# Toaster in bathtub.....does it scale?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-in-bathtub-does-it-scale/805025>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 22, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-in-bathtub-does-it-scale/805025 "2017-12-22T03:56:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mrdeals](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-in-bathtub-does-it-scale/805025/1 "2017-12-22T03:56:50Z")

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You all know the effects of a person throwing a plugged in toaster into a bathtub.

Let’s say I don’t have a GFI installed, and I have big ass extension cords.

How big does the body of water need to be before the effects of the toaster no longer effect living things (mainly people)

What if I threw my toaster into an Olympic sized swimming pool? Lake? Ocean?

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-in-bathtub-does-it-scale/805025/2 "2017-12-22T05:40:42Z")

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First, toaster in bathtub will not reliably kill someone. Second, [this thread holds your answers](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=779823).

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-in-bathtub-does-it-scale/805025/3 "2017-12-22T14:18:23Z")

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The relevant point is not how large the body of water is, but how close a person is to the toaster. The body of water is only relevant in so far as there’s a limit to how far away you can get in a bathtub. But someone that close in a lake or ocean would be just as bad off.

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**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-in-bathtub-does-it-scale/805025/4 "2017-12-22T14:41:02Z")

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Size of body of water does not matter. People get injured or die from swimming near boats with shore-power faults in lakes, rivers, ocean harbors, etc.