Johnny Generic
Well-known member
I peed on a electric fence one time and that was the last time. Does that count?
Jolted :/
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Just_Steve
Well-known member
Speaking of Ma Bell, I have been zapped while running landline wire in the house back in the day.Over 50 years ago I started working for Ma Bell. I started in a Central Office being trained by an old switch man that walked with a limp. EVERY time he worked on a power circuit he went to the fuse or circuit breaker, took it out & put it in his pocket. One day I asked him why he kept putting them in his pocket? He told me that in his younger years he had been up a ladder working on a circuit when on of the other switch men noticed the breaker was open. The guy closed it, the jolt knocked him off the ladder, broke his leg/hip, & he still limped from that. He pocketed the fuse/circuit breaker so it wouldn't happen again...
sparky 1971
Well-known member
I've been locked up and couldn't let go three times and every single time it was because I did something wrong and was usually in a hurry. The worst was at a new mall. We were pulling the feeder in for a store and of course, my store was the last to be done so the gear was full of wire from others and my conduit was in the rear. The head was coming out of the pipe, I was on a 4' ladder leaning against the gear, holding on to a 2-1/2" conduit with my left hand to help keep my balance and when I stuck my right hand in to grab the head, I hit my elbow on a 277 bus bar. At the time I was at the peak of my strongman career and thought I could pull away from anything. Wrong. It seemed like an eternity, but the kid that was in there said it was only a couple of seconds before I stepped off the ladder.
As far as the phone line shocking someone, it happened to me. It was a model house and someone decided they needed a line in a cabinet. The wiring was already there, the jack was never installed. I crawled in there with a screwdriver and a phone jack and took the blank cover off. About that time I realized I didn't have anything to strip the wires so rather than crawl out, I stripped it with my teeth. In the process of that, I heard another phone ring at the same time I got rattled. Ring voltage is a lot more than what you would think and it hurts.
As far as the phone line shocking someone, it happened to me. It was a model house and someone decided they needed a line in a cabinet. The wiring was already there, the jack was never installed. I crawled in there with a screwdriver and a phone jack and took the blank cover off. About that time I realized I didn't have anything to strip the wires so rather than crawl out, I stripped it with my teeth. In the process of that, I heard another phone ring at the same time I got rattled. Ring voltage is a lot more than what you would think and it hurts.
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wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
I guess they never heard of LOTOOver 50 years ago I started working for Ma Bell. I started in a Central Office being trained by an old switch man that walked with a limp. EVERY time he worked on a power circuit he went to the fuse or circuit breaker, took it out & put it in his pocket. One day I asked him why he kept putting them in his pocket? He told me that in his younger years he had been up a ladder working on a circuit when on of the other switch men noticed the breaker was open. The guy closed it, the jolt knocked him off the ladder, broke his leg/hip, & he still limped from that. He pocketed the fuse/circuit breaker so it wouldn't happen again...
TexMedium
Well-known member
Wasn't me, but i was a laborer for a millwright outfit nearly thirty years ago. The company was run by, but not owned by, three brothers, one was Good Cop, one was Bad Cop, the third did all the work. Anyway, we were doing modifications to an old commercial bakery, for a new operation. Me and another cat, who shall be known as Wayne for this discussion, were charged with some demo work three scaffold sections up, say fifteen feet or so. We had been ASSURED by Bad Cop that only the lighting circuits in the building were hot. So the Wayner goes after a two-inch rigid conduit, CLEARLY labeled 480V. Well, the Sawsall blade hit the conductors inside and the fireworks began. I was on the wall adjacent to the scaffolding, i said, "Uh, Wayne, you might want to take a brief break!"
The Wayner spins around and tells me to, "Shut up! You can't tell me what to do. Bad Cop told us you are getting fired soon, anyway!" I said, naturally, "Party on Wayne!", and retreated. Directly into the waiting arms of Bad Cop. He wanted to know why i was off the wall, i pointed up at the ensuing hilarity just as the Wayner leaned into another conductor in the conduit. I never saw Bad Cop move so fast. Wished real hard i'd had a drink in my hand to enjoy with the comedy stylings aloft.
