I almost blew up today.

[Junket]

I was workin' with 277 volts rather than the more frequent 120 volts, just puttin' up a fixture.

Somewhere in between yesterday and today I managed to lose my "ticker", it's a little voltage detector that beeps loud when you put it to live voltage. Well, I wasn't sure whether or not the circuit I was workin' on was hot. I had seen someone touch the hot (black wire), to the neutral (white) as means to see if it was hot.

Looking back, they were testing between low voltage...but I wasn't thinking that hard about it so I carefully stripped back the sheathing on both, flipped the switch on, then touched them together. What I was looking for was an arc, when the electricity jumps from one wire to the other. Well, it didn't so much arc as it did explode in my face.

There was a loud CRACK! And a blinding flash. I tripped one of the main breakers. Fortunately, I did not get hit with anything but a "welder's flash". I've heard about people getting hit with 277, and it if doesn't kill you, it'll at least knock you out, and I was up on a ladder.

Made me worry a little about my lack of insurance.

[Charlie Boy II]

f-ck that sounds dodgy.

[misombra]

holy shit frizzzzzz be careful!!!

you need insurance. if something were to happen to you at work you would be F%U*C~KED.

[Charlie Boy II]

yes especially because the US medical system is so DRACONIAN. I kid, I kid, I kid.

[misombra]

this is no joke. people here are going to mexico for medical and dental care.

[anachronistic]

i don't have health insurace either.

[lesa]

F that...I would quit that job yesterday! I'm petrified of electricity.

I had a job at pet er clinic and one of my jobs was to fill the smaller oxygen tank with oxygen for the patients. Well the tanks haven't passed inspection for a while and THEY wanted me to fill them up but they were too afraid to do it themselves. I tried but was ALWAYS nervous. I dropped it once by accident and it really messed me up psychologically. I heard it can go through concrete. Anyways, a patient really needed it done one night and I'm alone and attempted but failed to work the tank correctly to administer it to patient. I called supervisor and said that unless she comes and do it herself a patient is going to die! Pissed my off that they wanted me to sacrifice my life or health or whatever for their f*ed up tanks. I heard people lost their limbs and life messing with poorly made tanks. I later quit after getting injured doing something else...but I really left job b/c it was temp until I got to grad school.

Sorry for the digression, I'm so glad you are okay. It takes courage to work with electricity. I have story about two guys shocking themselves. One immediately got burned in fingers and the other fired their insides.

[anachronistic]

i would have a tight butthole all the time if i did either of those jobs!

[Gribble]

It's good this happened the way it did. Hopefully now you're scared shitless of electricity and you'll treat it with absurd amounts of respect here on out.

[Lipp]

Had some annoying encounters with electricity while monitoring an electric fence designed to protect villages from elephants.

They were weaker than intended , around 4000 volts, got shocked twice while walking alongside it with wires mixing with the vegetation but basically it's like having someone hit you moderately with a bat, the first time I thought some large twig had fallen down on me after the initial touch so I didnt avoid it until it happened again two seconds later.

But the worst was when we had crawled under a fence to avoid what we suspected to be a lone elephant up ahead, and when getting back to the other side we used one of the fence posts to balance and jump across. It was slippery, and if I wouldn't have made it, well, I'd be lying on the ground with 5 of the wires touching me simultaneously. Zap zap.

[Junket]

It's good this happened the way it did. Hopefully now you're scared shitless of electricity and you'll treat it with absurd amounts of respect here on out.

Scared shitless?

Nah, working on hot wires is nothing new, but 277 is.

I'll just be more careful.

[DoesntMatter]

Man Fras be careful and take all the precautions you can. Is there anything else you can be doing within some amount of reason to protect yourself?

[anachronistic]

Don't you work with rubber gloves to insulate the voltage?

[lesa]

Had some annoying encounters with electricity while monitoring an electric fence designed to protect villages from elephants.

They were weaker than intended , around 4000 volts, got shocked twice while walking alongside it with wires mixing with the vegetation but basically it's like having someone hit you moderately with a bat, the first time I thought some large twig had fallen down on me after the initial touch so I didnt avoid it until it happened again two seconds later.

But the worst was when we had crawled under a fence to avoid what we suspected to be a lone elephant up ahead, and when getting back to the other side we used one of the fence posts to balance and jump across. It was slippery, and if I wouldn't have made it, well, I'd be lying on the ground with 5 of the wires touching me simultaneously. Zap zap.

Wow, very interesting story. Kind of scary and excitiing at the same time....a story to tell the grandkids, hehe.

[DoesntMatter]

Wow, very interesting story. Kind of scary and excitiing at the same time....

I think you have managed to arouse lesa, Lipp. I am jealous