![]() ![]() ![]() Electricity fed by male-to-male extension cords can flow from the house back to the utility lines on your street and potentially shock or kill those essential workers. They place utility workers at risk of shock and electrocution.“We can’t guarantee how people are going to handle these out in the real world,” Sargent says. “The gloves are most likely not a properly voltage-rated garment,” he says. And people could trip over a male-to-male extension cord and expose the live end, leaving them and others vulnerable to shocks or electrocution. For instance, do-it-yourselfers who use protective equipment for their home projects could wrongly assume that their protective gloves are sufficient to handle the plug, Sargent says. Even people who think they know what they’re doing could get hurt or killed.Here’s specifically what’s wrong with using a male-to-male extension cord: Why Male-to-Male Extension Cords Are So Dangerous ![]() (We found mentions of these extension cords online going back to 2005.) And while you can find videos and web pages online saying they’re safe if used properly, most commenters make it clear these plugs have earned their gruesome nicknames for a reason. Sargent says do-it-yourselfers have been making them for years. We found male-to-male extension cords for sale through major online channels like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart for less than $20. But the setup will never meet local electrical codes and poses a significant risk for injury, Sargent says. In theory, using a male-to-male extension cord allows users to get electricity from their generators without using long extension cords or costly safety devices such as transfer switches (see more on those below). Instead of the electricity coming from municipal power lines through your home’s circuit breaker panel to outlets throughout the home, the electricity travels from the generator through the male-to-male extension cord and then through the receptacle it’s plugged into-and then into your home’s electrical system to power outlets. The idea is that power will backfeed-it will flow in the direction opposite to the way it usually goes. They plug one end of the cord into the generator and the other end into a receptacle in or on their house. People have been known to use a three-pronged male-to-male extension cord to attach a gasoline- or propane-powered portable generator to their home’s electric systems after a power outage. (We spotted online a four-pronged male-to-male extension cord “recommended” to connect a generator to a clothes dryer.) How a Male-to-Male extension Cord Works Same for a four-pronged, 250-volt male-to-male extension cord, he adds. The 120 volts that a three-pronged male-to-male extension cord carries is enough to kill you, Sargent says. “Shock hazard” means you’re at risk of more than a slight buzz. “If I happen to hold the exposed metal end, there’s a shock hazard,” says Jeff Sargent, senior electrical specialist at the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass. ![]()
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