Just asking because there's been many times when my hairdryer has been a little bit wet or a razor has had some water on the blades etc. Does the thing have to be completely wet, and the water coming in contact with something to a certain degree?
How hard is it to accidently electrocute oneself?
- Thread starter PoPPeR
- Start date
Dont know about hairdryers, but Ive gotten shocked a couple of times just plugging in some of the old style plugs into outlets. Weird feeling, but not painful.
I've grabbed bare 12v DC leads before. Stung for a second and blew the PSU through the roof. Can't speak as to AC though.
I've electrocuted myself at least 6 times on ac current, and I'm still here. (I have a bit of a twitch, it might be related to those exposures. 
)
It's hard to kill yourself unless you've got a bum ticker or the juice goes through your heart or head..
)It's hard to kill yourself unless you've got a bum ticker or the juice goes through your heart or head..
MustangSVT
Lifer
- Oct 7, 2000
- 11,554
- 12
- 81
I grabbed a 110/120V outlet the other day. Got a little "buzz" - but, that's about all. Now, a 240V outlet might be a little different.
I believe it's the amps that kill you, not the volts. A 12V car battery can kill you under the right circumstances and you don't need a bum ticker.
An electrician or engineer may chime in to verify or debunk this.
An electrician or engineer may chime in to verify or debunk this.
This is true, and is why stun guns don't kill people. There is however, sufficent amperage in home current lines to kill you.
There was an incident I had with a shop-vac at work... I was sucking the floors dry after scrubbing them... and the cleaner I was using foamed up into the electrical portion of the shop vac and started flowing out the sides and stuff...
Well, I didn't stop to think of all that until after I went to empty with it plugged in. I went to detach the lid and my hand seemed to fall asleep on me... I was like "Man... that was weird." So I waited a second until I realized my hand wasn't asleep and did it again. Same thing. I was like "What the hell??!!" Then I sat down for a second because I though maybe something was wrong with me, like the way I was bending my arm or something was making my blood flow funny.. yeah, that sounds silly, but I didn't know what was going on.
After I decided I was fine, and after doing some moving to realize that wasn't what was happening, I decided to just do it and deal with that strangely painful yet interesting feeling... and grabbed the top, unhooked it, set it on the ground all while being <b>shocked<b>. After I felt it pulsing through me I could feel that it was electricity doing that.
So then I unplugged it and decided I'd let the floors air dry.
Then there was the incident where I wanted to find out what the suction cup with the big red wire on the back of a TV tube did when you disconnected it... but that's another story...
edit 'cause I was corrected by Eli. Never really noticed the difference between electocution and being shocked. Oh well. I'm sure the point was taken either way.
Well, I didn't stop to think of all that until after I went to empty with it plugged in. I went to detach the lid and my hand seemed to fall asleep on me... I was like "Man... that was weird." So I waited a second until I realized my hand wasn't asleep and did it again. Same thing. I was like "What the hell??!!" Then I sat down for a second because I though maybe something was wrong with me, like the way I was bending my arm or something was making my blood flow funny.. yeah, that sounds silly, but I didn't know what was going on.
After I decided I was fine, and after doing some moving to realize that wasn't what was happening, I decided to just do it and deal with that strangely painful yet interesting feeling... and grabbed the top, unhooked it, set it on the ground all while being <b>shocked<b>. After I felt it pulsing through me I could feel that it was electricity doing that.
So then I unplugged it and decided I'd let the floors air dry.
Then there was the incident where I wanted to find out what the suction cup with the big red wire on the back of a TV tube did when you disconnected it... but that's another story...
edit 'cause I was corrected by Eli. Never really noticed the difference between electocution and being shocked. Oh well. I'm sure the point was taken either way.
I've put 350v into my right hand and out my left before. dunno about amperage - I was experimenting with a disposable camera, and my left hand was on one lead of the capacitator, and wouldn't you know it, there was a direct line to the capacitator from a contact point way over on the other side of the PCB. the stupid trace was on the other side of the PCB. my arms were numb for a few minutes.
btw, as for your hair dryer - even if water does get inside the structure, if you have a plastic hair dryer, than you should be safe, unless there is a direct path for the electricity to follow from the inside to your hand that has less resistance than a short circuit. and thats unlikely. as for your razor, you're fine. the cutter assembly is separated from the battery, for the most part.
