Mexico HATES Extension Cords!!!

Summary

The video follows an electrician as he travels to different cities in Mexico to examine their electrical systems, outlets, and wiring. He is concerned about safety issues like lack of ground fault protection. He finds a hodgepodge of sketchy, makeshift wiring and outlets in hotels, houses, and streets. Some sockets don't work properly. He tests outlets for safety. The cities are exciting but electrical work seems subpar. He advises proper wiring and protection to prevent fires and electrocution.

Takeaways

• 😱 Mexico's electrical system seems very hazardous and poorly maintained in many areas
• 😅 The video host tests outlets in various locations with some dangerous methods
• 🤔 Ground fault protection seems to be missing from many electrical systems
• 🔌 Outlet and wiring quality varies greatly across locations
• 🌆 Mexico City has a lot of visible cabling that seems chaotic
• 🏨 Hotel rooms often have questionable electrical work
• 💡 One outlet at the resort has GFCI protection that works properly
• 😀 Brilliant sponsors the video and offers interactive science/math courses
• 🎥 The host visits Mexico City, Oaxaca City, Wakka City and a Cancun resort
• 🤯 Overall electrical safety seems lacking with risks for fires and electrocution

Q & A

What is the video about?

The video is about the narrator visiting Mexico and commenting on the electrical systems, outlets, wiring, and safety standards he observes in different cities like Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Cancun.

What does the narrator think about Mexico's electrical systems?

The narrator thinks Mexico's electrical systems, wiring, and safety standards are questionable and potentially dangerous in many places he visits.

What electrical safety issues does the narrator find?

The narrator finds exposed wires, improper grounding, lack of GFCI outlets in bathrooms, overloading of small wires, and more.

Why does the narrator touch live wires during his tests?

The narrator admits these are risky tests he is doing and tells viewers not to try this at home. He is likely doing it to viscerally demonstrate the lack of ground fault protection.

What are some positives the narrator finds?

The narrator does find proper waveforms, some outlets with ground connections, and GFCI protection in some of the newer or upgraded places.

What does the narrator recommend viewers do?

He recommends viewers visit Mexico for the culture, attractions and people, but be cautious with electrical systems and don't use electronics in risky situations.

What is the purpose of the Brilliant sponsorship?

It allows the narrator to promote Brilliant's interactive math and science courses and offer viewers a discount.

What disclaimer does the narrator give?

He says only around 1% of his viewers are from Mexico, so he gives a disclaimer that he does not want to offend Mexicans.

Why does the narrator visit Mexico?

It seems the purpose is to examine and comment on Mexico's electrical systems and standards, while also showing some of the culture and attractions.

What is the tone of the video?

It has a humorous and exaggerated tone, but also attempts to seriously highlight electrical safety issues observed.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introducing Mexico City

The first paragraph introduces Mexico City as the destination for the video. It mentions that only 1% of the narrator's viewers are from Mexico and expresses hope that someone will test their electrical system. It also promotes Brilliant as a sponsor.

05:00

🔌 Touring Mexico City's Questionable Electrical Work

The second paragraph describes a tour of Mexico City, pointing out questionable electrical work like exposed wires, spliced cables, and lack of ground fault protection. It tests outlets to find missing ground connections.

10:01

⚡ Trip to Oaxaca City and Observations on Electrical Infrastructure

The third paragraph covers a trip to Oaxaca City, describing observations on their electrical infrastructure like thin wires powering houses. It tests an outlet to find no ground fault protection.

15:03

😖 More Concerning Electrical Situations in Mexico

The fourth paragraph continues documenting questionable electrical practices in Mexico like handmade extension cords. It advises not to touch electrical boxes and tests outlets to find no ground fault protection.

20:08

✅ Finally, Success with GFCI Protection at a Cancun Resort

The fifth paragraph describes the narrator finally finding GFCI protected outlets at a Cancun resort, though other outlets still have issues. It summarizes key points and promotes Brilliant.

Keywords

💡Mexico

Mexico is the country being visited and explored in the video. The narrator talks about visiting different cities in Mexico like Mexico City, Oaxaca, and Cancun. He explores the electrical systems, outlets, wires, etc. in these cities to illustrate the deficiencies and risks, like lack of ground fault protection.

💡electrical system

The electrical system refers to the infrastructure for delivering electricity in buildings and cities, including wires, cables, outlets, switches, etc. The narrator investigates the quality and safety of Mexico's electrical systems which seem inadequate.

💡ground fault protection

Ground fault protection is a safety feature that immediately cuts off electricity when current is leaking somewhere it shouldn't. The narrator finds that many electrical outlets in Mexico lack this important protection which poses safety risks.

💡outlets

Outlets are what we plug electrical devices into to access electricity. The video examines many outlets in Mexico, noting issues like lack of ground prongs, loose connections, and questionable wiring.

💡wires

Wires and cables deliver electricity. The narrator finds wires in Mexico that seem inadequately sized or sloppily installed, raising fire and electrocution risks.

💡Brilliant

Brilliant is an online learning platform sponsoring the video. The narrator promotes Brilliant for improving science, math and computing knowledge through interactive courses.

💡electricity

Electricity is the flow of electric current used to power devices. The video explores how electricity is supplied and distributed in Mexico, testing voltage levels and safety.

💡voltage

Voltage measures the "pressure" of electricity. The narrator tests voltages at outlets to ensure they are at expected levels for safety.

💡Amp

Amperes (Amps) measure the amount of electric current flow. The narrator notes wires in Mexico rated for too few amps to safely power houses.

💡hazard

Various electrical hazards are identified in Mexico, like lack of ground fault protection, loose connections, and inadequate wiring. These hazards risk fires, shocks, and electrocution.

Highlights

The video is sponsored by Brilliant to promote their interactive math and science courses.

The host visits Mexico City and is shocked by the poor and dangerous electrical wiring he finds.

In Mexico City the host finds exposed wires, cables falling from ceilings, and missing ground connections.

The host says Mexico's electrical system would be better if he had translated his videos into Spanish.

In Oaxaca the host is impressed by handmade extension cords, which are like the ones he makes.

The host doubts the thin power lines in Oaxaca can safely power entire houses.

In Oaxaca the host finds modern modular outlets with switches and USB ports.

The Cancun resort has outlets that don't securely hold plugs, exposing live prongs.

The outlets in the Cancun resort don't even reliably charge devices.

The host finds one outlet in the resort with proper GFCI protection.

The host recommends visiting both cities and towns when traveling.

Brilliant offers interactive science and math courses from intermediate to university level.

Brilliant's courses include quizzes to test and reinforce your knowledge.

Brilliant customizes course content based on your needs and learning pace.

Viewers can get 20% off an annual Brilliant subscription.

Transcripts

hi today we are going to Mexico although

their country has around 127 million

subscribers only around 1% of my viewers

come from their country it would be a

shame if somebody had to test their

electrical

system thanks to brilliant for

sponsoring this

video where you learn tons of math

science and Computing in fun and

interactive ways just sign up for my

link brilliant.org electroboom and start

with a 30-day free triy

on first stop Mexico City let's take a

tour of our fourstar hotel

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yay

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it's interesting to see how they run the

communication lines in Mexico City I

mean it may give some people wire

management anxiety this is uh truly I

mean come on man I I don't even see all

these cables here well some of them have

fallen these stuff are Optical fibers

they actually

upgraded a power line I'm sure this

Outlet is

[Music]

safe I mean there's only one switch here

that turns on that light and this light

doesn't work and I can't find any

Outlets but I'm sure that TV is plugged

in somewhere let's

see oh there you go the there is an

outlet

here how is this powered the power lines

are running through this into the outlet

H there's the power cables well there is

only live and neutral on this cable so I

guess you can't forget about the ground

protection on that

outlet where is it going to move forward

holy moly look at this this looks like a

job I would do they use the power cable

cut it and connected the other cable to

the end of it ran it to the outlet

behind the TV and that's how it's

powered this Outlet man my God unplug

that thing well it's nice it's held by

one screw there let's open this

Abomination and see what's going on

inside good news everybody there is

ground connection here too bad it's not

going to the outlet behind the TV

somebody only had a two wire cable I

mean if it's the North American Standard

I highly doubt it if there is any ground

fault protection on these outlets in the

rooms just put it back as is I guess it

looks better than when we started well

at least there is another Outlet this

lamp is plugged into let's find that

one what they ran the cable from the

lamp straight into the wall what is that

thing oh my God look at that but at

least they use some electric tape to

cover the exposed wires and then we have

the internet and telephone lines which

is glued at the corner

[Music]

here

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they also have another Outlet in the

washroom this one better be GFCI

protected let's see if the voltage is at

familiar levels at least almost 130

volts this is still within standard

let's see if the ground is connected

neutral to ground is almost zero good so

most Outlets have ground which begs the

question this lamp with the sketchy

power connection has outlets here I hope

the ground is connected there is it0

volts between neutral and ground yep

okay and to make the matters worse there

is no breaker box in the room maybe

there is an electrical room somewhere

here there is some stuff

here oops this sketchy half falling

apart boxes

for air conditioner what's piso I guess

this is one of those cases that I have

to test the outlet right on the last day

and then we run

[Music]

away oh my God this passage has all the

parts and

everything this all the microwave

parts so many parts of everything is

here you know how many Transformers I

could get out of these microwave ovens

oh my what a Heavenly

[Music]

environment it is a very nice and

crowded and historic

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City

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let's see if I can see the waveform

using my tiny scope here we shove our

probe in the live and neutral we connect

our probe to the live wire

ouch we connect everything first then

plug into the live and neutral maybe

this test shouldn't be done in such a

wet environment but hey let's try it out

plug it in there you go hey not bad the

sine wave looks pretty sine wavy at

least we have one thing right here does

it even have groundfold protection take

the cover off

there is no groundfold protection on

this thing Let Me Shine a Light here for

you see somebody spliced the neutral

wire into two wires wrap the wires

around each other and wrap some electric

tape around them oh my God is this a

case of make do with what you have or

someone got lazy so either the entire

room is protected or nothing is

protected Let's test for ground full

protection I feel like it's all my fault

if I had dubed and subbed my videos in

Spanish Mexico's electrical system would

be in a better shape it seems like

extension cords in Mexico are all

handmade my type of people I'm not

supposed to film here but look at this

Abomination oh my God what is extension

cord in Spanish C extension

let's see if we can find extension cords

in Mexico here is a hardware store let's

check it there you go they have all

types

see I mean maybe they find it more fun

if they make it themselves kind of like

me but beside the questionable wirings

and whatever is going on up there and

this questionable power lines Everything

Is So Exciting in this

[Music]

Kitty

[Music]

all right I put 1 kilo between live and

Earth don't try this at home for around

130 milliamps and if there is anything

to trigger this will trigger it how much

are you willing to bet that there is no

protection around here let's give it a

try

ouch my resistor is absolutely

annihilated there is no ground fault

protection here but at least there is

Earth it should count for something does

the room even have a breaker after my

resistor was shorted we still have power

here just don't take your electronics

into the washroom and don't throw your

hair dryer into the water but we are

done with the Fantastic Mexico City and

we are going to

Waka you can use brilliant anywhere

anytime your idle time doesn't have to

be a waste when you can have fun

learning our hotel here is

nice hopefully you'll have a better

electrical experience here not all four

stars are made the same there is no

Outlet in the washroom there is one by

the sink I have to test it doesn't seem

protected but the outlets seem to be in

good shape

[Music]

s

[Music]

although all the outlets in this room

are in good shape I still doubt it if

there is any groundfold protection here

the only one that might have it is this

one by the sink here I don't see any

evidence of protection here well I'll

test it but first let's try to find the

breaker box I have a feeling it's in

this closet here let's take a

look no it doesn't look like it's for

the rooms I guess we are doing it again

without access the fuse panel if I want

a nitpick I would say well this one is

nice and straight up but this one is

sideways upside down

eclectic damn it I forgot my multimer

some fuses are missing here should I

touch these hopefully they don't have

power oh more maybe they're just

building it not finished

[Music]

yet Waka city is a beautiful historical

exciting City man you should come and if

you into eating crickets you can eat

[Music]

