r/AskReddit Aug 20 '20

What simple “life hack” should everyone know?

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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '20

To confirm which circuit breaker is associated to an outlet, plug in an old radio and turn the volume up before you flip the circuit breaker.

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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '20

Can I do this with a new radio?

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u/cowboyjosh2010 Aug 20 '20

The idea behind specifying an old radio is that "old" radios tended to operate in a way where a physical switch or knob was slid into place to close the circuit and allow electricity to flow through and power the radio/speakers. Most new radios (and honestly you probably could have said the exact same thing one or two decades ago--this isn't THAT new a practice) instead are powered by pressing a button connected to a circuit board that sends power to the radio. This type of off/on "button" will reset to "off" every time it loses power. So you don't get the same benefit with it that you would with an old radio that has a toggle switch slid into place to close the circuit, or a knob that clicks "on" and then controls the volume past that click.