You have a point. I told him we should turn off the breaker or test wires before but he didnt listen to me. If it were only me doing the repair, i would search the breaker
More likely there would be an arc flash and then the breaker would trip. Source: been there, done that
Edit: not whilst replacing a switch, all my electrical work is lock out/ tag out. I was screwing around in a controlled environment
Please define arc flash. I don’t know any lighting circuit that fits my definition of arc flash.
Adding an example of what’s considered an arc flash in my field. I understand the literal definition is basically any kind of flash/arc from electric, but the term is only used in serious situations in my experience.
https://youtu.be/PO6see7_ODY?feature=shared
This is the most powerful arc I've ever experienced. Even though I kept well away from it, because 2 kV is pretty terrifying, I overlooked the UV hazard posed (thankfully no painful welder's eye resulted).
Hardly an arc flash, even if it was powerful enough to vaporise copper and posed a flash hazard.
[MOT arc](https://ibb.co/bLxdYM0)
>Why the hell do people not respect the color.
Well.. someone ignored the importance of color-coding, while others ignored all the safety measurements.
Flip the damn breakers before working with the electricity (common human sense), use proper insulation gloves (garden rubber is not good enough) and don't touch the wires to "test" them - get an actual probe to check the circuits you'r working on before doing anything (can still be live if something at fault).
Sometimes people get a shock and then feel ok, but then have a heart attack and die shortly afterwards. The hospital has a special machine to check you out. If you go there they will give priority to you.
Fuck this shit hole of a country. I was having chest pains yesterday, and you know what I did? I took some painkillers and kept working because I'm broke and uninsured.
Normally you need to stay 24 hours in the hospital. At least that's what they say here in Germany and I probably would recommend doing so - especially when healthcare is free.
How long is "shortly afterwards"? I recently gave myself a nasty shock with one of those 'over 9000kv!!' pulse transformers from amazon (was stupid...I was holding and triggering it with wet hands, felt like a sledgehammer smacked me in the chest) and aside from some initial strangeness I don't appear to have died yet... this was....some days ago now, I don't recall exactly how many
I now realize how dangerous these things are and handle them with a bit more care...
You say "why the hell do people not respect color" but also that it is "exciting" not knowing if the wires are live?
Besides, you should have cut the main power before touching any wire.
A fridge can stay hours without power, so the few minutes needed to do whatever you were doing are fine.
Plus soldered wires ? Really ? What kind of fire hazard are you trying to do ? U guys shouldn't touch electricity, especially if it's not your house. You really don't know what's you're doing.
Welcome to the club, how old are you ?
First time it happen to me I was 12, today I'm an electrical engineer, I'm not afraid of playing with AC 230V, I know how to handle it and If you immediately drop, it's less disturbing than a bee bite, and much less than putting your finger in the boiling spaghetti water
Im 13, and it was milder because i was touching my dad with my arm accidentaly, he was touching live, without knowing and I put my hand on a grounded metal so we got a very mild shock.
He s also an electrical engineer and he told me thats why he isnt scared to work with live wire, because he was isolated from everywhere. Also, it s not good to set a bad example, as mehdi stated in one of his videos, the one with the telephone lines.
You dont care about the color coding in this situation, you find the breaker and break it. Dont work on live wires without absolutely needing to. And when done proper safety measures should be made. This was just stupidly done
thing is, 230V is luckily not likely to kill you. working as an electical engineer, I got schocked sometimes. one thing that is more likely to kill you is a machine. per standart, machines are not required to have rcds, so if there is any current from live wire over your body to ground, it will not turn off, so you have to be lucky. i can not always ensure machinery is powered off, especially when searching for complex errors, so I use gloves (in companion to being careful obviously)
In the older DIN (Norm) blue can be life if the connected devices dont need a neutral. Or blue could be the switched life after a Light switch.
Nowdays blue has to be Neutral
I also got shocked last year. With a suicide cord, no less. I was connecting a UPS to a circuit. I asked "Are the breakers down?" And the owner told me that yes they were. I believe him because all the lights, computers, and machines were off. The breakers were not down. Thankfully it was only in one of my finger, but the shock let it a tiny tiny bit numb for a few days.
> Why the hell do people not respect the color. True, but also why do people not turn off the breaker when working on 230v?
You have a point. I told him we should turn off the breaker or test wires before but he didnt listen to me. If it were only me doing the repair, i would search the breaker
My dad replaced a light switch live once and didn't get shocked. Not something I would do.
I've done this before. I'll do sockets and mess with light switches live. Only if it's gonna be a 30 second job though.
Wow... you could short the powerlines too and there will be an explosion.
No you can't, it'll pop the breaker/fuse.
More likely there would be an arc flash and then the breaker would trip. Source: been there, done that Edit: not whilst replacing a switch, all my electrical work is lock out/ tag out. I was screwing around in a controlled environment
Please define arc flash. I don’t know any lighting circuit that fits my definition of arc flash. Adding an example of what’s considered an arc flash in my field. I understand the literal definition is basically any kind of flash/arc from electric, but the term is only used in serious situations in my experience. https://youtu.be/PO6see7_ODY?feature=shared
Arc flash: the light produced by an arc fault Arc blast: the explosion as the result of an arc fault
This is the most powerful arc I've ever experienced. Even though I kept well away from it, because 2 kV is pretty terrifying, I overlooked the UV hazard posed (thankfully no painful welder's eye resulted). Hardly an arc flash, even if it was powerful enough to vaporise copper and posed a flash hazard. [MOT arc](https://ibb.co/bLxdYM0)
You don't know that if you haven't even been to the panel to check. While you are there, just turn it off...
