Author Topic: Is this really likely?  (Read 12403 times)

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Offline retroleftyTopic starter

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Is this really likely?
« on: July 11, 2017, 06:09:14 pm »
News article states that cell phone connected to it's charger fell into tube with 14 year old bathing and electrocution resulted. That just seems like some strange bad luck. 

What do others think? If the charger was outputting lethal voltages wouldn't the phone itself have
failed long before talking a bath with the phone?

 http://abc7ny.com/news/14-year-old-girl-electrocuted-when-phone-drops-in-bathtub/2205378/
 

Offline RGB255_0_0

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2017, 06:15:35 pm »
News article states that cell phone connected to it's charger fell into tube with 14 year old bathing and electrocution resulted. That just seems like some strange bad luck. 

What do others think? If the charger was outputting lethal voltages wouldn't the phone itself have
failed long before talking a bath with the phone?

 http://abc7ny.com/news/14-year-old-girl-electrocuted-when-phone-drops-in-bathtub/2205378/
Happened in the UK a few months ago. We didn't know what charger it was though; knock-off or legit, safety marked type then. The link on KCBD doesn't say yet either.

So, is it really likely? Two people in a few months that have hit the news (and here), so yes, it is likely (if you use a cheap knockoff!).
« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 06:20:56 pm by RGB255_0_0 »
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Online Fungus

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2017, 06:18:18 pm »
wouldn't the phone itself have failed long before talking a bath with the phone?

Nope. The phone only cares that there's only 5V difference between the two wires. It doesn't care if they're both going +/-120V AC, so long as they're doing it in unison with 5V difference between them.

That said: Chargers aren't supposed to be doing that. This must have been some cheap-ass knock-off charger if it wasn't fully isolated from the mains.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 06:22:17 pm by Fungus »
 

Online Fungus

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2017, 06:23:11 pm »
Two people in a few months that have hit the news (and here), so yes, it is likely (if you use a cheap knockoff!).

Teenagers using the phone in the bath? It's more likely than you think.

 

Offline amirm

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2017, 06:26:03 pm »
It says that her hands were burned which says she did not drop it in the but but rather, the shock came as she was using it.  Maybe there was water splashing on the charger itself, creating a path for high voltage AC to carry to the tub.
 

Offline suicidaleggroll

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2017, 06:30:14 pm »
99.9999% chance they were using a POS knockoff charger.  Don't cheap out on anything that plugs into mains.
 

Offline RGB255_0_0

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2017, 06:30:31 pm »
It says that her hands were burned which says she did not drop it in the but but rather, the shock came as she was using it.  Maybe there was water splashing on the charger itself, creating a path for high voltage AC to carry to the tub.
We don't know the details. But we know from BigClive (and others) that some chargers, especially really cheap cap-drop, have the chassis at mains potential.

Burned hand though can mean anything from a blister to charred flesh :/
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Offline ZeTeX

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2017, 07:16:50 pm »
Since when do you have an electrical outlet near the bath or in the bathroom at all?
In my bathroom, there are no electrical outlets at all.
I have never seen a house with one here at Israel.
But anyways, this is also her fault. You really can't leave your phone for 15 minutes?
 

Offline suicidaleggroll

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2017, 07:20:10 pm »
Since when do you have an electrical outlet near the bath or in the bathroom at all?
In my bathroom, there are no electrical outlets at all.
I have never seen a house with one here at Israel.
But anyways, this is also her fault. You really can't leave your phone for 15 minutes?

It's standard in the US to have outlets in the bathroom.  How else do you use hairdryers, curling irons, electric shavers, electric toothbrushes, etc.?  Usually they're GFCI-protected though, I'm not sure how she got around that.
 

Offline RGB255_0_0

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2017, 07:22:43 pm »
Since when do you have an electrical outlet near the bath or in the bathroom at all?
In my bathroom, there are no electrical outlets at all.
I have never seen a house with one here at Israel.
But anyways, this is also her fault. You really can't leave your phone for 15 minutes?
You don't even have shaver sockets?

In any case, in a world where every teenager can't stay off Instagram or Snapchat enough time to shave their armpits, is it any wonder people are bringing mains adapters into places they shouldn't? Especially since many phones are coming water-resistant.

This is a fault of parents and the education system but at 14 it should be reasonable to think that people have a respect for electricity. Then again, some don't when it comes to guns...
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Offline WastelandTek

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2017, 07:35:20 pm »
almost Darwin...almost
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Offline rstofer

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #11 on: July 11, 2017, 08:18:48 pm »
Must be a pretty old house, GFCIs have been required on bathroom outlets since 1971.

If the charger came with the phone, there's some really deep pockets to go after.  Go, lawyers, go!
 

Offline GreyWoolfe

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2017, 09:16:17 pm »
Must be a pretty old house, GFCIs have been required on bathroom outlets since 1971.

If the charger came with the phone, there's some really deep pockets to go after.  Go, lawyers, go!

