жыл бұрын

@@johnburns4017 so?

@iamnormal8648 2 жыл бұрын

Avoiding electrical shocks is much easier and less costly than avoiding using more copper or aluminium to make thicker wires to carry more current in low voltage.

@johnburns4017 2 жыл бұрын

@@iamnormal8648 Also, fitting RCBOs and RCDs keeps people alive.

@cousin_JACK Жыл бұрын

Glad I watched, had no clue the volts running through my POE cameras so high. I have taken off countless panel covers on homes when I worked as a site surveyor for Solar City. Electric knowledge is amazing when you truly begin to understand how it works- great video even made me laugh

@StrawDragon Жыл бұрын

If you think that is high... You should see the voltage of your pots phone line when ringing :)

@avinandandas 9 ай бұрын

@@frankgay5595POTS phone lines run AC when ringing at about 100 V RMS 20 Hz

@michaelmickelsen5520 11 ай бұрын

I rewatched your video because it is so good.

@dangerousdoctrine 3 жыл бұрын

"Transformers are more than meets the eye". Solid. Also, props for using only one hand when measuring across the 240V at the top of the panel. SMART!

@travismason2811 3 жыл бұрын

Mentioned the one hand rule to a dude a while back and it turned into a whole thing about how much of an idiot I was for believing that, I grew up in an electronics classroom, my stepdad used to do TV repair on CRTs, one hand rule saves lives, sucks for my stepdad though he's left handed, the proper hand is the right to lessen the chance that it goes through your heart.

@knittinninja 3 жыл бұрын

@@travismason2811 Pardon my ignorance: who is the real idiot then? Is the one hand rule false?

@retroattic4647 3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad I checked for similar comments prior to posting mine. I had the same two observations. Covering WHY we do a one handed voltage check would be nice for another video!

@threynolds2 3 жыл бұрын

At first, I thought using one hand was more dangerous, too. If your dexterity isn't too good, you could cross the probes. But then I realized that if both hands came in contact with the contacts, you would have 240V, 120V, going from one had to the other, with your heart in the middle. With one hand the current flow would just be from one finger to the other. When I was young I grabbed both leads of a 120 circuit with both hands. It felt like somebody kicked me in the chest. I jumped back about six feet.

@TheReaverOfDarkness 3 жыл бұрын

@@travismason2811 Why would that lessen the chance it goes through your heart? I'm pretty sure that's not actually true.

@sircompo 4 жыл бұрын

That rant at the end had me in stitches, and the info about the US electrical system was really interesting. Your videos never fail to educate and entertain.

@matthewjohnson3610 4 жыл бұрын

I'm trying to remember the last time I turned a power switch (Australia) on or off... it was probably when I moved into the house and plugged everything in. I never really thought about it, but maybe they are kinda pointless.

@shibolinemress8913 4 жыл бұрын

@@matthewjohnson3610 I'm wondering if they're there for child safety, or maybe if an outlet needs to be cleaned or worked on? (Just a layperson's guess, obviously.)

@somelokyguy6466 4 жыл бұрын

@@shibolinemress8913 I (Australian) turn off the switches if I'm leaving the house for more than about 5 days or if the socket is empty, a lot of electronics like TVs have standby modes that draw 1 or more watts, overall it's an unnoticeable difference but if say 1 million people are doing the same thing then it adds up. The main reason though is safety, given how cheaply made electronics are these days I don't want to risk going on holiday and have my phone charger shit the bed then burn the house down. Also on safety is like the US many of our wall plugs still have fully exposed pins that can shock you if the plug is only partially inserted.

@danem2215 3 жыл бұрын

My home has two outlets wired to a double switch panel next to the room's overhead light switch. You can just power on or off whatever's plugged into that outlet without having to reach down for it. It's way better, and I don't even think that was done for luxury's sake.

@drscopeify 2 жыл бұрын

@@matthewjohnson3610 Yeah it is really the appliances that needs to be efficient not the user and this is how it is today. Sure your phone charger uses a little over time but most things like screens, audio gear, kitchen appliances they all nicely conserve power when not in use. This is a more recent change though, I am guessing like since the year 2000 or so.

