Just got a shock from the mains...

Doohickey · 23 Oct 2012 at 00:30

When I was little* I put a knife into the toaster to see if the element would heat up the knife. Bad move.

*14-15 maybe

Narj · 23 Oct 2012 at 00:52

A proper bolt sends you into a sort of shock. It's a horrible feeling. Last serious one I had kept me quiet and withdrawn for a few days.

mrk · 23 Oct 2012 at 01:38

I touched a 13 amp fuse once when I plugged the plug into a socket. Was probably 12 (LOL, Hi I'm 12 and what is this springs to mind

).

Anyway, the feeling was quite weird, I remember it, there was no pain - just a sudden few seconds of intense buzzing flowing through my arm and once I let go I stood there for a few seconds wondering what just happened :confused:

Hades · 23 Oct 2012 at 01:40

I was once thrown across the kitchen by an electric shock. It wasn't pleasant but I'm still alive so I'm sure you'll be fine

wnb · 23 Oct 2012 at 08:09

I once got a shock from a PSU, man that hurt it basically made me do a star jump. Ended up with a bit of whip lash.

Cosimo · 23 Oct 2012 at 08:29

I’ve had a big shock from the back of a TV and been thrown off my feet in a physics lab messing around. Oh the joys of youth!

plasmahal · 23 Oct 2012 at 08:32

cm1179 said:
check for grey hairs

WHERE?????

Cosimo · 23 Oct 2012 at 08:39

plasmahal said:
WHERE?????

Next time you go to the loo.....

schumi84 · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:12

At work at got a shock from a kettle lead going to one of the monitors in our ICT suite due to one of the lovely kids cutting through it with a ruler.

Was a nasty jolt and had black marks my hand, I think from the melted rubber but all was fine 5-10mins later.

Bubo · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:14

Does the OP feel a sudden urge to fight crime or avenge a deceased relative after surviving this electric shock?

Pestilence · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:31

Your eyes are now charged and set to spontaneously explode. Exactly when, unfortunately, I cannot say.

Efour · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:37

Ive had a few close encounters with mains 240v electric! Not fun I imagine its what it feels like to be a magnet vs Iron !

Locky · 23 Oct 2012 at 09:46

Ive lost count the amount of shocks I have had from the mains, and 110v stuff on site.

A 415v one is scary though.

bitslice · 23 Oct 2012 at 10:01

JonJ678 said:
AC tends to throw you off.

No it doesn't.
AC is more likely to freeze your muscles, DC is more likely to jolt your hand away. You are far more likely to die from AC.

I've been frozen for a few seconds with AC (horrible experience) and had multiple shocks from 10Kv (just painful but OK)

[Darkend]Viper · 23 Oct 2012 at 10:52

bitslice said:
No it doesn't, stop posting if you don't know what you are talking about.
AC is more likely to freeze your muscles, DC is more likely to jolt your hand away. You are far more likely to die from AC.

I've been frozen for a few seconds with AC (horrible experience) and had multiple shocks from 10Kv (just painful but OK)

I got told at school that an ac current will pulse your muscles due to it constantly alternating, where as dc will cause your muscles to be in one place due to it being constant.

Hmm anyone have a definitive answer?

Burnsy2023 · 23 Oct 2012 at 10:54

I've has a nice 600v shock once, blew me of my chair and I was shaking for hours after that.

Burnsy2023 · 23 Oct 2012 at 10:55

[Darkend]Viper;23014346 said:
I got told at school that an ac current will pulse your muscles due to it constantly alternating, where as dc will cause your muscles to be in one place due to it being constant.

Hmm anyone have a definitive answer?

I'm pretty sure you are correct rather than bitslice.

Locky · 23 Oct 2012 at 11:05

bitslice said:
No it doesn't.
AC is more likely to freeze your muscles, DC is more likely to jolt your hand away. You are far more likely to die from AC.

I've been frozen for a few seconds with AC (horrible experience) and had multiple shocks from 10Kv (just painful but OK)

DC is much more dangerous than AC under circumstances.

AC has a higher risk of stopping your heart than DC though.

If both have high enough current etc, doesn't matter which it is, your dead.

frosty03 · 23 Oct 2012 at 11:18

Locky said:
If both have high enough current etc, doesn't matter which it is, your dead.

This.

Only difference is how crispy you become

bitslice · 23 Oct 2012 at 11:19

Burnsy2023 said:
I'm pretty sure you are correct rather than bitslice.

As I've experienced both effects then I'm going by my exposure to HV and AC circuits.

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_3/2.html
How AC affects the body depends largely on frequency. Low-frequency (50- to 60-Hz) AC is used in US (60 Hz) and European (50 Hz) households; it can be more dangerous than high-frequency AC and is 3 to 5 times more dangerous than DC of the same voltage and amperage. Low-frequency AC produces extended muscle contraction (tetany), which may freeze the hand to the current's source, prolonging exposure. DC is most likely to cause a single convulsive contraction, which often forces the victim away from the current's source.

Technically if you were to grasp a DC line then your hand would contract onto it, however in practice you are more likely to be touching it with a finger or probe, in which case you would be jolted back a few feet.
Equally sometimes you get jolted by AC, but if your body is balanced when you touch it, it is just as likely that you be frozen to the spot and your finger remains touching the wire.

Most people's accidental contact with electricity will be exposed contacts poked at with a screwdriver, nobody is going to casually grasp a high voltage DC line with their hand unless this is some industrial plant or something.