Our house was built in 1989 and didn't have a GFCI on the bathroom outlet.  When we remodeled our master bath, we installed one.  Got a funny look from the inspector when he came to check the new plumbing as if to say, I don't think that was there before.  We didn't say anything, we didn't want to pull an electrical permit for installing it.  It is wired correctly and works as it should, at least it passes the self test.
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Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2017, 10:04:37 pm »
This is their fault, if it was fake, for buying shitty pink USB chargers...from China, but then again outside of Bigclive how many PSAs are there warning about those things? They are even dumber if they don't have any sort of RCD in the bathroom such as an in-socket GFCI or one one the whole circuit. However, it could have failed, most people don't test them. It could also have been a total ground failure to the house and current flowed back through neutral, if they had a shitty cheap breaker too, reverse current may not have tripped it.
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Offline ZeTeX

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2017, 12:24:49 am »
Since when do you have an electrical outlet near the bath or in the bathroom at all?
In my bathroom, there are no electrical outlets at all.
I have never seen a house with one here at Israel.
But anyways, this is also her fault. You really can't leave your phone for 15 minutes?

It's standard in the US to have outlets in the bathroom.  How else do you use hairdryers, curling irons, electric shavers, electric toothbrushes, etc.?  Usually they're GFCI-protected though, I'm not sure how she got around that.
Well, I guess you can get an outlet but I have just never seen a bathroom with one.
You don't even have shaver sockets?

In any case, in a world where every teenager can't stay off Instagram or Snapchat enough time to shave their armpits, is it any wonder people are bringing mains adapters into places they shouldn't? Especially since many phones are coming water-resistant.

This is a fault of parents and the education system but at 14 it should be reasonable to think that people have a respect for electricity. Then again, some don't when it comes to guns...
Never heard about shaver sockets, had to google it. No, we don't have such things as far as I know, or at least never seen one.
 

Offline cdev

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #15 on: July 12, 2017, 01:29:07 am »
Nowadays they need to make bathrooms with places to hold your tablet PC so you can see it while washing up/shaving. Thank God all these devices use batteries, thats all I can say.
(makes mental note to check if electric toothbrush charger might be creating RFI)
« Last Edit: July 12, 2017, 01:32:25 am by cdev »
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Offline cdev

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #16 on: July 12, 2017, 01:35:26 am »
Thats the way people are when they are that age.
I know I was addicted to talking on the phone when I was 15..

Quote from: ZeTeX on Today at 13:16:50
Since when do you have an electrical outlet near the bath or in the bathroom at all?
In my bathroom, there are no electrical outlets at all.
I have never seen a house with one here at Israel.
But anyways, this is also her fault. You really can't leave your phone for 15 minutes?
"What the large print giveth, the small print taketh away."
 

Offline Ampera

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #17 on: July 12, 2017, 01:51:59 am »
The US doesn't have anything like a shaver outlet. We have standard 120v15A sockets in our bathrooms, and they should be GFCI. Not to mention most appliances intended for use in wet places (Hair dryers, shavers, air conditioners) have GFCIs built into the plugs.

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Offline CatalinaWOW

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #18 on: July 12, 2017, 02:42:52 am »
In response to the OPs question no it is not likely.  It is quite rare and requires a combination of bad equipment and dumb actions.  That is why it made the news.  The rarity and stupidity of the event won't keep people from proposing new layers of rule and regulations to make it even rare and require an even higher level of stupidity.
 
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Offline Someone

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #19 on: July 12, 2017, 04:12:47 am »
99.9999% chance they were using a POS knockoff charger.  Don't cheap out on anything that plugs into mains.
Its possible cheap 3rd party chargers are a part of it, but even the OEM/top tier/original/expensive chargers have their limits. Although they don't advertise an environmental specification as we are accustomed to with professional equipment you can be sure there are limits to the humidity and temperature which will prevent the device operating and possibly cause a hazard.
 

Offline Halcyon

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #20 on: July 12, 2017, 07:52:32 am »
Since when do you have an electrical outlet near the bath or in the bathroom at all?
In my bathroom, there are no electrical outlets at all.
I have never seen a house with one here at Israel.
But anyways, this is also her fault. You really can't leave your phone for 15 minutes?

Yep, common in Australia too, I've never seen a bathroom without power outlets.

But yes, I agree, people are way too attached to their phones these days. I have areas deep inside my building at work with no reception on any carrier and it's rather soothing.
 


Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #22 on: July 12, 2017, 03:52:13 pm »
99.9999% chance they were using a POS knockoff charger.  Don't cheap out on anything that plugs into mains.
Its possible cheap 3rd party chargers are a part of it, but even the OEM/top tier/original/expensive chargers have their limits. Although they don't advertise an environmental specification as we are accustomed to with professional equipment you can be sure there are limits to the humidity and temperature which will prevent the device operating and possibly cause a hazard.

Still wouldn't explain why the safety breaker didn't work. So either it was faulty (checking is important), or missing entirely, in which case it was the homeowner's fault for having obviously dangerous electrical in the house.
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Offline WastelandTek

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #23 on: July 12, 2017, 04:17:08 pm »
at some point we just have to take the safety labels off everything and let nature take its course
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Offline FlyingHacker

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Re: Is this really likely?
« Reply #24 on: July 12, 2017, 04:26:04 pm »
I thought at least one of these cases involved a mains extension cord, where the charger and the live end of the mains extension went into the bath.

Should definitely have a GFCI... and test those often!

Actually NOT having an outlet in the bathroom could be more dangerous, since that might lead to extension cord use, and would likely not have a GFCI.

I use hand held electronics in the bath, but normally take showers, which preclude their use. I would never use anything plugged in, though.
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