@NigelMarston Жыл бұрын

UK resident here. Switches on sockets is crazy - whenever I've replaced any, I've replaced them with the non-switched type. They're freely available here. I don't know if there's "code" here which forces their installation by builders but as you can get non-switched ones from B&Q (retailer) I doubt it. The UK plug is quite ingenious. Aside from the fact that the cable exits parallel to the wall which makes for the "foot hazard" if left lying around unplugged, it also means you're less likely to be able to trip over a cable when it is plugged-in as it immediately falls downward. Or, if you do trip over a cable, then less likely to rip the plug out of the wall. And if you rip the cables out of the plug, the Earth cable will be the one pulled out last, so maintains the "safety" element. Also, the earth pin is longer, which opens the shrouds inside the sockets for Live and Neutral (which are normally closed to prying baby-sized fingers), and both Live and Neutral pins themselves are shrouded so that you cannot touch the contact point while it is actually connected to the supply while you are plugging one in (or unplugging). But yeah, they're a bastard if you tread on them and they are larger than most other countries' plugs. Ring mains circuits comes from the post-war era, and was a cost saving measure at the time. It was dressed-up as another safety mechanism but doesn't really hold water APART from the fact that you have two paths for earth which is a technical win... not sure how often it's tested in practice though. Plug-based fuses was originally intended to ensure no single device could draw more than the 13A max and therefore overload the ring, but these days they're irrelevant because, in the event of an overload, the plug fuse will not fail before the consumer board RCD trips anyway. Thanks for the video - it's a fascinating insight into the US system which has always baffled me. I actually wonder if we're due some regulations changes over here to accommodate the low-energy devices we are starting to see. My house is less than 2 years old so has LED wiring everywhere. Running that off 240V seems a bit odd and I wonder at what point (size of house/cable runs) you need to get to before a DC lighting system wasn't preferable.

@Dunbardoddy Жыл бұрын

Brilliant explanation - thank you from the UK.

@octane613 4 жыл бұрын

Jeez, that strong roast at the end was harsh, I love it.

@StephenElves 4 жыл бұрын

The thing is about the switches on sockets: wall warts, phone chargers, laptop chargers, etc. consume a not insignificant amount of power even when not charging/powering anything, and yer just unplug it, but wasn’t already covered that plugging in/unplugging can be a danger (before you get to wear and tear)? Yer I know the standard was created before wall warts were a thing (and actually you can buy sockets without switches here too).

@xmlthegreat 4 жыл бұрын

It wasn't a roast, it was whining in the face of a clearly superior solution. Switches on outlets FTW.

@JamieCrookes 4 жыл бұрын

Not a roast. Envy and jealousy at our clearly superior electrical system. Enjoy those sparking cables in the street too when the storm blows over the poles that carry it to your home. Ours; underground unless on pylons for long distance.

@markman278 4 жыл бұрын

For anyone commenting on how “bad” his panel is, I’ve seen WAY worse when old buildings upgrade the circuits without upgrading the panels. My parents 97 year old home had so many wires in in before upgrading to a full 200 amp panel it was literally dangerous. Dual circuit breakers (yes they are real) WITH two wires in each circuit because there was just no room for more breakers being a 100 amp panel. Oh and nob and tube wiring which often was wired incorrectly and electrified the device instead of grounding it! In the US older homes can be an electrical fire waiting to happen.

@letsseewherethisgoes 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah I would consider his panel damn near pristine compared to.... well almost any house I've ever lived in. I mean, you can tell what runs where, it's labelled, wires run in logical lines! Mostly all installed in the last 50 years! No immediately obvious fire hazards! I would be downright pleased to have a panel that clean. I've lived in a house with 3 distinct generations of wiring systems - the original knob & tube with cotton sheathing, then some rubber-sheathed/cotton wrapped, then some 90's rubber sheathed/rubber wrapped, all fed haphazardly into a semi-recent 100A panel. You can tell that the skill of the person doing the wiring went down with each generation of wiring too - the original stuff was actually installed decently. The later stuff was a bloody nightmare. It's really common to see houses with a mix of Aluminum and Copper wiring, or with the original knob & tube running into the original fuse panel, which was unhooked and then fed from a 60A breaker on a new panel - leaving the old stuff as is and just installing anything new into the new main panel.

