Today, I electrocuted myself.

[Gizmo]

meh..

Whatever you do.. don't reach up into a ceiling of a Spanish Bodega and grab wires... some of them have live AC..

I know..

One of hubbys jobs took him to an install in a foreign country. They were working in a completely metal room and were stripping back wires etc to install the equipment. All the electric to that sector had been turned off.

One day one of the guys is dragging some cording across the metal floor and could see sparks from it. A quick investigation later and they all get issued with volt-pens to check everywhere they walk, touch and move anything.

It turned out that sometime in the past someone had bypassed that sectors electric circuits and a live wire was touching and making a circuit with the floor and walls of the room. So they'd all been working in a room where practically every surface was live. Luckily no one got hurt - Everyone had been following safety procedures about shoes, equipment and the like.

[notlovinit]

Notlovinit: I have a challenge for you.
Tell your instructor that you've not done this sort of manual work before, and would appreciate some additional guidance or tutoring at some point.
Then humbly and graciously accept that tutoring, and learn from it.

I won't be able to see that particular instructor again, but we are supposed to have some sort of on the job training before we actually go out. And believe me, I am not going out there alone until I know what I am doing. Like I said, this is my first experience with tools and I don't want to mess up someone's house. They told us all these horror stories of things techs have done and I could easily picture myself doing any of those things right now for the fact that I have no idea about any of this stuff. But this is not something I am willing to go out there and do without a good amount of training first. Regardless of whether I had shocked myself or not at this training, I wouldn't be willing to go into people's homes and just mess around with stuff and drill randomly. I'm not conceited enough to think I'm that amazing.

[Seshat]

I figured I was safe with the mains off, but believe that you can never be too safe.

Unless you know for certain that the device you're working with has no high-capacity capacitors, then yes, it's best to assume it has the potential to shock you.

(Capacitors are - well, to oversimplify, they're sort of like batteries. They hold charge, anyway, and they can release it very quickly if given something to release it into. Like a person.)



Notlovinit: I have a challenge for you.
Tell your instructor that you've not done this sort of manual work before, and would appreciate some additional guidance or tutoring at some point.
Then humbly and graciously accept that tutoring, and learn from it.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I shocked myself once when I was going to ITT Tech.

I was in our "mega lab" computer lab, making use of the power strips there to recharge my laptop while I was working on my homework. Come the finish, I lean over to unplug the laptop's power cord, and as it's wiggling loose (it was in there tight), I slide my fingers underneath it (the prongs are still in the socket) and start to pull, heedless of the fact that my fingers are touching the metal of the prongs.

I feel heat and a sudden vibration and numbness in my fingers. I quickly realize "oh shit, I shocked myself," snatch my fingers away, and unplug the cord by grasping the plug properly (without touching metal) and consider myself lucky I didn't more seriously injure myself.

[Buglady]

So for a long time I have had the notion that I am better than everyone around me. I try not to let on to this fact, but I think about it a lot.

LMAO, the Universe has a tendency to shoot us down when we start thinking like that Also, never pray for patience, because you'll suddenly get a lot more opportunities for *practice* on that one!

Your story made me laugh a lot, thanks

[dragon_wings]

The one time I was jolted I was trying to plug something in in the dark (probably my phone charger). I was using my hand/fingers to find the plug and my finger tip went in just the wrong spot. It was just a small jolt but it was shocking enough.

[Primer]

I've been paranoid about electricity since I was a little kid, when my older brother touched a dead 9-volt battery to his tongue, and then gave me a new one!

[Andara Bledin]

Whatever it was, I just knew that there was nothing like the shock when touching the capacitor for the flash...

My ex liked to have people click the flash control from his old camera for shits and giggles. It's likely about the same thing.

The closest I have gotten to electrocuting myself was when I replaced the fan on my computer power supply some 15 years back when they were still expensive enough that it made sense to pop the case rather than just get a new one. I put the fan in backwards and had to pull it off and put it back in the right way. I forgot to unplug the supply the second time around, and if it weren't for the fact that I was using a driver with an insulated handle, I'd have zapped myself pretty badly, possibly fatally.

Needless to say, I now make absolutely sure the power is off and the plug disconnected before I wade into my system's innards.

^-.-^

[emax4]

I was estimating based on the pain compared to when I got shocked from a wall outlet as a kid - the circuit it was on was a 30amp, though I am not really sure what it was at the outlet.

At least this time my whole arm did not hurt, just my finger. I have GOT to remember to wear rubber gloves while shopping!!!

It's ironic you mention those gloves. I had purchased a sensor and outdoor light for the back, so that when my wife and I would come home at night, the sensor would activate and the back porch light would come on. While I was at Home Depot I picked up some $5 Gorilla Gloves. They're nice and stretchy but have this rubber- or epoxy-like material on them. I had the mains turned off while I was working, but kept those gloves on when I was working with anything electrical. I figured I was safe with the mains off, but believe that you can never be too safe.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Shock me, make me feel better... XD

[CatsLairArchives]

WOW! How do you stay alive, dude? I remember in Electronics class in 11th grade, the teacher said that 1/10 of an Amp can shock you, but 1 Amp will kill you. I'm not about to test that theory.

My own shocking account was when I had damaged a friend's old Sony Mavica digital camera. I didn't know what I was tampering with but that the zoom no longer worked, so I didn't know if it was something electrical or mechanical that needed fixed. Whatever it was, I just knew that there was nothing like the shock when touching the capacitor for the flash...

I was estimating based on the pain compared to when I got shocked from a wall outlet as a kid - the circuit it was on was a 30amp, though I am not really sure what it was at the outlet.

At least this time my whole arm did not hurt, just my finger. I have GOT to remember to wear rubber gloves while shopping!!!

[yeahwhatev]

meh..

Whatever you do.. don't reach up into a ceiling of a Spanish Bodega and grab wires... some of them have live AC..

I know..

[emax4]

I can top all of you - I have actually gotten several shocks that I would estimate at about 15 amps, WITHOUT the need for wires or external current. And the discharge is loud enough to be heard 150 feet away.

I do not know if it is the boots or my cold weather gear, but I get zapped every time I go shopping.

WOW! How do you stay alive, dude? I remember in Electronics class in 11th grade, the teacher said that 1/10 of an Amp can shock you, but 1 Amp will kill you. I'm not about to test that theory.

My own shocking account was when I had damaged a friend's old Sony Mavica digital camera. I didn't know what I was tampering with but that the zoom no longer worked, so I didn't know if it was something electrical or mechanical that needed fixed. Whatever it was, I just knew that there was nothing like the shock when touching the capacitor for the flash...

[Kazim]

I know how it feels to generate a strong enough charge of Static electricety (sp?) to make your arm go numb for 3 hours...it hurts...alot.

[CatsLairArchives]

I can top all of you - I have actually gotten several shocks that I would estimate at about 15 amps, WITHOUT the need for wires or external current. And the discharge is loud enough to be heard 150 feet away.

I do not know if it is the boots or my cold weather gear, but I get zapped every time I go shopping.