Bad Cop used the incident to "prove" my un-suitablility for their "operation" and fired me. Pissed him off that i laughed as i left the building. Turned into a whole summer long "vacation" on Bad Cop's Unemployment Account.
The Wayner spins around and tells me to, "Shut up! You can't tell me what to do. Bad Cop told us you are getting fired soon, anyway!" I said, naturally, "Party on Wayne!", and retreated. Directly into the waiting arms of Bad Cop. He wanted to know why i was off the wall, i pointed up at the ensuing hilarity just as the Wayner leaned into another conductor in the conduit. I never saw Bad Cop move so fast. Wished real hard i'd had a drink in my hand to enjoy with the comedy stylings aloft.
Bad Cop used the incident to "prove" my un-suitablility for their "operation" and fired me. Pissed him off that i laughed as i left the building. Turned into a whole summer long "vacation" on Bad Cop's Unemployment Account.
When I was a young man in the U.S. Army I was tasked to assist with running power from a larger generator to multiple buildings (overseas). I was taught by an NCO that I could grab a hot wire with my bare hand, and as long as I wasn't grounded, join it to the proceeding wire by twisting it with my fingers prior to putting on the wire nut. Being the type to just say roger that and "make it happen", it didn't take more than 25 minutes before I found myself grounded and got a good 5 seconds of 240. I still have scars on my left hand from the knife of my leatherman
I learned a valuable lesson that day.
I learned a valuable lesson that day.LopezBart
Well-known member
I watched a company electrician add a circuit into a hot panel w/ 460V 3 phase. He added a green wire to the ground bus bar, and tucked the other end (stripped) up behind the conduit entering the panel from above. As he turned to get another length of wire, the wire slipped loose and whipped around and dove into the panel, tagging one of the 460V bus bars. As a friend is fond of saying, "God snapped his fingers." All the the lights went out, computers crashed, etc. The electrician was unhurt aside from temporary hearing loss; it sounded like a 12 ga shotgun with a brilliant flash of light. It vaporized most of the green wire.
I was welding up a frame on a 5x10’ welding table. Some of the welds were a little hard to reach. I was sitting on the table contorted backwards. Turns out the Miller 201 whip had a slit in it and I was sitting on it. Right to the balls!!
nadogail
Well-known member
IMHO, any Electrician who says they have never been shocked is either inexperienced or a Liar.
Debcrow
Well-known member
Yes, it's just 12v, low potential.
I have been an electrician and then an electrical engineer. Station Service low voltage was 2000V. Generation voltage was 6900v. Transmission voltage was 115KV. I have worked on all of them for years.
Do all of my own work on vehicles since I was a teenager. Unfortunately, I am at that time in my life that my skin tears easily. I cannot work on anything without a little blood being spilled. Does not keep me from doing my own work. I should know better! but it's things I have done all of my life. After changing spark plugs on the van, I decided to clean the battery terminals. Removed the negative cable from the top post battery terminal and set it to the side. Got out my old trusty 40 year old battery post cleaner. Leaning against the front panel under the hood I reached over and pushed the metal battery post cleaning tool over the post. Cut and bleeding finger and a large bleeding scrape on my arm. Blood is a pretty decent conductor through the veins in your arm for a ground cable, I figured that out in a hurry. Never would have happened in the old days when there were not things that are always powered on like in modern vehicles.
Just_Steve
Well-known member
Oh yeah, reminds me when I was into the CB hobby and trying to fix a tube style linear amplifier, holy **** that tube hit me about ten times before I could move my hand.
Meursault74
Well-known member
I remember the first time I changed some spark plugs when I was a teenager. I guess I hadn't seated one of the spark plug wires correctly as it wasn't running right. While running I started grabbing and pushing on each of them to see which one made the engine run better. Yeah, it was a shock to my finger through the boot even.
