What caused the teenager to die while charging her phone in the bath?

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A teenager tragically died while charging her phone in the bath, likely due to electrocution from a faulty charger. Discussions highlight concerns about the charger's isolation and the potential use of an extension cord, which may have contributed to the incident. There is speculation that the charger lacked necessary safety components, such as a class Y capacitor, which could lead to dangerous voltage exposure. The conversation emphasizes the need for better safety regulations regarding electrical devices used near water, as similar incidents have occurred in the past. The lack of detailed information about the circumstances surrounding the tragedy leaves many questions unanswered.
  • #31
jim hardy said:
... so far as i know there's no standard dictating any orientation
From my experience, with the ground pin on top and it being longer, cord weight has caused less pull-out. I think it has more to do with torque; rotation force captures long pin better when on top.
 
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  • #32
dlgoff said:
You are a very wise man. I wish all could have this attitude.
My younger brother told me once; "You drive like a paranoid schizophrenic".
After my last drive with him, I will never ride in his vehicle again. (He trusts red lights to stop people. I look both ways before driving through an intersection. He didn't.)

Anyways, back to the topic:

I wrote up a REALLY long chastisement post for Greg, because I still didn't understand how GFCI's could work without a ground wire, but decided that my post was in error, as they apparently do work.

In my defense, it has been ≈30 years since I last studied GFCI, and I don't think the internets, as we know it now, existed.
Though, after I thought about it some more, I think I may have understood how they worked, but have forgotten, in the meanwhile.
 
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  • #33
OmCheeto said:
I wrote up a REALLY long chastisement post for Greg, because I still didn't understand how GFCI's could work without a ground wire, but decided that my post was in error, as they apparently do work.
I believe they sense the current in the Hot and Neutral wires, and if there is a difference of more than the threshold, they trip. It seems like I learned that a while back when I had the same question as you. I haven't looked up the circuit, though.
 
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  • #34
OmCheeto said:
In my defense, it has been ≈30 years since I last studied GFCI, and I don't think the internets, as we know it now, existed.
Though, after I thought about it some more, I think I may have understood how they worked, but have forgotten, in the meanwhile.
A picture may be helpful in remembering.
image compliments of http://www.ecmweb.com/basics/how-gfcis-work

how-gfcis-work-1.jpg
 
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  • #35
berkeman said:
I believe they sense the current in the Hot and Neutral wires, and if there is a difference of more than the threshold, they trip. It seems like I learned that a while back when I had the same question as you. I haven't looked up the circuit, though.
That's what I read yesterday, which is why I preemptively deleted my post.
But the page seemed to be filled with a lot of "ifs, ands, or buts", so I didn't share it, as most non-old, non-electrically literate people might get confused.

Replacing 2-Wire Ungrounded Receptacles

When in doubt, call Om.

OmCheeto said:
Though, after I thought about it some more, I think I may have understood how they worked, but have forgotten, in the meanwhile.

2017.07.16.retro.GFCI.Oms.bathroom.1945.fixture.png

My vintage 1945 bathroom vanity fixture, upgraded in about 1992.
I'm pretty sure I would not have done that, had I known it wouldn't work.
 
  • #36
OmCheeto said:
My vintage 1945 bathroom vanity fixture, upgraded in about 1992.
I'm pretty sure I would not have done that, had I known it wouldn't work.
Just think of it as having made it possible for two people to be protected at the same time. :oldbiggrin:
 
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  • #37
OmCheeto said:
Also, I've been mowing my neighbors lawn for the last 2 years, and they don't have a GFCI outlet on the outside of their house. Those have been required since 1973. They just moved in a few years ago, so there seems to be some loophole about GFCI rules. Not sure if they are renting or own the house.
They bought the house. The guy claims they have GFCI in the kitchen and bathroom, but when I queried him about the outside outlet, he said; "Grandfathered".

Rules may be different for each state.

ps. He refused to let me install my spare GFCI receptacle I've had sitting in a box for 10 years, even though I told him I was once an electrician.
[super-duper off topic]Since I'm recently retired, I've been weeding their lawn for two years now. I think I'm starting to give them the creeps.
pps. Their lawn is almost weed free now. Whoop Whoop![/super-duper off topic]
 
  • #39
berkeman said:
I hope you use an in-line GFCI adapter when mowing their lawn...

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/1000/59/5922f896-c7a6-446e-a76d-e4a676ff2346_1000.jpg

Nyet. I'm old, somewhat understand the evolution of electrical stuff, and have been prepared for death, for decades.

ps. Took 220 volts across the chest once, just moments before the captain walked by. He was an electrical safety FREAK!, apparently.
Long story, and off-topic to the fourth power. :angel:
pps. God bless Admiral Oliver! :bow:
 
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  • #40
OmCheeto said:
ps. Took 220 volts across the chest once, ...
Long story, and off-topic to the fourth power. :angel:
Hands were dry, no doubt ? When they're wet with seawater you can't hold on to a 12 volt battery.

Off Topic to 5th- Another Boring Anecdote
(that i may have told before)
I once got a wet left hand into an outboard motor sparkplug while wet right hand was on the carburetor mixture adjust.
Counted seven pulses going between my hands as the motor coasted to a stop.

