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

[anorlunda]

With all this talk of GFCI - I'd like to remind people to actually test theirs from time to time.

Excellent point. See those two buttons, one is RESET and the other is TEST. I don't know how the TEST button actually tests.

Edit: I see @Guineafowl beat me to the punch.

 

[StandardsGuy]

Yes, I've read that she used an extension cord, but I'm not finding that news article at the moment. Looks like the parents have changed their story to claim that the phone was plugged into a bathroom outlet (which of course would have had GFCI protection).

That seems more likely, or even just water running down the USB cord to the extension cord outlet.

Older homes in the US have no GFCI protection. The home I grew up in had 2-wire outlets until recently.

 

[OmCheeto]

Older homes in the US have no GFCI protection. The home I grew up in had 2-wire outlets until recently.

It's odd to think about how GFCI works with a two wire system. It's almost as if the older systems were more efficiently designed, resource-wise, than the intermediate 3 wire system.

I'm speaking in the future tense of course.

 

[Guineafowl]

A timely video from ElectroBoom. The guy's a bit of a clown but does actually know what he's talking about. The video pretty much tracks the thread.

I just have to highlight the end, where he calls for American plugs to have sleeved pins, much like UK ones... ;) Yay UK!

 

[Averagesupernova]

It's odd to think about how GFCI works with a two wire system.

I guess I can't see it that way. How can you be safer than insuring that the exact same current is on both wires? A third wire is irrelevant in this case. Last I knew it was still permitted in the USA to replace 2 wire kitchen countertop receptacles with a GFCI which would be ungrounded.
-
Edit: For that matter I believe it is permitted to do the same in a bathroom. Consider simply banning the replacement of an old two wire receptacle. Would this be safe? Extension cords throughout the house would be the result. The code has to weigh off the possibility of a probable scenario when something is mandated.

 

[OCR]

Consider simply banning the replacement of an old two wire receptacle.

...

But why... ?

Extension cords throughout the house would be the result.

Two prong plugs will fit three prong outlets, won't they...?

Of course, there's always the good ol'... cheater plug.

 

[Averagesupernova]

I'm just pointing out that in the USA it is permissible to leave two wire cables in the wall and replace the worn out receptacle. And in the case of a kitchen countertop or bathroom a GFCI receptacle would be required AND last I checked GFCI receptacles are not available without the third prong. They are required to be labeled as ungrounded and the safety a GFCI receptacle offers is considered good enough in these scenarios. I was also pointing out that it is unreasonable to simply consider an outlet replaced in this manner unsafe to the point of requiring a blank plate installed with a receptacle no longer available as it would lead to many many extension cords. Contrary to what many folks think, safety has tradeoffs and sometimes it is accepted that one installation is acceptable even though it is technically less safe than other installations.

 

[OCR]

I was also pointing out that it is unreasonable to simply consider an outlet replaced in this manner unsafe to the point of requiring a blank plate installed with a receptacle no longer available as it would lead to many many extension cords.

... that answered both the questions, thank you.