If you were electrocuted from your domestic supply....
Discussion
...how bad would it be? Major pain? Fatal?
I was moving a shed socket on the weekend (which is run off the ground floor plugs circuit) and VERY stupidly forgot to turn the electricity off.
Cue a large bang from the socket and a spark which made me jump with fright... but luckily not much else!!
What could have happened?
I was moving a shed socket on the weekend (which is run off the ground floor plugs circuit) and VERY stupidly forgot to turn the electricity off.
Cue a large bang from the socket and a spark which made me jump with fright... but luckily not much else!!
What could have happened?
hornetrider said:
...how bad would it be? Major pain? Fatal?
I was moving a shed socket on the weekend (which is run off the ground floor plugs circuit) and VERY stupidly forgot to turn the electricity off.
Cue a large bang from the socket and a spark which made me jump with fright... but luckily not much else!!
What could have happened?
all depoends on the return to earth and if it is trippedI was moving a shed socket on the weekend (which is run off the ground floor plugs circuit) and VERY stupidly forgot to turn the electricity off.
Cue a large bang from the socket and a spark which made me jump with fright... but luckily not much else!!
What could have happened?
240 volts is easily enough to fry you
but aslong as there is enough resistance a little jolt is all you usually get
You die.
'Electrocuted' implies you died.
Electrocute = "To kill with electricity"
In reality if you received an electric shock from the UK 240v AC mains you may be thrown clear, or if unlucky, you may be unable to let go and then recieve serious internals burns before dying. Depends on your resistance at the time and the path you present to the current.
Anything over about 50v is dangerous.
'Electrocuted' implies you died.
Electrocute = "To kill with electricity"
In reality if you received an electric shock from the UK 240v AC mains you may be thrown clear, or if unlucky, you may be unable to let go and then recieve serious internals burns before dying. Depends on your resistance at the time and the path you present to the current.
Anything over about 50v is dangerous.
That happened to me a couple of weeks ago - cue much swearing, burning smell and tripped electrics.
I think it would be more serious if you had been holding onto something and your hands hand clamped onto it - the shock could either have burnt you, shocked your heart to stop or, in this case, tripped the electrics and nothing more than discomfort. (I know that there are more serious things than that, I'm just going on experience and vague knowledge).
A few years back, I found a cable tidy nailed that was nailed through a live wire, so I touched it 3 times - 1st time by accident, 2nd time to find out what it was and the 3rd time (after I picked myself up off the floor) I turned off the electrics and pulled the cable tidy out of the wall.
(Darwinism at its best....)
I think it would be more serious if you had been holding onto something and your hands hand clamped onto it - the shock could either have burnt you, shocked your heart to stop or, in this case, tripped the electrics and nothing more than discomfort. (I know that there are more serious things than that, I'm just going on experience and vague knowledge).
A few years back, I found a cable tidy nailed that was nailed through a live wire, so I touched it 3 times - 1st time by accident, 2nd time to find out what it was and the 3rd time (after I picked myself up off the floor) I turned off the electrics and pulled the cable tidy out of the wall.
(Darwinism at its best....)
It's not just about volts though is it? It's amps as well. High voltage, low amperage may not kill you. I remember when tinkering with cars (points & rotor arm days) I'd get a kick from 10,000 volts from the HT leads, but it's low amperage.
Edited by fatboy b on Monday 18th February 11:47
james_tigerwoods said:
That happened to me a couple of weeks ago - cue much swearing, burning smell and tripped electrics.
I think it would be more serious if you had been holding onto something and your hands hand clamped onto it - the shock could either have burnt you, shocked your heart to stop or, in this case, tripped the electrics and nothing more than discomfort. (I know that there are more serious things than that, I'm just going on experience and vague knowledge).
A few years back, I found a cable tidy nailed that was nailed through a live wire, so I touched it 3 times - 1st time by accident, 2nd time to find out what it was and the 3rd time (after I picked myself up off the floor) I turned off the electrics and pulled the cable tidy out of the wall.
(Darwinism at its best....)
