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I distinctly remember as a young child 'exploring' our three-bar electric fire.
I noticed that at the end of each bar was a knurled wheel (for removing the bars individually) and, knowing that the fire was turned off (yes, I wasn't stupid, even at such an early age), thought I'd see if I could turn one so stuck my finger through the metal grille and touched the wheel.
I was quite shocked (literally) to find I received a jolt and extracted my digit immediately. Of course, it had never occurred to me that the thing might have been incorrectly wired.
Fortunately, the power must have gone through my hand only, presumably from the terminal to the grille. I would have been kneeling on a carpet at the time, I suppose.
Still, I learned my lesson the hard way.
I noticed that at the end of each bar was a knurled wheel (for removing the bars individually) and, knowing that the fire was turned off (yes, I wasn't stupid, even at such an early age), thought I'd see if I could turn one so stuck my finger through the metal grille and touched the wheel.
I was quite shocked (literally) to find I received a jolt and extracted my digit immediately. Of course, it had never occurred to me that the thing might have been incorrectly wired.
Fortunately, the power must have gone through my hand only, presumably from the terminal to the grille. I would have been kneeling on a carpet at the time, I suppose.
Still, I learned my lesson the hard way.
I started "playing around" with electrics and electronics at an early age, so like most reading this have had a few shocks over the years. Despite years of working with all sorts of equipment and voltages well up into the thousands in transmitters and similar equipment (where one tends to be quite careful), the worst shock I ever recall getting was 240V AC from a string of Christmas lights when I was about 14.
That incident is burned into my memory sufficiently that I still remember it well now, some 35 years or so later. The string of lights was already a good many years old, and it was the annual "find the dud bulb" hunt. A brittle plastic lampholder crumbled away in my hands and, as I realized afterward, the wire must have become detached from the center contact of the holder, somehow leaving me with the bare end of that wire in one hand and holding the shell of the lampholder in the other. Thinking about it now, the resulting 240V hand-to-hand shock probably didn't last more than a couple of seconds, but I remember at the time it felt like much longer, and it certainly left me feeling weak and dazed for half an hour or so.
And yes, I've had other brushes with 240V over the years which really were nothing more than a tingle, but that's the point: Just because one run-in with 240V AC results in nothing more than an "Ouch!" doesn't mean that it can't do a lot more damage in other circumstances.
That incident is burned into my memory sufficiently that I still remember it well now, some 35 years or so later. The string of lights was already a good many years old, and it was the annual "find the dud bulb" hunt. A brittle plastic lampholder crumbled away in my hands and, as I realized afterward, the wire must have become detached from the center contact of the holder, somehow leaving me with the bare end of that wire in one hand and holding the shell of the lampholder in the other. Thinking about it now, the resulting 240V hand-to-hand shock probably didn't last more than a couple of seconds, but I remember at the time it felt like much longer, and it certainly left me feeling weak and dazed for half an hour or so.
And yes, I've had other brushes with 240V over the years which really were nothing more than a tingle, but that's the point: Just because one run-in with 240V AC results in nothing more than an "Ouch!" doesn't mean that it can't do a lot more damage in other circumstances.
My experiences are very similar. I, too, started at a very early age and, in my mid teens, was playing with transmitting equipment which sometimes had HT voltages of around 1.5 kV. However, the only couple of 'significant' shocks I experienced (40-50 years ago) were from 240V AC.
That's the point. Again, like you, I have experienced a number of 'tingles' from 240V AC over the years, but 240V (and, indeed, 120V or less) can, and occasionally does, kill - so we are all essentially just 'lucky'.
Kind Regards, John
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Just to add that the worst shock I can remember having was as an apprentice working on some motor control panels. I was fault finding on it, and touched the end of a loose live wire, while touching earth with the other hand.
Very, very unpleasant, but my mate was there and isolated it. Otherwise I might have been dead. I was lucky as well as stupid!
After 43 years I still have the little burn mark on my finger where the wire end burned it's way in.
240 Volts is deadly. Anyone who has worked with electricity will have had the odd "tingle" but that's only because they are lucky enough to have not been earthed that time.
Very, very unpleasant, but my mate was there and isolated it. Otherwise I might have been dead. I was lucky as well as stupid!
After 43 years I still have the little burn mark on my finger where the wire end burned it's way in.
240 Volts is deadly. Anyone who has worked with electricity will have had the odd "tingle" but that's only because they are lucky enough to have not been earthed that time.
Well a farmer I used to work for had a bit more of an experience. The fence energiser came from New Zealand and was designed to run many miles of fence wire - and deter wooly sheep. We only used the 1/2 power terminal, but could still get good sparks from it.