Evadman
Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
- Feb 18, 2001
- 30,990
- 5
- 81
it takes .062 amps to disrupt the rythm of the heart enough to kill you. a regular 120v wall outlet has about 240 times this amount of current available.
Thankfully, the human body has a pretty high restance, so the amperage sent though the body is greatly reduced. However, there is still more than enough to kill you if it goes across your heart. For instance, from one arm to the other.
12v (from a car battery or power supply in a computer) will not put any noticeable current through a person unless it is done purposefully. You can lick the terminals on a car battery if you wanted to without ill effects. (besides lead poisoning)
If the distance the current has to go is lesened to less than an inch, then some current will flow. For instance, lick a 9 volt battery. The terminals are about a 1/4" apart, so it can toss some current across. This is that nifty tingle.
Thankfully, the human body has a pretty high restance, so the amperage sent though the body is greatly reduced. However, there is still more than enough to kill you if it goes across your heart. For instance, from one arm to the other.
12v (from a car battery or power supply in a computer) will not put any noticeable current through a person unless it is done purposefully. You can lick the terminals on a car battery if you wanted to without ill effects. (besides lead poisoning)
If the distance the current has to go is lesened to less than an inch, then some current will flow. For instance, lick a 9 volt battery. The terminals are about a 1/4" apart, so it can toss some current across. This is that nifty tingle.
If you are in the bathroom, then the hair dryer is pluged into a GFCI breaker. This measures the amount of inbound and outbound current. If the current varies, then the breaker trips. It is supposed to trip @ way less than fatal ranges. So you could concieveably toss your hair dryer into your bath water and be fine if the breaker trips. I would prefer not to test it though.
Wow.. I think there's been one or two people that know what they're talking about in this thread.
Where do I start?
Anyway.. It's all going to depend how grounded you are; how much current can flow through you. If you grab the hot wire of a 120v outlet in one hand, and the cold water pipe in your basement with another, you're going to fry. If you're standing on carpet with shoes on and you touch the hot lead, you'll probably only feel a tingle.
Electricity is a strange thing though, and you don't want to be playing with high amperages.
High potential voltages.. now that's another story, and can be quite fun.
Where do I start?
No you haven't. 12v isn't enough for you to feel through your skin, regardless of amperage. A car battery may have 250+A of energy inside of it, but you can hold onto the terminals all day.
yay, finally some sense. This is correct. However, the voltage also must be sufficient enough to "push" the amperage through you.
No. If you were electrocuted, you would be dead. That's what "electrocuted" means.
Anyway.. It's all going to depend how grounded you are; how much current can flow through you. If you grab the hot wire of a 120v outlet in one hand, and the cold water pipe in your basement with another, you're going to fry. If you're standing on carpet with shoes on and you touch the hot lead, you'll probably only feel a tingle.
Electricity is a strange thing though, and you don't want to be playing with high amperages.
High potential voltages.. now that's another story, and can be quite fun.
Evadman
Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
- Feb 18, 2001
- 30,990
- 5
- 81
oh, and if you wanted to know, those defibulators that hospitals have put out 200milliamps. This is .2 of an amp.
<edit>
I should also say I was wiring up a basement for a bathroom and misplaced my wire stripper. I decided to use my teeth. Of course, someone had come down and flipped that breaker because they wanted to do something in the house, and when I stripped the black wire I shocked by tounge. you have not felt pain until you have either given birth or stuck a 120v line in your mouth.
<edit>
I should also say I was wiring up a basement for a bathroom and misplaced my wire stripper. I decided to use my teeth. Of course, someone had come down and flipped that breaker because they wanted to do something in the house, and when I stripped the black wire I shocked by tounge. you have not felt pain until you have either given birth or stuck a 120v line in your mouth.
Originally posted by: Eli
High potential voltages.. now that's another story, and can be quite fun.
Nikola Tesla was a genius.
- M4H
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 23K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter