Teen got electrocuted and died for using her phone in the shower while charging it...

[Coaxialgamer]

3 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

I dont understand how this makes sense. The transformer is only putting out 5 volts. Period. 5 volts is not enough to over come resistance to penetrate skin. Even it the water made it down the cable to the power brick and managed to get into the outlet it would of most likely shorted in the outlet and kicked the breaker. Also in a shower the water is flowing around you and will most likely go around your body instead of through your heart. It just doesnt seem right.

Fast chargers can deliver up to 20V , and the humidity drastically reduces the required voltage . I admit it does seem unlikely though . What might have happened however was that the water might have made it so the power directly went from the AC outlet directly to the phone/hand , bypassing the power conversion circuitry in the charger itslef. 

[DrMikeNZ]

3 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

I dont understand how this makes sense. The transformer is only putting out 5 volts. Period. 5 volts is not enough to over come resistance to penetrate skin. Even it the water made it down the cable to the power brick and managed to get into the outlet it would of most likely shorted in the outlet and kicked the breaker. Also in a shower the water is flowing around you and will most likely go around your body instead of through your heart. It just doesnt seem right.

I think USB type C allows for up to 20V 5A quick charging.

[suicidalfranco]

aren't there regulations in place that tell how far can an outlet be from a shower bed or bathtub in the US? At least here in Italy you actually have to go full retard to pull such a stunt by adding an extension to it

[Pesukarhu]

Just now, mynameisjuan said:

I dont understand how this makes sense. The transformer is only putting out 5 volts. Period. 5 volts is not enough to over come resistance to penetrate skin. Even it the water made it down the cable to the power brick and managed to get into the outlet it would of most likely shorted in the outlet and kicked the breaker. Also in a shower the water is flowing around you and will most likely go around your body instead of through your heart. It just doesnt seem right.

I think the water traveled down the cable, through the usb port into the chargers circuitry creating a conductive path from the 120v ac mains to the "5v" usb output. 5v cant kill you unless you directly apply it on your hearts muscles. Current will flow through all paths possible, favoring the least resistive one ofc. A wet human standing in a puddle of water on a tile/concrete floor is conductive enough to take a significant enough part in the resistor network between ground and the 120v live feed. The burnt hand could be because the usb cables wires cant stand the amount of amps the house breaker can, thus burning/exploding with enough current.

 

I guess many people do this stupid shit regularly and dont get hurt, mainly because this scenario requires many different factors to complete. She just had bad luck, along with no respect for electricity.

[ProjectBox153]

2 minutes ago, DrMikeNZ said:

I think USB type C allows for up to 20V 5A quick charging.

Really? I didn't know it could carry that much power for cell phones.

[Brainless906]

13 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

aren't there regulations in place that tell how far can an outlet be from a shower bed or bathtub in the US? At least here in Italy you actually have to go full retard to pull such a stunt by adding an extension to it

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/24/3280.806

 

 

§ 3280.806 Receptacle outlets.

(a) All receptacle outlets shall be:

(1) Of grounding type;

(2) Installed according to Article 406.3 of the National Electrical Code, NFPA No. 70-2005.

(3) Except when supplying specific appliances, be parallel-blade, 15-ampere, 125-volt, either single or duplex.

(b) All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacle outlets installed outdoors, or in compartments accessible from outside the manufactured home, and in bathrooms, including receptacles in light fixtures, must have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel must be provided for receptacles serving countertops in kitchens and receptacle outlets located within 6 feet of a wet bar sink, except for receptacles installed for appliances in dedicated spaces, such as dishwashers, disposals, refrigerators, freezers, and laundry equipment.

(c) There shall be an outlet of the grounding type for each cord-connected fixed appliance installed.

(d)Receptacle outlets required. Except in the bath, closet, and hall areas, receptacle outlets must be installed at wall spaces 2 feet or more wide, so that no point along the floor line is more than 6 feet, measured horizontally, from an outlet in that space. Receptacle outlets in floors shall not be counted as part of the required number of receptacle outlets, unless located within 18 inches of the wall. In addition, a receptacle outlet must be installed in the following locations:

(1) Over or adjacent to counter tops in the kitchen (at least one on each side of the sink if counter tops are on each side and 12 inches or over in width).

(2) Adjacent to the refrigerator and free-standing gas-range space. A duplex receptacle may serve as the outlet for a countertop and a refrigerator.

(3) At counter top spaces for built-in vanities.

(4) At counter top spaces under wall-mounted cabinets.

(5) In the wall, at the nearest point where a bar type counter attaches to the wall.

(6) In the wall at the nearest point where a fixed room divider attaches to the wall.

(7) In laundry areas within 6 feet of the intended location of the appliance(s).

(8) At least one receptacle outlet shall be installed outdoors.