You are homer simpson and ICMFPI think it would be more serious if you had been holding onto something and your hands hand clamped onto it - the shock could either have burnt you, shocked your heart to stop or, in this case, tripped the electrics and nothing more than discomfort. (I know that there are more serious things than that, I'm just going on experience and vague knowledge).
A few years back, I found a cable tidy nailed that was nailed through a live wire, so I touched it 3 times - 1st time by accident, 2nd time to find out what it was and the 3rd time (after I picked myself up off the floor) I turned off the electrics and pulled the cable tidy out of the wall.
(Darwinism at its best....)
Personal experience is that it makes you jump, fall over and curl up in a little ball repeating a number of choice words whilst you wait for all the muscles in your arm to unknot themselves and the tingling feeling to go away.
Obviously, not electrocution, but a shock from the domestic supply at the main junction box (ie. no convenient fuse less than about 60 amps to protect you).
The first consequence is that all your muscles contract, which can save or kill you. If you're in the dark and there might be exposed cables, use the back of your hand to search - that way, if you get a shock, your hand will contract away from the cables. If you happened to touch cables with the front of your hand, you can end up gripping the wire and unable to release which is not good.
Obviously, not electrocution, but a shock from the domestic supply at the main junction box (ie. no convenient fuse less than about 60 amps to protect you).
The first consequence is that all your muscles contract, which can save or kill you. If you're in the dark and there might be exposed cables, use the back of your hand to search - that way, if you get a shock, your hand will contract away from the cables. If you happened to touch cables with the front of your hand, you can end up gripping the wire and unable to release which is not good.
fatboy b said:
It's not just about volts though is it? It's amps as well. High voltage, low amperage may not kill you. I remember when tinkering with cars (points & rotor arm days) I'd get a kick from 10,000 volts from the HT leads, but it's low amperage.
no but if we're talking about mains sockets, that can deliver plenty of amperage - certainly enough to permanently remove you from the gene pool.Edited by fatboy b on Monday 18th February 11:47
fatboy b said:
It's not just about volts though is it? It's amps as well. High voltage, low amperage may not kill you. I remember when tinkering with cars (points & rotor arm days) I'd get a kick from 10,000 volts from the HT leads, but it's low amperage.
Our welding teacher used to say "It's the volts that jolt, but the mills that kill". A few milliamps across your heart can stop it.Edited by fatboy b on Monday 18th February 11:47
Your domestic supply is an alternating current (AC), which in the event that you receive an electric shock, your arm or body will be pushed away ... It will hurt a lot, but you're likely to survive! I've done this when I was 5 years old 
However DC is far more dangerous ... Grab a cable that has a direct current and your muscles will spasm. Your hand will grip the cable, you cannot let go and you'll most likely be electrocuted!
However DC is far more dangerous ... Grab a cable that has a direct current and your muscles will spasm. Your hand will grip the cable, you cannot let go and you'll most likely be electrocuted!
When I gave myself a belt off the mains, I was more concerned that I'd blown the main fuse for the house.
Darkness. No heating. No cooking.
This was last Winter when our little boy was only a month old. I was furious with myself for being so stupid.
We got into the car to drive to my parents for overnight, until the sparky could come and fix my havoc - and I couldn't drive; I was literally shaking with anger.
Although with hindsight, it might have been shock.
And then I realised that my son almost had no daddy, and I felt even more stupid.
Darkness. No heating. No cooking.
This was last Winter when our little boy was only a month old. I was furious with myself for being so stupid.
We got into the car to drive to my parents for overnight, until the sparky could come and fix my havoc - and I couldn't drive; I was literally shaking with anger.
Although with hindsight, it might have been shock.
And then I realised that my son almost had no daddy, and I felt even more stupid.
Plotloss said:
Any electrician will tell you, if you get a mains belt and you live, you've been lucky.
Only if the charge goes through your body IIRC. If you hold one end with one hand and touch the other end with your other hand the charge will go through your body and stop your heart. Touch both ends with the same hand and you will be alright (I am proof of this as I am alive)Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff