Male to Male Extension Cords & Adapter Dangers
Posted by Stephanie Junek on
One very common question we see has to do with a male to male extension cord and adapters. We want to take the time to share the truth about these products with you because not many people understand the severity of creating these products.
Electrical supply and hardware stores have the supplies you need to put together a cord that has a male plug on both ends.
When creating this type of product from scratch people may not be aware of the safety concerns that go along with it. Maybe they are aware of the dangers and think they will be very careful, and it won’t be a problem. When you create a male to a male extension cord or adapter this product will be very dangerous.
These adapters are extremely common during the holiday season. Some people go looking for a male to male adapter for their Christmas tree lights. They have strung their tree and have two outlets next to each other. Either they don’t want to take it all down and start over or they have no idea they strung their lights backward. Male to male household plug adapters are not supposed to be available on the market because they can create electrical arcing and can cause a fire and burn your tree down, possibly even your home. In this case, you want to take the lights down and make sure you string them in the correct direction.
Double ended male plugs can shock you or someone else in your home or can cause a fire when in contact with any metal. There have been situations where people have been severely injured. Some of these injuries were caused to those people who had no idea the plugs were live. Previous homeowners or someone using the male to male extension cords and products without thinking or even knowing to give that information to the next person in contact with those products.
The very real fact is this is so far from harmless. It is not worth the trouble, injury, and damage this type of product can cause.
You will not find a double ended male plug with any UL safety listing or certifications and they are not recommended for use. If you watch the AC WORKS™ Wisdom video, you will learn more about this topic and find a solution for power outages to replace using this type of cord.
If you have any questions about this topic, please contact your certified electrician or email us and we can find you a proper adapter or extension cord to help you get power where you need it.
Like and subscribe to our video on YouTube and leave a comment about any topics you want to see us cover in the future. We are here to help you find solutions.
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- Tags: 2018, 2019, AC Works, AC Works brand, Back-feeding, christmas lights, Customer Service, Danger, Electric Plug, electrical arcing, Electrical Danger, Electrical Fires, Electrical Safety, Fire Hazard, Household Power, January 2019, Male Adapter, Male Plug adapter, male to male adapter for christmas lights, male to male electrical plug for adapter, male to male extension, Male to male extension cord, male to male extension cord christmas lights, male to male extension cord for generator, male to male extension cord lowes, male to male extension plug, Male to Male Plug, male to male plug adapter, male to male plug for generator, Multi-Plug Adapters, Plug, Plug Types, Power, power adapter, Power Adapters, Power Supply, Residential Power, Residential Use, Safety, Safety Tips, Standard Household Voltage, Technical
Hi, ok, I understand the male to male can be dangerous. I have an electric wheelchair. I got a used joystick after mine malfunctioned but the cord is to short to reach the where it plugs in and this cord has a female jack so it wouldn’t plug in because it requires a male plag. I found a male to male cords that would not only allow me to reach the plug but also to plug it in but now I’m reading they are not safe. How do I get around this. I’m disabled and on a fixed income, I can’t afford to go out and buy a new joystick, they are not cheap
Hello Carolyn. There’s a typo in your message, so I can’t understand if you are saying a male or female outlet in your garage. A male inlet is usually installed outside the home for emergency power. You shouldn’t be running a generator inside a garage.
So what do I do I need a longer cord from my generator to hook up to the Email outlet in my garage installed by electrician. So you’re saying you can’t use a male to male and 30 amp cable? What do you recommend?
Hello Matt. No, we don’t make or sell any double-sided male cords as they are dangerous.
do you have male to male generator hook up wire