(9) At least one wall receptacle outlet shall be installed in bathrooms within 36 inches (914 mm) of the outside edge of each basin. The receptacle outlet must be located on a wall that is adjacent to the basin location. This receptacle is in addition to any receptacle that is part of a lighting fixture or appliance. The receptacle must not be enclosed within a bathroom cabinet or vanity.

(10) On the underside of the home for the connection of pipe heating cable(s) or heat tape(s), and the outlet must:

(i) Be located within 2 feet of the cold water inlet;

(ii) Be connected to an interior branch circuit, other than a small appliance branch circuit;

(iii) Be located on a circuit where all of the outlets are on the load side of the ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel; and

(iv) Not be considered as the receptacle outlet required by paragraph (8) of this section.

(11) Receptacle outlets are not required in the following locations:

(i) Wall space occupied by built-in kitchen or wardrobe cabinets,

(ii) Wall space behind doors which may be opened fully against a wall surface,

(iii) Room dividers of the lattice type, less than 8 feet long, not solid within 6 inches of the floor,

(iv) Wall space afforded by bar type counters.

(e) Receptacle outlets shall not be installed in or within reach (30 inches) of a shower or bathtub space.

(f) Receptacle outlets shall not be installed above electric baseboard heaters.

(g) Receptacles must not be in a face-up position in any countertop.

[ 40 FR 58752, Dec. 18, 1975. Redesignated at 44 FR 20679, Apr. 6, 1979, as amended at 58 FR 55020, Oct. 25, 1993; 70 FR 72052, Nov. 30, 2005; 78 FR 73991, Dec. 9, 2013]

[GoodBytes]

4 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

aren't there regulations in place that tell how far can an outlet be from a shower bed or bathtub in the US? At least here in Italy you actually have to go full retard to pull such a stunt by adding an extension to it

I don't know about the building codes of the states of Texas, but even if did, the house could have been built before the building code about it was in place, or the bathroom was renovated without getting building permits (so the state could not send someone to validate everything). And the renovations could have been done by a previous owner of the home, so the current ones thinks that all are good.

 

Also, she might have simply acquired a really long cable.

[The Benjamins]

Just now, Jamiec1130 said:

Really? I didn't know it could carry that much power for cell phones.

it depends on the power brick and phone spec but it can be up to 20V 5A I think most cellphone quick chard is less then 50W

[Coaxialgamer]

Not really , no . In practice , you can't really stop someone from putting an outlet in their bathroom , and i don't see how it would it could be regulated anyway .

Many people actually do so they can power hard dryers , lights , curling irons etc . 

 

I'd go as far to say it maybe isn't totally the girl's fault  , depending on how the phone and outlet are placed . Plus , most outlet's are grounded.

[DrMikeNZ]

Just now, Jamiec1130 said:

Really? I didn't know it could carry that much power for cell phones.

I honestly don't know of any phone that actually uses that specification, their batteries are too small to safely charge at such a high current. It was more intended for USB charging laptops. Although a USB type C charger which is rated for both and not safely constructed could potentially be lethal if handled with water.

There is not enough information to know at all what happened yet.

[KenjiUmino]

2 minutes ago, Coaxialgamer said:

Plus , most outlet's are grounded.

but most phone chargers are NOT so a breaker that relies only on grounding would be pretty useless 

[GoodBytes]

1 minute ago, DrMikeNZ said:

I honestly don't know of any phone that actually uses that specification, their batteries are too small to safely charge at such a high current. It was more intended for USB charging laptops. Although a USB type C charger which is rated for both and not safely constructed could potentially be lethal if handled with water.

There is not enough information to know at all what happened yet.

My phone charger is a USB Type-C one, and it output 3 Amps.

[NumLock21]

5 minutes ago, Coaxialgamer said:

Not really , no . In practice , you can't really stop someone from putting an outlet in their bathroom , and i don't see how it would it could be regulated anyway .

Many people actually do so they can power hard dryers , lights , curling irons etc . 

 

I'd go as far to say it maybe isn't totally the girl's fault  , depending on how the phone and outlet are placed . Plus , most outlet's are grounded.

Not the girl's fault?!

So the driver who crashes into a tree, isn't the driver fault then?

[Brainless906]

10 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

I don't know about the building codes of the states of Texas, but even if did, the house could have been built before the building code about it was in place, or the bathroom was renovated without getting building permits (so the state could not send someone to validate everything). And the renovations could have been done by a previous owner of the home, so the current ones thinks that all are good.

 

Also, she might have simply acquired a really long cable.

As I posted above code states it cannot be "within reach" which is defined as 30inches. Most charging cables are 4-5 foot.

And as you noted renovations without re-evaluation of electrical systems are insanely common (at least in the us) and often not up to code.

