General > General Technical Chat
Got shocked by 120VAC
Calaverasgrande:
My first AC shock was when I was 11. Helping out after science class to clean and store all the beakers and mantles. Reached for the faucet to turn the water off and...got full North American AC.
Water had run down the counter and reached an outlet. This being the early 80's it was not GFCI!
I couldn't let go of the faucet, as my hand was clenching from the current.
Not sure how long I was hanging on to that faucet like a lizard on a cattle fence. But the teacher finally pulled me free. Man they were on eggshells around me and my mom for months.
Most recent time was working on some networking equipment in Grand Central Station, Manhattan.
There is this thing in New York City where they just don't give a damn about cable management. A lot of cable drops are a huge mess. There is also this annoying thing in NYC that many buildings are historic, so you can't create new cable drops, or cut, drill or screw into anything. So it's not uncommon to be trying to to tone out or pull cat 6 and get honked by some AC.
Grand Central Station is of course an Historic building.
I was in a closet, bent over an ice machine with my hand on a Middle Atlantic rack when I get buzzed. Thankfully my hand wasn't able to clench on anything so I just stumbled back. Otherwise, nobody would have seen me in there dancing on a wire. :phew:
Quarlo Klobrigney:
Some people will never get it. :(
Quote from: dunkemhigh on 2021-06-05, 09:07:49Quote from: Siwastaja on 2021-06-04, 21:58:19Quote from: Quarlo Klobrigney on 2021-06-03, 21:34:22
120V is irrelevant. It's the current that kills. The voltage just breaks the skin resistance to help kill you.
--- End quote ---
I wouldn't expect to read this bullshit on the EEVBlog forum...
--- End quote ---
Perhaps an apology to Quarlo K would be appropriate at this point?
--- End quote ---
GlennSprigg:
--- Quote from: Quarlo Klobrigney on June 07, 2021, 03:46:21 pm ---Some people will never get it. :(
Quote from: dunkemhigh on 2021-06-05, 09:07:49Quote from: Siwastaja on 2021-06-04, 21:58:19Quote from: Quarlo Klobrigney on 2021-06-03, 21:34:22
120V is irrelevant. I
--- End quote ---
t's the current that kills. The voltage just breaks the skin resistance to help kill you.
--- End quote ---
I wouldn't expect to read this bullshit on the EEVBlog forum...
--- End quote ---
Perhaps an apology to Quarlo K would be appropriate at this point?
--- End quote ---
--- End quote ---
Well... The 2nd sentence, above, that I put in Bold, IS true!!, though the rest is crap...
It IS the 'Current' that kills!!!
PlainName:
I = V/R, so given the major impediment to dying is skin resistance, does not a higher voltage mitigate that skin resistance? Or are you just quibbling about the way a non-native English speaker has phrased it?
GlennSprigg:
--- Quote from: dunkemhigh on June 11, 2021, 11:48:59 am ---I = V/R, so given the major impediment to dying is skin resistance, does not a higher voltage mitigate that skin resistance? Or are you just quibbling about the way a non-native English speaker has phrased it?
--- End quote ---
Sorry mate. I'm not sure who (to whom? ;D) you were answering to. Be it myself, (prior answer), or someone else... :(
And I certainly was not picking on or quibbling about any "non-native English" person/speaker... >:(
As you say, and everyone here knows, I=E/R, but it is not 'X' number of volts that's the problem. And of 'course' the 'resistance'
then plays a critical part. Except where the voltage is high enough to 'physically JUMP' across such resistive barriers.
If you are hot & sweaty, standing on a wet floor with bare feet, and have a good grip on a referenced conductor with even 80-100v
or what ever, and the current approaches 20-30ma, then you can die!! Now grab hold of a 50-100 thousand volt Van-De-Graph
generator which has no ability to supply the 'current' necessary to be dangerous, then you can laugh at the sparks!!
P.S. The above 2 lines...
I wouldn't expect to read this bullshit on the EEVBlog forum...
Perhaps an apology to Quarlo K would be appropriate at this point?
were NOT my quote. It was meant to be forwarded from someone elses 8)
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