But, one day the farmer needed the old bucket unit and ducked under the fence - the bucket was touching the wet ground, his head touched the wire, and he woke up flat on the ground
Of course, when we heard, we were so sympathetic
You've obviously never accidentally had neutral in one hand and live in the other. Not only was it bloody sore, I could even feel my brain scrambling. I consider myself extremely lucky to have survived that one. Anyone who asks if 240 is dangerous might want to visit a man in a white coat before one in a black cloak carrying a sythe comes visiting
I had a guy working with me offshore once who absent mindedly put his "Simpson" test meter (so not in the UK) across a pair of 6.6kV bus bars. He survived with a only a fright but the meter literally blew itself apart. Going across that sort of voltage should have killed him but it obviously wasn't his day
Not teaching my grandmothers how to suck eggs, but hence the old electricians' watchwords: keep one hand in your pocket!
Simpson did actually manufacture and market some of its range in Britain at one time, certainly the ubiquitous model 260 and some of its relations in the 1960's/1970's. Among the various Simpson meters I have, I have at least one, if not two which were made in England.
As an apprentice, I was working on a lighting circuit in a school. The electrican I was working with had not properly isolated the circuit. He had simply put some tape on the light switch where he turned the lights off on a multi way switched circuit!
Anyway I ended up touching the end of a twin and earth across both live and neutral which was connected in to the circuit at the other end.
It burnt a deep hole into my thumb. It was horrible. Both the experience and the injury. This was 17 years ago now and I still remember it clear as day. Until this happened I though I was working in a job that was safe, interesting, and was good for having a laugh. Ever since I've been absolutely obsessed with proving dead, locking off and tagging every single circuit I work on.
I've got a very extensive locking off kit and have not yet met a circuit I can't lock off apart from BS3036 boards, for which I remove the fuse and carrier which I keep in my pocket, and fit a blank and tag in its place.
I've seen a colleage nearly killed whilst working on a heating system in a pub. He had properly isolated and proved the circuit dead only for a thermostat fed from a different circuit to click in and bring one of the wires live. It touched the palm of his hand causing his muscles to contract so he was unable to let go of the wire. He suffered horrendous burns and it scared the living sh-t out of me. It's something I'll never forget.
It's so easy to become complacent when you're working with electricity day in, day out and forget how just how dangerous it really is.
I have a really hard time trying to convey this to both electricians and especially apprentices I work alongside who have not seen or experienced what I have. Some of whom do not own any locking off gear and others who do not practice safe isolation at all.
Anyway I ended up touching the end of a twin and earth across both live and neutral which was connected in to the circuit at the other end.
It burnt a deep hole into my thumb. It was horrible. Both the experience and the injury. This was 17 years ago now and I still remember it clear as day. Until this happened I though I was working in a job that was safe, interesting, and was good for having a laugh. Ever since I've been absolutely obsessed with proving dead, locking off and tagging every single circuit I work on.
I've got a very extensive locking off kit and have not yet met a circuit I can't lock off apart from BS3036 boards, for which I remove the fuse and carrier which I keep in my pocket, and fit a blank and tag in its place.
I've seen a colleage nearly killed whilst working on a heating system in a pub. He had properly isolated and proved the circuit dead only for a thermostat fed from a different circuit to click in and bring one of the wires live. It touched the palm of his hand causing his muscles to contract so he was unable to let go of the wire. He suffered horrendous burns and it scared the living sh-t out of me. It's something I'll never forget.
It's so easy to become complacent when you're working with electricity day in, day out and forget how just how dangerous it really is.
I have a really hard time trying to convey this to both electricians and especially apprentices I work alongside who have not seen or experienced what I have. Some of whom do not own any locking off gear and others who do not practice safe isolation at all.
As the old saying goes, electricity is a faithful servant, but a dangerous master.
And I thought we got some stupid questions in the Plumbing Forum but this OP should be a candidate for the Darwin awards!
Oh well... let natural selection take its course.
Oh well... let natural selection take its course.
Nice one !
There are old electricians and there are bold electricians but there aren't many old and bold electricians
I once met someone who'd lost the use of his hand in an electrical accident. He'd reached between two 12V uninsulated busbars in an emergency lighting switchboard, and caught his expanding watch bracelet on the busbars. Several hundred amps melted the bracelet into his wrist.
Yes indeed, and very valid words they are too! I can't remember exactly what happened, but I probably leaned in and put my hand on the side to steady myself. I should have known better before. I certainly did afterwards! Having a decent belt off it certainly does increase your respect for electricity.
If you survive of course.
Like RF lighting I was extra careful about isolation after that. Lock off, remove fuses, and hang notices where possible. I always used to check with a test lamp as well. And again, I know you always should check that any circuit isn't live before working on it, but I've seen a number of people say "But it's been switched off"
I've seen circuits cross fed from other sources quite a few times while working in industry.
Like Jackrae, I experienced that "scrambling my brains" thing when I had that shock. Most unpleasant.
And just to show that shock isn't the only risk.
I remember seeing a chap quite badly burned on the hand by touching some live three phase gear. It's not just the power to shock, the energy burns as well.
A friend of a friend lost a finger when he shorted his wedding ring out across a car battery somehow.
And I met a chap once who worked for the local electricity board, who had been badly burned by the oil from an exploding 11 kV breaker.
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