And use voltage detector to be sure. Cheapest 5 buck insurance you can get.
>Why the hell do people not respect the color. Well.. someone ignored the importance of color-coding, while others ignored all the safety measurements. Flip the damn breakers before working with the electricity (common human sense), use proper insulation gloves (garden rubber is not good enough) and don't touch the wires to "test" them - get an actual probe to check the circuits you'r working on before doing anything (can still be live if something at fault).
We had the multimeter on us tho. Also look at another person s comment, they commented the same thing
What good is a meter if you didn’t use it 🥴
Love this. Haha I had a meter in my bag, and I still got a belt, why? . Classic DIY that.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to get an echocardiogram when you get shocked with 230v in case you have a heart rhythm abnormality.
Well i measured the rythm and it rarely goes fast then back to normal. Would this be normal?
Sometimes people get a shock and then feel ok, but then have a heart attack and die shortly afterwards. The hospital has a special machine to check you out. If you go there they will give priority to you.
I will get checked out, cause the healthcare is free in my country and it is better to be safe than sorry
r/foundthenotamerican
🤣🤣
Fuck this shit hole of a country. I was having chest pains yesterday, and you know what I did? I took some painkillers and kept working because I'm broke and uninsured.
Just pop down now and tell the nurse you got an electric shock from the mains, they’ll check you right away.
Normally you need to stay 24 hours in the hospital. At least that's what they say here in Germany and I probably would recommend doing so - especially when healthcare is free.
How long is "shortly afterwards"? I recently gave myself a nasty shock with one of those 'over 9000kv!!' pulse transformers from amazon (was stupid...I was holding and triggering it with wet hands, felt like a sledgehammer smacked me in the chest) and aside from some initial strangeness I don't appear to have died yet... this was....some days ago now, I don't recall exactly how many I now realize how dangerous these things are and handle them with a bit more care...
I don’t really know how long it takes, you’d really need to ask a doctor sorry.
This all could've been avoided if you turned the breaker off. You're lucky you weren't shocked to death.
I agree with you. If it were only me, I would have turned off the breaker.
you should refuse to work with such a life threatening situation without the proper safety measures
You won't endanger your own life, but you'll let someone else dumber than you risk it?
You say "why the hell do people not respect color" but also that it is "exciting" not knowing if the wires are live? Besides, you should have cut the main power before touching any wire.
Well, not the main power cause someone lived there and the needed appliances like the fridge and other stuff like that.
That's not a valid argument man... You plan in advance, then cut the power before touching any wire.
A fridge can stay hours without power, so the few minutes needed to do whatever you were doing are fine. Plus soldered wires ? Really ? What kind of fire hazard are you trying to do ? U guys shouldn't touch electricity, especially if it's not your house. You really don't know what's you're doing.
Welcome to the club, how old are you ? First time it happen to me I was 12, today I'm an electrical engineer, I'm not afraid of playing with AC 230V, I know how to handle it and If you immediately drop, it's less disturbing than a bee bite, and much less than putting your finger in the boiling spaghetti water
Im 13, and it was milder because i was touching my dad with my arm accidentaly, he was touching live, without knowing and I put my hand on a grounded metal so we got a very mild shock.
He s also an electrical engineer and he told me thats why he isnt scared to work with live wire, because he was isolated from everywhere. Also, it s not good to set a bad example, as mehdi stated in one of his videos, the one with the telephone lines.
Oh yeah I got shocked twice aswell from my washing machine in a house with no ground
Welcome to the club. It's damn right terrifying
Yeah, it is😂
You dont care about the color coding in this situation, you find the breaker and break it. Dont work on live wires without absolutely needing to. And when done proper safety measures should be made. This was just stupidly done
thing is, 230V is luckily not likely to kill you. working as an electical engineer, I got schocked sometimes. one thing that is more likely to kill you is a machine. per standart, machines are not required to have rcds, so if there is any current from live wire over your body to ground, it will not turn off, so you have to be lucky. i can not always ensure machinery is powered off, especially when searching for complex errors, so I use gloves (in companion to being careful obviously)
In the older DIN (Norm) blue can be life if the connected devices dont need a neutral. Or blue could be the switched life after a Light switch. Nowdays blue has to be Neutral
Thx for telling me mate! Have a nice day!
I also got shocked last year. With a suicide cord, no less. I was connecting a UPS to a circuit. I asked "Are the breakers down?" And the owner told me that yes they were. I believe him because all the lights, computers, and machines were off. The breakers were not down. Thankfully it was only in one of my finger, but the shock let it a tiny tiny bit numb for a few days.
Lockout tagout my guy, even at home.
this is what can happen when a pair of morons are allowed access to tools. 1. always disconnect power 2. never trust anyone else 3. check power again
Always turn off the breaker when working with live AC voltage or else you might cook yourself to death.