this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
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Why do people want them so bad tho
Christmas lights they accidentally wrapped backwards with the male end of the string all the way at the top of the tree
If you have a cabin or an RV that's wired for electricity, but you don't have any power coming in on the mains, or you don't have mains, you can backfeed the system by plugging your generator into one of the outlets.
The proper thing to do is to use a special outlet that's made for a generator, and perhaps an isolator switch as well, but if you don't have those then you might think to yourself, why don't I just make a male to male plug? It definitely works, but it's also dangerous if you or anyone unplugs it while the system is hot.
Honestly, I've passed the last 2 or 3 minutes trying to make some use form them up. I've come empty-handed.
They can technically be used to power your home from a generator... but please don't
Oh fuck. They can.
Will they burn before the wall wiring? Who knows?!?
Will you forget to shut the breaker down before plugging? YES! How is that even a question?
Just don't forget to disconnect the breakers. This is AC, not DC. Additionally to voltage, you'd also need to perfectly match frequency and phase.
For example if you have an european style one phase per room wiring, if you have a power failure on one phase, you could in theory use that cable to power the disabled part of your house.
Don't ever fucking do it tho. This is an incredibly, incomprehensibly retarded thing to do, and might kill someone, including repairman working to restore your power
Kinda what nearly killed this poor sod:
https://youtu.be/MQ_XKCf5NTQ?si=YgopdtY8lpjVLHDo
Damn, it requires a unique combination of creativity and an ape IQ to come up with this.
Please don't use the r-slur.
I've used them in a pinch to run a circuit on a generator, but it can be really dangerous in several ways.
You flip the breaker off and plug the generator into one of the outlets on the circuit using one of these and it'll power the rest of the circuit.
But pretty often the generator will put out a lot more amps than the wire in the wall is designed for, and you've bypassed the breaker. If you hook up too many devices you can draw too much current for the wires and start a fire.