@Cyanide300 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah it honestly looks like a pretty normal 200 amp panel, just with more circuits than most single family homes have. I've seen MUCH worse wiring jobs. And honestly, how much does it even matter if the wiring in the panel is kinda messy? It's covered for a reason, and you shouldn't be messing with that shit unless you really know what you're doing anyway. In which case you'd probably know enough to kill the main before digging around in there.

@PunakiviAddikti 4 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah, because folks love to get electrocuted in the morning by touching their toaster.

@arienh4 4 жыл бұрын

@@real_joshua I'm very glad that according to NEN (Dutch DIN) the entire fuse box must be replaced to be up to code on any significant change.

@VexMage 4 жыл бұрын

In my panel everything is ground to the neutral lead, the house doesn't have a grounding rod. Yay 1920s electrical code (or lack thereof)!

@Nugglashine 4 ай бұрын

This guy is so good at explaining stuff this has always confused me. Great presentation, Alec.

@oSTYNCLSYo 10 ай бұрын

One of my favorite videos on KZfaq.

@astroandrius 4 жыл бұрын

In that case Europe is 400V, because many households (including mine) in the Europe have 3 phase power at ~240V for each phase.

@SuperFranzs 4 жыл бұрын

You also have 3 phase + neutral + ground.

@lucatrifan2797 4 жыл бұрын

380V in Continental Europe and 415V in the UK to be precise

@JFK_Speedwagon 4 жыл бұрын

what in the world do you need 380V and 415V for

@ardoporkkropodra2474 4 жыл бұрын

3x240 = 400?

@martinpejchar9011 4 жыл бұрын

@@JFK_Speedwagon to drive asynchronous engine mostly

@Verlisify 3 жыл бұрын

why is the house angry

@MoparDan 3 жыл бұрын

The house is angry because it desperately needs a new roof.

@BG101UK 3 жыл бұрын

@@MoparDan Top-hinged slates/tiles/shingles maybe? So they can lift and let the pressure out during the experiments ..? This would prevent the roof from blowing away due to too much positive internal pressure.

@bleiglanz 3 жыл бұрын

First thing that came to my mind, too. The house looks fierce...

@EpicTyphlosionTV 3 жыл бұрын

Nobody likes you

@bartalbus 3 жыл бұрын

If someone connect you to grid you will be angry too or even shocked

7 ай бұрын

Superbe video!!! In Argentina we use one main breaker outside the house and another inside, 240v of course. Cheers from an engineer.

@Guilefpv Жыл бұрын

I like the switches on UK style plugs. Its easier to switch on and off than unplugging/plugging the entire cord in tight/hard to reach spaces. eg, a Smart tv that is on standby when powered on...if the tv hangs and you want to do a cold startup and the cord/switch is hard to reach, using the switch is easier than unplugging it and fumbling trying to plug it back in just by feeling it.

@nathanjasper512 2 жыл бұрын

Fun story, I once accidentally dropped a nickel off the end of my bed and it fell on the two plug posts in that tiny gap between the plug and the outlet. I saw a huge flash of blue light a flame and puff of smoke. Luckily it tripped the breaker but when I found the nickel it was black had two slots melted into it about halfway down. The plug posts were melted pretty bad too. Kind of terrifying really. All because that plug just happened to be a couple millimeters away from the wall and that nickel just happened to perform a one in a million shot. I'm glad my apartment didn't burn down.

@hughleyton693 Жыл бұрын

That can't happen with UK Plugs, the pins are protected from such a short condition.

@Johnny.Fedora Жыл бұрын

That's one reason power outlets are often installed with the ground pin on top. But if your plug has no ground pin, it has no effect. I suppose power outlets could be installed landscape-style.

@hughleyton693 Жыл бұрын

@@Johnny.Fedora First, UK live pins can not be touched even by a nickel or knife blade, when they are in the Outlet far enough to actually be live, and that is without the Earth pin at the top further protecting, , , I believe all American installations since about 20 years ago, had to be 3-pin Outlets, OK, there are many 2-pin plugs still in use in America.. . . Actually I have always installed American double Outlets in landscape-style.

