Quote:
Originally posted by goddfather40
Are you saying 120VAC won't kill you?? I think it is just as dangerous. Current is the real concern with electric shock.
|
Not at all. But it's much less likely to kill you than 220. In this country, the public is assumed to be stupid (this is why car sunshades have a label telling you not to drive with the sunshade in the window).
And the reason you didn't get shocked that badly on your 230v connection is probably because you only touched one leg of the circuit, which means you weren't getting 230, you were getting 115.
as for fuses, they've been largely replaced by breakers. the 220 breakers have what's called a common trip, which means when one leg trips, the other leg goes with it.
as for skin depth, the reason you get shocked is because you complete a circuit, which means the electricity enters your body at one place and leaves it at another. It's not gonna go 3 inches in and then stop. If it does, you won't feel a thing because your body doesn't have enough conductvity to complete the circuit. Actually it IS the amperage that kills you. the higher the amps, the more power gets shot into you. You take the amperage and factor it with the person's personal conductivity to figure out how bad the shock will be. Personal conductivity varies based on conditions. A guy without much body fat who's not overheated will get less of a shock than a fat guy drenched in sweat. The fat and the sweat both act as conductors.
You can decrease the risk of getting shocked by 1) turning off the breaker to that circuit. 2) whether you turn the breaker off or not, work as though the wire is still live. 3) follow the one-hand rule. Only one hand touches the wire at any time. Two hands on the wire means the electricity will travel straight through your heart. 4) whatever hand you're using on the wire, lift the opposite heel. This will make a lower resistance path through the side of your body rather than potentially through the torso. If the shock travels down your side, it'll hurt a lot but it's much less likely to kill you than if it goes through your trunk. 5) Fiberglass ladders ONLY for electrical work. If you don't have one, go buy one. Metal ladders are death waiting to happen. 6) Wear shoes. 7) Don't sweat, and if you're drenched with sweat, go cool off. The water and the salt in the sweat are both conductors of electricity.