[Pesukarhu]

2 minutes ago, KenjiUmino said:

but most phone chargers are NOT so a breaker that relies only on grounding would be pretty useless 

GFCIs (ground fault interrupters) measure the difference between amps out and amps in. So any leakage to ground, people, whatever can be monitored. If the difference is more than the rating (usually in the 10s of mA) it will cut power to the circuit, protecting all appliances grounded or not. Good to have in a bathroom or outside.

[Coaxialgamer]

Just now, NumLock21 said:

Not the girl's fault?!

So the driver who crashes into a tree, isn't the driver fault then?

that's a very bad comparison , but i'll go with it . Sure , charging your phone in a bathroom isn't the best idea , but let's keep to your analogy here.

If a road is slippery , and said driver loses control of his car , is it 100% his fault , assuming he wasn't speeding for example ?

Many people already use their hairdryers and other appliances in bathrooms .This is just a case of another house accident that happens far too often .

Same reason why you cant' blame someone for falling down the stairs or off a stepping stool/ladder.

[GoodBytes]

5 minutes ago, Brainless906 said:

As I posted above code states it cannot be "within reach" which is defined as 30inches. Most charging cables are 4-5 foot.

When I typed and sent it, I didn't see your post, as we were 1 min apart, and my page was loaded before yours was posted.

[tom_w141]

Nice to see natural selection still working

[Slickrr13]

Looks like I have to transfer to a different school. 

 

 

( I go to Texas Tech University, which is in Lubbock. )

[DrMikeNZ]

Just now, GoodBytes said:

My phone charger is a USB Type-C one, and it output 3 Amps.

You can get third party multi-mode Type-C chargers which do the 5V 3A all the way up to 20V 5A.

I highly doubt a 5V 3A would have been enough. It is more likely the phone detected that she was a device which needed charging and switched to battery bank mode to help her out (I doubt this also).

 

[AlwaysFSX]

2 minutes ago, Coaxialgamer said:

that's a very bad comparison , but i'll go with it . Sure , charging your phone in a bathroom isn't the best idea , but let's keep to your analogy here.

If a road is slippery , and said driver loses control of his car , is it 100% his fault , assuming he wasn't speeding for example ?

Many people already use their hairdryers and other appliances in bathrooms .This is just a case of another house accident that happens far too often .

Same reason why you cant' blame someone for falling down the stairs or off a stepping stool/ladder.

If I make toast in the bathtub and die.. whose fault is it? This isn't a case of happenstance, this is willing stupidity.

[GoodBytes]

1 minute ago, DrMikeNZ said:

You can get third party multi-mode Type-C chargers which do the 5V 3A all the way up to 20V 5A.

I highly doubt a 5V 3A would have been enough. It is more likely the phone detected that she was a device which needed charging and switched to battery bank mode to help her out (I doubt this also).

 

I am no experts so I don't know if it's enough to kill you or not in the shower. But, all I can say is that many of the cheap chargers sold in the US and Canadian stores and cheap ones online are not safe. They don't follow safety measures and good circuitry design. So maybe she acquired one of those instead of a genuine one or a quality charger.

[NumLock21]

Just now, Coaxialgamer said:

that's a very bad comparison , but i'll go with it . Sure , charging your phone in a bathroom isn't the best idea , but let's keep to your analogy here.

If a road is slippery , and said driver loses control of his car , is it 100% his fault , assuming he wasn't speeding for example ?

Many people already use their hairdryers and other appliances in bathrooms .This is just a case of another house accident that happens far too often .

Same reason why you cant' blame someone for falling down the stairs or off a stepping stool/ladder.

I have hair dryers in the bathroom too, but I'm not going to use it while in the shower when the water is turned on. It's common sense, where this girl doesn't have and her parents for not teaching it to her.

[TOMPPIX]

42 minutes ago, Jamiec1130 said:

I saw that. While I will admit to using my phone in the shower (for music or watching something on YouTube), I would NEVER try to charge something while in the shower. So it seems that those large labels on hair dryer power cables that say "DON"T USE WHILE IN THE SHOWER" or something of the sort should be put on cell phone chargers.

"Youtube"

[Coaxialgamer]

Just now, AlwaysFSX said:

If I make toast in the bathtub and die.. whose fault is it?

come on , that's completely different . You can't reasonably be suggesting that a phone and a toaster use anywhere near the same amount of power .

It isn't clear from the article if he was actually charging the phone while actively showering .  Knowing the typical amount of power produced by phone chargers , it's unlikely the 5-20V electricity from the charger itself killed her . 

If i had to guess  i'd say, the charging block itself ( which would have been outside the shower  , because it would need to be plugged into an outlet )  likely shorted in some way that the 120V bypassed into the charging cord . that could have been caused by a crappy charger , a splash of water or any other amount of things . Many people use haird dryers after a shower , and high humidity can produce these results . It's totally possible she just chose to charge her phone after showering .