Don't touch anything metal

[happypig]

Had a call from my brother in law a while back :
"You know about electrics, don't you ?"
"yes, a bit"
"I've just fitted a socket in the loft and it's not working properly, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't"
"did you take a spur off an upstairs socket ?"
"oh no, didn't have enough wire for that, I found a cable in the loft, so I cut that and found a live in it"

(no, he can't have been that daft.......can he ?)

"Is the socket working now ?"
"no, I've got a radio plugged in and I can't hear it"
"go and turn on the light switch at the top of the stairs"
"ok" [comes back] "That's working now, I can hear my radio"

Two things are worrying me:
1. his tool kit consists of a pair of scissors, a rusty chisel and some sellotape; how did he cut the cable without getting a shock ?
2. how is he, and his family, still alive ?

 

[2scoops0406]

Life's a lottery.

 

[dave.m]

As the radio only worked when he switched on the light he must have cut into the switched live when it was off.
Very very lucky.
As he is so lucky, tell him to put his lotto numbers on this week and pay a sparks when he wins.
dave

 

[DoItProud]

Even better, put his lottery numbers on here so we can all try his luck!

 

[foxhole]

Is he Polish?

 

[jefoss]

this reminds me of years ago, my little brother had to extend his tv cable, so he asked his father (broken family, very sad story, anyway...) to sort it out for him, being the drunken ass that he was he got extra cable to do the job changed the plug and sellotaped the joint.... hmmmm very good job. so the cable was in front of the bedroom door, anyway my bro went in one day (whilst the tv was on) and tripped over the cable, pulled it apart, and him being about 10 thought he would fix it himself. so he carefully pulled off the sellotape, and thn preceded to twist the wires together, making sure like for like was connected properly as he saw his dad do it before. he did get flung across the room, and taught him a very good lesson that day. but still very much amuses me even to this day!

 

[flyingsparks]

As the radio only worked when he switched on the light he must have cut into the switched live when it was off.
Very very lucky.
As he is so lucky, tell him to put his lotto numbers on this week and pay a sparks when he wins.
dave

Not really that lucky, theres a 50% chance of him getting a shock, either if the light was on or off at the time of cutting through the cable, even then one would hope the protective device would have tripped before he got a shock.

 

[EdwardCurrent]

He was 'lucky' to a find a neutral too !!!


Ed

 

[333rocky333]

I thought that
maybe a switched feed and neutral to a second light or fan
Anyway lucky it was switched off