My (aftermarket) iPhone charger has fairly long prongs that are inserted into the electrical outlet or surge protector. While unplugging it just now, I did so in a way that my fingers touched both prongs while they were still half way plugged into the surge protector. I received quite a shock!
Is this just a normal effect from me grasping it in an awkward way or is the charger defective somehow? Theoretically it makes sense that it would shock me, but in almost 30 years of life I have never been shocked from unplugging appliances before.
I kinda figured haha :smack:. I didn’t want to leave a defective charger in the house for someone else to use and get hurt, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to double check. Thanks!
Like others said, this was user error. Normally it happens in the opposite direction though. Holding the plug in your hand, putting your finger on the outlet and guiding the plug down your finger into the socket. It’s pretty common to do it in the dark (or in a location where you can’t see, like behind a bed or desk) and an easy way to get a shock. Of the four or five times I’ve been shocked I’d guess that at least two of them were from doing that.
Because of how easy it is to get shocked by hit prongs that are half sticking out, I tend to be a bit rabid about pushing plugs back in. Keep in mind that you don’t have to tough the prongs directly, if you’re holding something that touches them, that’ll do it too. For example, imagine setting a purse near a wall and going to tuck a set of keys into the side pocket (between the purse and the wall), but it misses the pocket and runs down the wall gets behind the plug that’s half pulled out. If you’re holding it, you’ll get a shock. If you just tossed it back there, you’ll get one the next time you grab it.
I know it’s far fetched, but it’s possible and actually one of the reasons some places install outlets ‘upside down’. It means the ground prong is at the top so if something does get back there it doesn’t cause a shock.