AVB Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I made the mistake of attempting some DIY at the weekend. Replacing a faulty light switch. Isolated the mains the room in question but forgot that the switch also operates a light in another room which I hadn't isolated. Received nasty jolt. Jumped about three feet. The thing I remember most about it was my teeth chattering (and I still have a ringing in my left ear for some reason). Not that I plan to attempt such a thing again I would be interested to know how dangerous it really was it? Some people say you have to be lucky not to die from a shock from the mains others say you have to be unlucky to die. And I had only increased my life insurance policy about two weeks ago so probably explains why my wife was so keen for me to attempt it! Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 if you've a conventional circuit breaker it should trip and you'll be fine, next time flip the big red master switch its the only way to play with your electrics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I once fiddled about with the ceiling rose of the light on our upstairs landing after shutting off the upstairs power. I didn't turn off the downstairs power because there were appliances etc on down there. I forgot that there is a switch for this landing light downstairs and it was on the downstairs circuit. I thought I was dead, I've never felt so ill in my life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I did a similar thing when I was quite a bit younger, I couldn't find a small enough screwdriver to fit in a light fitting so I ground the end of an allen key. as soon as it touched the screw in the connecting block I knew that the power was still on somewhere. I also got one hell of a belt from the HT lead on a space heater, I couldn't let go of that and a mate had to wrench the lead from my hand with a broom handle. I have a few other stories and I hasten to add that me and electrics don't really mix, and If I was a cat i would have used at least 6 of my lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I've had a few jolts in my life. I think something like a lighting trip should go fairly easily and you'll be ok. I wouldn't make a habit of trying to wire cookers or showers though if this is your on your DIY list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVB Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 if you've a conventional circuit breaker it should trip and you'll be fine, next time flip the big red master switch its the only way to play with your electrics The circuit breaker didn't trip! What does that mean? Is there something wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 yes get it looked at you shouldn't be able to get much of a belt before it trips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 If you had been standing outside i.e. - working on an outside light it could be fatal but usually an indoor shock is not, although I did see my father grab a cooker main once! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVB Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 If you had been standing outside i.e. - working on an outside light it could be fatal but usually an indoor shock is not, although I did see my father grab a cooker main once! I know very little about electrics (other than it hurts) so I'l perhaps ask a stupid question. But why would an outside light or a cooker mains be different to an inside light? It's all 240 volt isn't it? Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPT1 Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Cookers or some of them anyway work on different amps or watts even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holliday Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Cookers will normally be on a 30 amp circuit and lighting will be on a 5 amp circuit. Watts is the amount of energy the appliances needs to work. Usually watts divided by voltage = amps. For example, an 1800 watt vacuum cleaner divided by 230 (mains voltage) = 7.83 amps. Half an amp can be enough to kill. Not sure why an outside light would be more likely fatal than an indoor light but then I'm not an electrician. Treat it with respect and only attempt something if you really know what you're doing. This is one of theose things where a little knowledge really can be a dangerous thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 plastering a ceiling a few years ago it was mid summer so i was nice and sweaty mate told me the electrics was off(cable hanging from ceiling) got a belt straight in the wet arm pit me arm went stiff for a wile after that i always checked my self another time lost part of me trowel to a ring main after said main was isolated that was more painful it cost me £40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 The outside is more dangerous due to being directly earthed apparently.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I made the mistake of attempting some DIY at the weekend. Replacing a faulty light switch. Isolated the mains the room in question but forgot that the switch also operates a light in another room which I hadn't isolated. Received nasty jolt. Jumped about three feet. The thing I remember most about it was my teeth chattering (and I still have a ringing in my left ear for some reason). Not that I plan to attempt such a thing again I would be interested to know how dangerous it really was it? Some people say you have to be lucky not to die from a shock from the mains others say you have to be unlucky to die. And I had only increased my life insurance policy about two weeks ago so probably explains why my wife was so keen for me to attempt it! Andrew No. the saying is that your unlucky to live. your hair stays turning grey and falls out from now on and you skin starts to wrinkle. its true, look at all the people that have had a shock and everyone of them are having this happen to them....its true. honest. I have seen a screw drive fly across a room and stick n the wall on the other side. i have seen a big hole get blown into the mattress of a bed as well. i have two brothers that thought they knew it all.hehe something i always remember, its not the volts that kill, its the amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggum Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Circuit breakers and fuses are designed to protect the cable from overloading and will only trip/blow in the event of overloading or a dead short and will not stop you getting a shock and an average circuit breaker will trip in 0.5s whilst a fuse can take up to 5s to blow! . RCD's will protect you from electrocution and also from electrical fires as most are rated at 30ma tripping current which is less than the 50-80ma that is required to disrupt the electrical signals in your heart . The worst shock you can recieve is when the electricity travels across your chest (right arm to left foot for example) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 (edited) got a shock of a back boiler once working live when i removed the fire, which had lights on it,from the front... some bright spark had replaced the lecky conector plugs the wrong way round so when i broke them apart it was the unsheathed male ends which were live instead of the female sheathed part... could get my hand out of the casing quick enough... man it rattled me right up my arm.. the old guy who's boiler it was, sat in his arm chair in histerics as i proceeded to break dance around his living room floor... moral is, never under estimate the stupidity of some people and NEVER asume a curcuit is wired as it SHOULD be...... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fluke-Volt-Stick-1AC...=item45ed26ed9a cant reccomend one of these thing highly enough as a quick tester for anything live.... including (for any plumbers)checking copper pipe work when removing any earth bonds,sections of pipework, pumps, gas meters etc...... i had spotted a few traces of voltage on heating circs with one of these... you chop out a section of pipe or a meter with out a temp earth continuety bond and youll end up with hot fillings too........ Edited January 18, 2010 by myzeneye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr lee Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I was once replacing the light switches in the lounge for new ones and had dropped the breaker and taped it down. Only the mrs and me at home and she was in the same room as me. I had the switch cover away from the wall and just placed the screwdriver onto the screws to undo the cables when Mrs Lee decided to take a piccy of me doing a job on time. She had the flash on. Took the pic I jumped a mile thinking I was about to get a massive belt. We didn't speak for the rest of the day. Mainly due to the fact she couldn't stop laughing..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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