electrocuted by power shower

romperstomper said:
I brought a new power shower and decided to start playing around with the old one a 2am last night in the dark .........don't ask .......then my God I got one hell of a shock ,up my left arm then down my right complete with fireworks !
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Dude, you were really really lucky there :eek:
 
JIM_BOB7813 said:
Doesn't the current travel through the sweat on your skin? Or am i thinking of Lightning? same principle?
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Same principle but normal household electrics don't have enough voltage to push the current through something with so little moisture content. The squishy parts inside are much easier for it to get through.
 
Cyanide said:
You were VERY lucky, power showers are very high current appliances that should, ideally, only be worked on by qualified professionals.
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yeah I've had a few shocks before ,cut a live cable once that I thought was not connected which left a big black patch on the wall , ruined my pliers and been chucked across the room a few times but this was by far the most painful ,electrics is not really my forte :D

Its so difficult to get tradesmen these days I'm thinking of doing a college course to learn plumbing and electrics !

Although admittedly most of my accidents are through stupidity !
 
Azagoth said:
Don't forget, it's not the voltage that kills you but the current! A house mains current is way more than capable of frying you in your own juices.
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Don't forget it's the voltage that determines the current. ;) While it can kill you, 230v is not enough to produce the max mains current across the human body.
 
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Wang Computer said:
Is this the post a big lie? The notion of rubber soled shoes protecting you from shocks is a myth.

One more thing; why can't people differentiate between 'bought' and 'brought'? It's not that confusing. Sorry.... :(
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When I was younger my dad was a baker/chef and had a bakery in Edinburgh at the time. I was about four/five years old, and was playing through the back shop eating some cakes while my mum and dad closed up. I was playing about as kids do, and my dad was sweeping up through the back and in the pile he had swept up was a wooden handled knife that had fallen down. He must have went back through the front then.

Cut long story short there was a fat cable (3 phase, ??K volt upwards? perhaps not quite but a lot) that drooped under a worktop to the dough mixer. For some odd reason my little young brain decided I would like to see 'all the colours' of wires inside, and started cutting away.. (I destinctly remember that being my last thought)

Anyway the shock of the electricity sent me flying from one end of the back shop to the other banging me on the wall. I came too in my dads van by the sounds of it (coulnd't see), obviously on my mums knee the way she was screaming/crying. The intensity of the spark actually blinded me for a couple of days at the Sick Kids, that was after pulling my eye lids apart. Had some burnt hair etc, I can still distinctly remember that burning smell going to hospital.

After that my old man decided that was enough and gave up the shop and went back to kitchens, however because of the damage the insurers sent two electricians round who both said it was a miracle I survived. They both put it down to the wooden handle and my little rubber trainers. :D Dumb **** I am. :p Either way, I lived.

I've been shocked from mains a few times in my teens/adulthood, its no where near the same! I have problems with static quite often though! :(
 
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If it was a commercial bakery it was probably a 3 Phase domestic cable ~400v. The next size up is, generally, 11,000v and if you crossed the phases of that you wouldn't be typing at the moment ;)
 
It's the volts that shock but the amps that kill!!
Don't forget 50mA is enough to kill a human at 240V so one needs to be very careful with electrics.
If the shower had been installed correctly then it would have been installed with an RCD and better still an RCBO which I would have used as it gives protection for overload, short circuit and Earth fault.

Remember kids don't play with electrics! Especially in the dark :p
 
Green-Peace said:
It's the volts that shock but the amps that kill!!
Don't forget 50mA is enough to kill a human at 240V so one needs to be very careful with electrics.
If the shower had been installed correctly then it would have been installed with an RCD and better still an RCBO which I would have used as it gives protection for overload, short circuit and Earth fault.

Remember kids don't play with electrics! Especially in the dark :p
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:D

My new one has a low voltage supply 230v 0.63A 50Hz dose not mean much to me but it has to be safer then my last one connected straight to the mains ,I've also earthed the copper pipes which I think is suppose to help !
 
Talbs13 said:
If you pull away from a live wire quick enough you CAN survive but if you hold on to it your a gooooonnnnneeeeeeerrrrrrr. You lucky sonama b*tch!
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Lol, of course you're going to pull away, you're not going to hold onto it for the fun of it :D

Current travelling from one arm across to the other generally does affect the heart. When carrying out live working 'one arm rule' is supposed to be used.
 
romperstomper said:
:D

My new one has a low voltage supply 230v 0.63A 50Hz dose not mean much to me but it has to be safer then my last one connected straight to the mains ,I've also earthed the copper pipes which I think is suppose to help !
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Ehhh:confused:
230v 50HzAC is MAINS!
I hope you mean yours runs off some sort of high current Extra-low voltage (50v<)DC Transformer or something!
230v 630mA will kill you in a very short space of time if you don't have any circuit protective device too save your bacon?!?!?!

Always use an RCD or RCBO when dealing with electrics and water!
 
Green-Peace said:
Ehhh:confused:
230v 50HzAC is MAINS!
I hope you mean yours runs off some sort of high current Extra-low voltage (50v<)DC Transformer or something!
230v 630mA will kill you in a very short space of time if you don't have any circuit protective device too save your bacon?!?!?!
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Oh yeah it says input :o
Dose not mention output but its a low voltage transformer anyhow !
 
Am I just really lucky or something?

We had a really dodgy head height metal light fitting in my parents house, they were very loose and I accidentally knocked it. It twisted and began to come off the wall (complete with 8 inch diameter glass frosted globe on top) so I grabbed it. Got a huge shock but I really didn't want to drop it so I slowly lowered it to on to the side of the sink. Must've been holding it about 3 seconds. Took it apart later and the wires inside were really knackered and had become exposed. The interior of the fitting was metal too :\

Stupid design I thought :confused:
 
If the interior of the fitting was metal then it should have been earthed.

Not sure what voltage it was powered by, I doubt you could hold onto something thats giving out 230v.
 
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