crickets those

lamps 12 Vol lines are coming down there

or at least I hope there are 12 volts

let's give it a

try yeah

[Music]

isn't this 120 volt line a little bit

too thin to power an entire house yeah I

feel like these are a little bit too

thin and what they use electrical tape

again to power the entire house as an

example those are 200 amp rated wires

running to the city from my house and

and these are rated for 100 125 amps

going to my neighbor's house where those

Mexican wires rated for like 20 amps

come on Mexico you don't want to set

your power lines on fire maybe somebody

did some calculations here anyway let's

check this Outlet the Earth is connected

too so oh it's interesting to see this

kind of modular Outlets you can buy if

you want like a switch and an outlet or

you can put three Outlets or whatever

nice the wiring seems pretty new a metal

box inside and yeah everything is

updated the only thing that's missing is

a ground fault protection maybe they

don't believe in groundfold protection

this is an updated room so maybe they

have a central ground Vault protection

for the sake of not wanting to talk to

the hotel people about why the breaker

popped I hope they don't have a ground

fault

protection here is another 1K between

live and Earth and let's see

special effect no groundfold protection

we don't have to explain anything to

anybody I mean 127 million people

survived without groundfold protection

maybe groundfold protection is overrated

but I also know a ton of people died for

this reason so hopefully Mexico will add

this to their code This Is How They

traditionally dis what is is that oh my

God I forgot to bring my multimeter

should I touch it for the love of

God extension cords man is it cheaper to

buy these and Jerry rig them

[Music]

[Laughter]

[Music]

together

[Music]

so that's what these holes are for these

meter counters I wonder if it's powered

this time I can't prair let's

check only 21 22 volts how about the

other

side

no fortunately it's not powered I found

another one let's check

it 90 volts doesn't seem on but not very

low voltage eer wow this one is like 115

so that thing is maybe hot so I guess

the lesson is don't shove your hand in

the holes it doesn't

[Music]

belong

[Music]

done with the oaka city now for our last

resort we go to a resort in

Cancun have you studied on Brilliance

[Music]

today

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okay this room looks better we have some

beautiful view

of air conditioners what do we have here

Outlets that support North American and

European plugs a light switch USB

charger I bet there is no groundfold

protection more stuff on this side what

in the world is that it's a light dimer

cute is that a HDMI I guess with this

you can connect your computer to the TV

what is that some sort of smoke detector

perhaps with all the holes blocked I

think this was supposed to be screwed to

the ceiling I guess I'll just push the

screws into the ceiling

fixed what is that hey look one outlet

with GFCI protection how about the other

side right hey I guess this is the one

place they overdid it because you can

use one outlet with GFCI protection to

support and protect multiple

Outlets second day and these Outlets

only look good on the surface I tried to

charge my cell phone plugging it into

the USB and it doesn't even work now I

have a dead cell phone and what's up

with the design of these Outlets see

they keep spitting out the Chargers and

they don't stick in exposing those metal

prongs what if some kid sticks their

finger in them or somebody accidentally

drops something conductive on those

prongs uh

someone shorts those prongs accidental

what the hell that was antil climactic

it doesn't even charge your phone

because it keeps spitting out your

charger yeah I have to push it in and if

I let go it disconnects damn it what

design of an outlet is this

I guess if your things are not connected

to power it means they're safe they may

not work but they're safe how about this

one let's see nope these North American

only Outlets though hold your stuff

better and work and I assume if you have

push them out like the other one the

prongs also disconnect like

so ow at least the crappy outlet that

spits your charger out makes sure that

it disconnects to North American system

is junk man at least Let's test the GFCI

with my trusty 1 kiloohm between live

and

earth oh yes it popped there you go and

the other

one popped and of course you don't need

to connect a resistor between live on

earth they have a test button you press

it pops out and the LED goes out and you

know it's working and you can reset it

again there you go so I guess in this

Resort we are protected although the

quality of the outlets plugs are

[Music]

questionable I mean resorts are great

for sunbathing and swimming and eating

and relaxing but cities and towns man

those are where people and culture and

attractions and local food are so make

sure you visit everything especially

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