When living in a house or apartment that is lacking in usable outlets, an extension cord frequently becomes a tenant’s best friend.
Americans tend to use the terms “surge protector,” “extension cord,” and “power strip” interchangeably, even though these are all different things—which has previously led to some confusion.
To summarize the differences, “a power strip adds extra outlet space while a surge protector defends against possible voltage spikes that could damage your electronics, appliances, or equipment,” per WebstaurantStore. Both of these could be considered extension cords depending on their design, as an extension cord simply extends the range of an outlet by providing a cord with additional length.
Regardless of which one you’re using, utilizing one of these cables can be more dangerous than you might expect. One internet user warned against cheap extension cables given how they can lead to fires, and now, another internet user is sharing their extension cord story.
Too many extension cables
In a video with over 2.3 million views, TikTok user Brandon (@watchmen_inspections) showcases what he calls an “electric nightmare.”
“You can’t make this type of stuff up,” his video starts. “I mean, you just have to see it to believe it.”
Brandon then shows a power strip being run through a wall to another room. From there, two other power strips have been plugged into it, with one of them powering a light above the door. Power from the door light is also being used to power the light in the original room in which the first power strip is plugged, though Brandon says that light isn’t operational.
While this is already ill-advised, as too many available outlets may lead one to overload the circuit into which the original power strip is plugged, Brandon discovered a move that turns this from strange to dangerous.
“[He] ran screws right through the surge protector,” he says, showing a power strip that has been mounted to the wall with screws. “Do you know what’s behind there? Wires. Wires—that’s what’s in there, and he ran screws right through that sucker.”
“Are we trying to burn this freaking house to the ground or what?” he concludes. “You cannot make this up.”
@watchmen_inspections Electric nightmare!!😳😳 are we trying to burn the house down? #foryoupage #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #watchmeninspections #flipper #Ohiohomeinspector #realestate #foryou #getitinspected #flip ♬ original sound – Inspector_Brandon
Commenters share their thoughts on this DIY job
In the comments section, users revealed their shock at the modification put on display in Brandon’s video.
“I gasped. Then I gasped again. Then I entered a state of disbelief,” said a user.
“The gasp I gusped when I saw the screws,” added another. “I think it’s time to start having more electrical classes in school…”
A few shared their own stories of electrical dangers they’ve experienced.
“My old rental house i lived in had some serious electrical issues. landlord wouldn’t do anything so i called code on him,” recalled a commenter. “the majority of the house was on one 15 amp breaker.”
“Bought a house a while ago, entire garage was wired this way, powered by an extension cord going into a crawlspace,” stated a second.
The Daily Dot reached out to Brandon via email and TikTok DM.
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