Said to myself "Whew that was close."

Had a brand new pacemaker that was due its 30 day checkup the following day. It was one of those computerized ones that "knows if you've been bad or good"...
So I asked Doc "Any funny readings yesterday about 1PM ?"
He said "Nothing recorded, why do you ask? Have some angina pains then?"

So i told him the story and finished up with "... so these things must be tougher than they want us to think."

He just winced and said "Well, let's not tell Guidant about it."

old jim
 
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  • #41
OmCheeto said:
He trusts red lights to stop people.
Ugh !... :thumbdown:
OmCheeto said:
I look both ways before driving through an intersection.
Excellent !... :thumbup:.. :thumbup:
 
  • #42
jim hardy said:
I once got a wet left hand into an outboard motor sparkplug while wet right hand was on the carburetor mixture adjust.

old jim
How did the mixture adjustment... turn out ? .. :oldtongue:My God, you could actually count... ? !
Counted seven pulses going between my hands as the motor coasted to a stop.
I would have just made a big long shriek... and probably flung the mixture screw away in the process... I really, really HATE spark plug shocks... !

Lol... yup.
He just winced...
I've provoked that look, on occasion, too...

 
  • #43
OmCheeto said:
...
Funny thing is, I never replaced the wiring to two outlets, which are in my kitchen.
About a month ago, whilst doing some "load testing", I discovered that my refrigerator has a ground fault when I open the freezer door.
...
Update:
I pulled the freezer light bulb out yesterday, and then* plugged the fridge into a GFCI outlet. With the door open, it did not trip the circuit. Then I reinstalled the light bulb. Opening and closing the door 100 times does not trip the circuit.

I guess it's not broken after all.

*In hindsight, I probably should have done this in a different order.
 
  • #44
OmCheeto said:
I guess it's not broken after all.

Is it on a GFCI all the time?

If you can catch it in a defrost cycle check it then.
I had a faulted defrost heater that tripped the GFCI once a day. Took a while to figure that one out.
Locate the defrost timer, they usually have provision for manual advance.
 
  • #45
My washing machine was being a pain yesterday.
It insisted the door was not closed when clearly it was.
I swore at it, then kicked it, then it stopped behaving like that.
 
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  • #46
rootone said:
My washing machine was being a pain yesterday.
It insisted the door was not closed when clearly it was.
I swore at it, then kicked it, then it stopped behaving like that.
Yeah, used to fix vacuum tube TVs that way...especially in the local bar it would get you a couple free drinks!
 
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  • #47
jim hardy said:
Is it on a GFCI all the time?
Nope. Only briefly for load testing, during the great "Ideas for refrigerator door design" thread.
If you can catch it in a defrost cycle check it then.
I had a faulted defrost heater that tripped the GFCI once a day. Took a while to figure that one out.
Locate the defrost timer, they usually have provision for manual advance.
Very low probability, IMHO.
Based on:
1. It only happened when I opened the freezer door, and not the refrigerator door.
2. The defrost cycle only happens every, (pfoogle, pfoogle, pfoogle) 61.5 hours.​

2017-02-07-pf-defrost-captures-question-mark-png.png

ps. It's still plugged into the GFCI, and every time I walk by it, I open the freezer door. Nada.
pps. I also did the old; "Lets grab hold of the metal parts of the stove and the refrigerator at the same time with the freezer door open, and see if Om dies" experiment. No luck. Not even a tingle.
 
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  • #48
To me, electrical safety is ingrained, and should be shared extensively.
But, we really do need to stay on topic.

The latest:
KCBD
July 14, 2017(two days ago!)

The report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Lovington Police Department says she plugged her cell phone into an extension cord, which was plugged into a non-GFCI, non-grounded bathroom wall outlet.

The report goes on to say the phone was never immersed in water.

Officials say Coe took precautions to keep the connection of the cords dry, it is believed she was not aware of a significant area of fraying to the extension cord. Evidence shows she touched the frayed extension cord while she was in the bathtub, which had water in it.​

Lessons:
1. Even if you have 100 year old, two conductor wiring, a GFCI outlet will protect you.
2. Send all worn out extension cords to OmCheeto. He knows how to repair and/or recycle them.
3. A ground wire would not have saved her life, IMHO.
4. Electrical "stuff" now spans about 100 years. The old metal cased stuff protected you by having a "ground wire". Most new stuff is not made of metal, and the ground wire is probably kept around for nostalgic peeps, like me.​
 
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  • #49
jim hardy said:
Hands were dry, no doubt ?
Check! (Probably why I'm still alive.)
When they're wet with seawater...
Ummmm... On a submarine, seawater inside, means you've got a problem.ps. [off topic to the 8th power: One day, I made seawater coffee on my aircraft carrier... Yuck.]
 
  • #50
OmCheeto said:
To me, electrical safety is ingrained, and should be shared extensively.
But, we really do need to stay on topic.

The latest:
KCBD
July 14, 2017(two days ago!)

The report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Lovington Police Department says she plugged her cell phone into an extension cord, which was plugged into a non-GFCI, non-grounded bathroom wall outlet.