@Johnny.Fedora Жыл бұрын

@@hughleyton693, you are correct -- my post was U.S.-centric (and the electrical code has required AC sockets with ground (earth) pins for a lot more than 20 years).

@ToyKeeper 11 ай бұрын

Welp, that image is going to stick with me forever, any time I see a plug which is even slightly loose. I now have a newfound appreciation for "upside-down" grounded outlets with ground at the top.

@MegaJessness 4 жыл бұрын

"But first, a quick reminder of what transformers do. They're more than meets the eye." GOD DAMMIT! XD I love you and hate you for that joke lmao

@thomasr1051 4 жыл бұрын

Can't believe I missed that. Fucking love this guy

@pilcrow182 4 жыл бұрын

I didn't even catch it until I saw it written out. I facepalmed SO hard... :P

@trollmcclure1884 4 жыл бұрын

@Francis Hubert neither do I. Slap the nerds

@JohnathanAmrein 4 жыл бұрын

@Francis Hubert It's part of the transformers, cartoon theme song

@stevezpj 4 жыл бұрын

@Francis Hubert kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pLKDZbFq0q67kas.html

@TheErwinalf Жыл бұрын

Haha, love the rant on UK switches on the plugs. They really are insane. Other fun fact that even less people know, the US split fase 240 power can also still be found in older area's in for instance the city of Amsterdam. (Netherlands) although this system is being fased out. (Pun intended) another fun fact, in the Netherlands we have something called pirilex. This also combines two circuit brakers. For example, an electric furnace will need 240V and about 16 Amps two run two plates. But a stove might have for plates. That makes a wiring with one neutral, two times a fase from two different brakers and an earth, thus four wires and even so interesting plug as the one you showed for the dryer. We also can opt for three fase. That's rather interesting. It will let you create 400 Volts. That way the four plates of the furnace can be powered at ones. But this comes with different breakers, and extra heavy power plugs. But, for safety, most "high consumers" carry an earth lead. So not just bathrooms and kitchens are secured for earth leakage. Every circuit in our modern standard house is secured.

@cattleprods911 Жыл бұрын

I love your videos, you remind me of a grown-up Eddie Munster. Thanks for another great and educational video.

@henrypile2385 2 жыл бұрын

For me as a German this video was really interesting and enlightening! I was 100% sure the US voltage is 120V AC only. Different countries, different approach. Many thanks!

@Domimi78 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Henry, remember that we here in germany has a three phase system instead a two phase system in US. So we have 400V between two phases and 240V between each phase and the netral wire or ground. This three-phase current is called "Drehstrom" in germany and has the same geometry as he explains at 19:12 in the video.

@Midaspl 2 жыл бұрын

@@Domimi78 yeah, exactly. Saying it's 120V is a stretch as in Europe you can ask electrical company to attach a second or third phase to your house if you need it. It's simply that in US everyone gets second as a norm.

@resphantom 2 жыл бұрын

@@Domimi78 Bruh, who the hell needs 400V of power directly to their outlets. Are some Germans running their own mini-sern projects at home?

@BlueMokke 2 жыл бұрын

@@resphantom Some people use 400V for something like a big circular saw or their lathe. They have their own plug It's called "CEE-Stecker". For normal appliances like a mixer they use one phase and neutral with a difference of 240 V between them.

@resphantom 2 жыл бұрын

@@BlueMokke I just saw that my country also run on 400 - 415V 3 phase power. Turns out stuff like electric ovens and geysers use a lot of power.

@deralmighty8011 4 жыл бұрын

Anyone else now want a shirt that says "Like a 'lil furnace, but tumbly." ?

@YayapLives 4 жыл бұрын

I was about to write a comment about how adorable that line was.

@OxKing 4 жыл бұрын

You're weird!

@robspiess 4 жыл бұрын

That runs on natrual (sic) gas. :)

@jayman4095 4 жыл бұрын

Yesssss!!!!