I shut the engine off and then did them one at a time , turning off the engine in between.
I shut the engine off and then did them one at a time , turning off the engine in between.
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
If this was a 120v/240v split phase service then you would've been shocked by 120v NOT 240v.When I was a young man in the U.S. Army I was tasked to assist with running power from a larger generator to multiple buildings (overseas). I was taught by an NCO that I could grab a hot wire with my bare hand, and as long as I wasn't grounded, join it to the proceeding wire by twisting it with my fingers prior to putting on the wire nut. Being the type to just say roger that and "make it happen", it didn't take more than 25 minutes before I found myself grounded and got a good 5 seconds of 240. I still have scars on my left hand from the knife of my leatherman
sparky 1971
Well-known member
Oh, come on. I've heard a lot of stories from a lot of people about the time they got electrocuted by twotwenny.
Fav Onefour
Well-known member
An old uncle used to say "That'll put some zing in your zinger".
Not sure about that old fart. He seemed to get a kick out of those fence wires. He'd grab the wire and say "come here kid and grab my other hand." He would show us how to burn hair off his forearm by moving it closely along the wire. He used to joke that the gals could save money on shaving their legs if they learned to stand on one leg.
I grabbed a few of those fences by accident when I was little. It sure teaches you to watch for the hot one on the fence.
We had electric gates in quite a few cattle yards. Anyone that has ever been around those has been zinged. Their design is simple enough, but the green hose insulators wear fast and the hanging streamer deals were always bent every direction. It was almost expected that you would get zapped if you kept going through the gates on foot.
RPH
Well-known member
Induction heating equipment has shown many the light. I know more than one who spent time in the hospital over contact.
One took the positive side of the dc bus to ground. At 700 vdc that 350 vdc blew 250 amp rectifiers and two out of three rectifier fuses plus bus fuses on the 480vac feed. Burned in the hand and elbow where current passed. Bent the copper tube conductor out of the cabinet.
Another took the high frequency output on a large one megawatt tube welder.
Another with rf generator that decided that reach out and grab you 15 kV high frequency output didn’t apply to him. That cost a couple toes where the current exited, burned the nerves through the arm, and cooked his shoulder meat. Yup, stick a fork into him. He was done working but lived.
Too many large power devices from transistors to five foot tall capacitors I’ve seen fail with the explosive event.
I took one leg of 480 vac to ground. That was enough for me. I worked on all the equipment but even if live I worked carefully. Got to get the scope readings somehow.
Respect the voltage, also respect the current. Long wires carry capacitance. Plenty of supply for you to feel it even at low voltage.
One took the positive side of the dc bus to ground. At 700 vdc that 350 vdc blew 250 amp rectifiers and two out of three rectifier fuses plus bus fuses on the 480vac feed. Burned in the hand and elbow where current passed. Bent the copper tube conductor out of the cabinet.
Another took the high frequency output on a large one megawatt tube welder.
Another with rf generator that decided that reach out and grab you 15 kV high frequency output didn’t apply to him. That cost a couple toes where the current exited, burned the nerves through the arm, and cooked his shoulder meat. Yup, stick a fork into him. He was done working but lived.
Too many large power devices from transistors to five foot tall capacitors I’ve seen fail with the explosive event.
I took one leg of 480 vac to ground. That was enough for me. I worked on all the equipment but even if live I worked carefully. Got to get the scope readings somehow.
Respect the voltage, also respect the current. Long wires carry capacitance. Plenty of supply for you to feel it even at low voltage.
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
RPH
Well-known member
Without power applied there is no signal to trace, most times a differential probe on scope was first check after the 480 vac. Gated rectifiers require power to work.
Nope, arc protection came later at some plants. It really did interfere with the work that had to be done. If one doesn't know what the cabinet does, stay out of it.
Very few plant electricians would touch an induction system. Most didn’t understand the operation of it and preferred to hand it off to the specialists.