The report goes on to say the phone was never immersed in water.

Officials say Coe took precautions to keep the connection of the cords dry, it is believed she was not aware of a significant area of fraying to the extension cord. Evidence shows she touched the frayed extension cord while she was in the bathtub, which had water in it.​

Lessons:
1. Even if you have 100 year old, two conductor wiring, a GFCI outlet will protect you.
2. Send all worn out extension cords to OmCheeto. He knows how to repair and/or recycle them.
3. A ground wire would not have saved her life, IMHO.
4. Electrical "stuff" now spans about 100 years. The old metal cased stuff protected you by having a "ground wire". Most new stuff is not made of metal, and the ground wire is probably kept around for nostalgic peeps, like me.​
Well, that's a complete turnaround of the story. In the UK, you cannot have a socket in the bathroom - I always wondered at this regulation, and compared it to the EU and US where you can, but perhaps it's for the best. I know an extension cord can defeat the rule, but the absence of sockets in bathrooms perhaps subconsciously affects our attitude to electricity in the bathroom.

Regarding your lessons:
1. I agree.
2. Common sense dictates you check mains cords for damage now and again. Hardly anyone does. You are relying on a sliver ot two of PVC to protect your life in many cases - I think modern life is SO carefully engineered to be super-safe that people have lost their danger perception.
3. I agree.
4. I think there's still enough metal cased stuff to justify a ground/earth wire. It's also useful for RF shields and the like...
 
  • #51
  • #52
Guineafowl said:
. In the UK, you cannot have a socket in the bathroom
True. But the silly thing is that everyone has electrical devices with mains leads draped all over the kitchen and there are plastic / pot sinks with taps that can spray all over a work top with (even) a toaster on it. Toasters have NAKED resistance wire down amongst the bread slices. I don't often stand naked in my kitchen but nakedness only adds to the perceived risk in a bathroom.
PS electric razor sockets are permitted but they have an isolating transformer.
 
  • #53
CWatters said:
Actually I believe you _can_ have a socket in the bathroom in the UK as long as it's in the correct "zone" and complies with the socket manufacturers instructions (which may preclude installation in a humid area). I wouldn't recommend it though.

Edit: See this thread...
http://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=205&threadid=34751
I'm sure that's right.

However, I have never seen a socket in any bathroom, other than an isolated 'shaver socket'. I've also never met anyone who has a shaver they need to plug into one of these things.

The question to our friends across the pond is: what do you need a socket in the bathroom for?
 
  • #54
sophiecentaur said:
True. But the silly thing is that everyone has electrical devices with mains leads draped all over the kitchen and there are plastic / pot sinks with taps that can spray all over a work top with (even) a toaster on it. Toasters have NAKED resistance wire down amongst the bread slices. I don't often stand naked in my kitchen but nakedness only adds to the perceived risk in a bathroom.
PS electric razor sockets are permitted but they have an isolating transformer.
As I mention above, you certainly need sockets in a kitchen, so (I think) there are rules about distance from sink etc.

But why do you need a socket in the bathroom?
 
  • #55
Guineafowl said:
But why do you need a socket in the bathroom?
Interesting.
US NEC requires a 20 amp outlet in the bathroom presumably for those 1875 watt "Raging Inferno" handheld hair dryers.
 
  • #56
jim hardy said:
Interesting.
US NEC requires a 20 amp outlet in the bathroom presumably for those 1875 watt "Raging Inferno" handheld hair dryers.
;) people with long hair in the UK dry their hair in the bedroom.

I dry my short hair with a towel.

NEXT!
 
  • #57
Guineafowl said:
But why do you need a socket in the bathroom?
There are many appliances that could be useful in a bathroom. Hair dryer, TV, HiFi and even a handy floor standing electric heater. We are aware of the possible dangers so we accept that only specially installed versions are suitable. I am sure there are parts of the world where people just do what they want and have appropriate accident figures to show for it.
 
  • #58
Guineafowl said:
I've also never met anyone who has a shaver they need to plug into one of these things.
Not for about 30 years! But the electric toothbrush charger has the right plug of it.
 
  • #59
sophiecentaur said:
There are many appliances that could be useful in a bathroom. Hair dryer, TV, HiFi and even a handy floor standing electric heater. We are aware of the possible dangers so we accept that only specially installed versions are suitable. I am sure there are parts of the world where people just do what they want and have appropriate accident figures to show for it.
Hmmm. I suppose we could go on all year about this, but:

Hair dryer - bedroom?
TV - Americans watch TV in the bath? You're meant to be washing yourself.
HiFi - iPod? Battery radio?
Electric heater - you can have one here, but it's normally installed as a fixed outlet away from the bath/basin. Also (I live in a cold Scottish house) if you need an electric bathroom heater, upgrade your heating system. Power cuts are common up here in the winter.

;)
 
  • #60
sophiecentaur said:
Not for about 30 years! But the electric toothbrush charger has the right plug of it.
I have an electric toothbrush, and the stupid charger plug doesn't fit into these sockets when I stay in a hotel. Seriously, who uses these things?
 

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