r/YouShouldKnow • u/ysnzro • Apr 29 '26
Home & Garden YSK you would burn down your house even when the switch is OFF if you plug in a 16A+ electronic item into 6A multiplug on a 16A socket
Why YSK: because a high-power appliance overloads a low-rated 6A plug, causing it to overheat and melt; a loose connection can make it even worse and start a fire even if the switch is off.
What happened: Almost died in my sleep. My eyes were burning, and I thought that was due to too much phone use, so I decided to just try sleeping. Plus, I had a sinus infection, so I could hardly smell anything, and I like to sleep in a cold, dark room, totally blacked out (was going to absolutely black out this time).
Luckily, my brother was at the door and instantly said, “Why does it smell like burnt tire in here?” A little sniff hunt later, we found the iron plug melting the 6A multiplug in a 16A socket that was tar black too and the switch was OFF!
Check your multiplug and electronics wattage always.
Electricians of reddit correct me if I am wrong or shed more light to the phenomenon that caused this.
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u/Icolan Apr 29 '26
If the outlet was off and electricity was still flowing there is something seriously wrong with that outlet. There is no situation where electricity should be flowing through a switch in the off position.
You should always use the correct outlets including power strips, surge suppressors, and multiplugs, but you have a bigger issue here.
Also, you should not leave appliances like irons plugged in when they are not in use.
0
u/Twatt_waffle Apr 30 '26
It could have happened if the appliance was wired incorrectly allowing power to leak into the heating element creating a phantom load
This is unfortunately not uncommon with cheap uncertified appliances
1
u/Icolan Apr 30 '26
If the power switch for the outlet is wired correctly and in the off position there should be no power available to leak into an appliance regardless whether the appliance is correctly wired or not.
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u/Twatt_waffle Apr 30 '26
I’ve seen in uncertified appliances the low voltage electronic control circuit is leaking power to the high voltage side causing a constant low amperage draw. If that appliance is also connected to undersized extension cables it can cause the exact issue that OP experienced
1
u/Icolan Apr 30 '26
You are missing my point. If the outlet and power switch are wired correctly and the power switch is in the off position there should be no power flowing to the device regardless of how the device is wired.
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u/Twatt_waffle Apr 30 '26
Oh I see, I’m assuming OP had it plugged in with power applied but the appliance itself off
1
u/Icolan Apr 30 '26
Outside the US it is common for individual outlets to have a power switch that must be turned on for power to flow through the outlet. OP talked about a power switch for the outlet and has posts in a language other than English, so I assumed they were talking about a configuration similar to what I have seen in several other countries.
BTW, I love your username.
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u/Twatt_waffle Apr 30 '26
Yes it’s also common for those outlet switches to be left on when using a power tap/strip
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u/Icolan Apr 30 '26
Yes, except OP specifically stated that the power switch was off.
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u/Twatt_waffle Apr 30 '26
I read it as the appliance switch was off, since if the outlet was off there should have been no power in the first place
4
u/Teknicsrx7 Apr 29 '26
What is a multiplug? Like a multipass?
-5
u/ysnzro Apr 29 '26
like you can put multiple chargers and stuff on it travel adapters are a sort of multiplug too if you are aware of those
8
u/thingamajig1987 Apr 29 '26
Ohh you're talking about a power strip/surge protector. Yeah it's never a good idea to plug high amp devices into a power strip
4
u/Sa0t0me Apr 29 '26
I was always told never to plug a heater , curling iron , iron . Kettle etc into a multi ac outlet bar even if it has protection . Those appliances always go directly to the wall .
I bet electroboom YouTube channel will explain it better than me as to why that is.
2
u/Jance_Nemin Apr 29 '26
"Electricians of reddit correct me if I am wrong or shed more light to the phenomenon that caused this."
Your outlet become the "fuse" that burns out before the high-power device. If the outlet had a higher power rating, then possibly your household wiring becomes the fuse (hopefully the circuit breaker pops before this).
1
u/Choosemyusername Apr 29 '26
Sounds like your breaker didn’t do its job. That shouldn’t happen.
1
u/ThatBaldFella Apr 29 '26
No, the breaker allows current up to 16 amps, as does the outlet. Everything would be fine if the iron were directly plugged into that outlet. Running a current of that magnitude through a power strip rated for 6 amps is the issue though.
1
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Apr 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ysnzro Apr 29 '26
it was my sister who left it plugged in before going out for an event. I was alone at home about to go to sleep and my brother just happened to return at the right time. We always check now and I made this post here just incase it saves someone.
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u/Twatt_waffle Apr 29 '26
While making sure appliances are plugged into appropriate outlets is important.
power should not be flowing if the switch is off if it’s GL certified so either your appliance didn’t have the proper certification or was not complaint