@gnarlycharlie4u 4 жыл бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z7qhdbZ6ncCmqoU.html

@johnquick8316 11 ай бұрын

Anyone else think this guy sounds like the practical engineering guy. Love both channels

@Erelyes Жыл бұрын

Great video and I learned something new today. To answer your argument about the pros/cons of having a power switch on the outlet itself instead of on the appliance - well, three things to consider: Firstly, it's better to have the switch design as part of the electrical outlet specification as it's a more reliable specification than whatever appliance manufacturers use. Second, it means you don't have the extra cost of installing a switch on every appliance, although to be honest a lot still do. And third, in the unlikely but possible scenario that you have a pet with the inclination to chew on things, a wall switch allows convenient isolating of the circuit without having to keep unplugging and plugging in the appliance every time you use it.

@viewer00 3 жыл бұрын

"I'm showing you mine, so you don't have to see yours." - Put that on a Tee.

@Skraeling1000 3 жыл бұрын

And we had a similar sentence at home today - daughter was watching me play a flight sim, and told my wife "He's got his landing gear out." Umm...

@YanTran 3 жыл бұрын

Are we not doing phrasing anymore?

@radishlive 3 жыл бұрын

"A quick reminder of what transformers do. They're more than meets the eye!" ******GROAN

@thrpins8430 3 жыл бұрын

This made me really happy

@bren1818 3 жыл бұрын

Took a moment for the joke to process

@anthonykaiser974 3 жыл бұрын

But that's not important right now 😂

@Froggability 3 жыл бұрын

80s joke.. Wahoo!

@JaingStarkiller92 3 жыл бұрын

@@Froggability I beg your pardon, Transformers are as cool today as they were 35 years ago, and I'm not desperately trying to hold on to my childhood at all.

@JoShUa_J78 Жыл бұрын

Very informative and interesting thanks 👍

@joedirtpig814 Жыл бұрын

I really appreciated the switched receptacle tangent you went on

@stillrabit73 4 жыл бұрын

Alec: *draws eyebrows on house* My smooth brain: haha house angery

@Porygonal64 4 жыл бұрын

no talk me angey

@matthewjohnson3610 4 жыл бұрын

The house is mad because it only has 120 volts :)

@antontaylor4530 4 жыл бұрын

"A spark from inrush current won't hurt anything" Electroboom: "Hold my beer..."

@ogorangeduck 4 жыл бұрын

the guy who managed to blow up a UK plug next level

@Beakerbite 4 жыл бұрын

It doesn't hurt the device any more than a power outage would, but the spark can char the terminals.

@OxKing 4 жыл бұрын

I read this sentence as he actual spoke it, like a subtitle, lol.

@user-dj1hy6zc6q 4 жыл бұрын

I was surprised that he didn't mention his previous video where he showed the fact that there is a spark inside of the switch, so there will be a spark regardless.

@ericcartmann 4 жыл бұрын

It'll hurt a room full of hydrogen.

@frankharr9466 Жыл бұрын

I knew some of that, but not enough of it and what I did know was from a very long time ago. Thank you.

@Jack-lr3dn Ай бұрын

the way he went off at the end was so insanely cathartic

@DC-ct8tv 3 жыл бұрын

Lineman here: very proud of his description, he clearly knows his stuff.

@JasonWD 3 жыл бұрын

Please say you are from Kansas.

@DC-ct8tv 3 жыл бұрын

@@JasonWD nope, Pennsylvania

@tomwors 3 жыл бұрын

Shouldn't your name be AC? DC lines? nonsense

@garcjr 3 жыл бұрын

Lineman, that's my goal. Congrats.

@DC-ct8tv 3 жыл бұрын

@@garcjr good luck, get your cdl class a and apply to the ibew

@pao_lumu 4 жыл бұрын

This man feels like America's more tech-focused Tom Scott.

@thomassynths 4 жыл бұрын

uhh....

@tobylatino8737 4 жыл бұрын

agreed

@jmhecker 4 жыл бұрын

Truth

@PassiveDestroyer 4 жыл бұрын

OMG, they should collab! ... Once the Coronavirus COVID-19 quarantine-a-thon is over.

@sebastianelytron8450 4 жыл бұрын

Except Tom travels the world while this guy never leaves his house.

@rabbitenjoyer6320 Жыл бұрын

your rant at the end was terrific