Wow.. my electrician re-wires while the power is still on

[Squisher]

I would never do it, but realize that when an electron hooks up new service drop he has to work on a 220v line live. This is why I'll run everything except that connection to the drop. I'm too much of a wuss.

 

[JulesMaximus]

He's an idiot.

 

[AlienCraft]

No biggie, just don't touch anything else, like neutral or ground!

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: JEDI
so i hire this electrician. he's insured, and has a Master electrician's license.

so he starts the re-wiring part of the project, and i said i'll turn off the power. he said not necessary, and starts re-wiring stuff.

got to say i was impressed.

or is it that easy/safe to work w/live electricity?

OK if you know what you are doing and your skin is dry. Don't do it in a sweat! I wire hot all the time. I like to do that because you don't get careless and overconfident. If you wire cold and then someone turns on the breaker without telling you, you can get killed. If you wire hot all the time, you remain cautious.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
I've swapped out about 40 outlets without turning off the power. It's not dangerous as long as you don't touch the exposed wires at the same time....or if you do, just make sure that it's with the same hand...otherwise the current will go through your body and you're heart just happens to be in the middle of that connection.

Dry skin resistance is about 20k ohms. That doesn't allow body current to exceed the 500 ma safety limit. This bold electrician is an old electrician - 60. Didn't get here by being either careless or stupid.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: d3lt4
My uncle is an electrician that works on the power lines w/ like 2000v. They work on it with the power on. That's when I decided I will never take his job... ever.

They do that in an insulated environment. Human sking is just never that dry.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Bassyhead
It doesn't matter if one has been accidently electrocuted by line voltage before. Under the right circumstances (and they won't be exactly the same as in previous "experiences"), electric shock can be lethal. Don't forget it's the current that kills, not the voltage. It only takes several mA. Additionally, injuries caused by electric shock can be unrelated to electricity. If there's a reflex while a hand is inside a breakout box, for example, one can get pretty good cuts.

I was working on an electric stove under a range hood one time. I had tripped the breaker and it was hot that day. I was sweating a river. I leaned over the stove with my hands on it and contacted the range hood. I got zapped good. I did little circles and stammered a lot for about five minutes. Once I got over the initial shock, the range hood no longer worked. The 20 amp fuse was blown! Not supposed to live through that. I started working live after that and haven't had a real shock since. That was in 1976. Better to know it's hot than to believe it's not! I don't recommend that to anyone else either!

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: StrangerGuy
Don't know about you guys, but I had touched a 240V live wire before for a few seconds and it only gave me a mild shock.

120 v is more lethal as the muscles do not jump as much so you're liable to stay in contact longr

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: johngute
my boss showed me a interesting trick to quicky find the breaker to the circuit your working on,
just short it out with a screwdriver. he used to be an electrician.

i've worked on live ciruits before, you feel a little tingle once in awhile, no big deal.

This is the equivalent of:

[flashback sound]

GRR! Trog say...if trying to kill cat with spear, cat bite arm and teeth go through arm to other side...you try to eat too big cat! Grr!

[/flashback sound]

Your electrician reminds me of the old "motorcyclist adage." There are bikers that have wrecked and those that will wreck."

Your Electrician = Limited Lifespan <--do not bet odds on this man

 

[CalvinHobbs]

all you gotta do is isolate the part you're working on, that is disconnecting it from the mains and you work on that line, and then reconnect the thing without having to cut power but you can only do this on low voltage lines...

 

[CalvinHobbs]

and anyone saying 120V is not dangerous is ignorant, go hold live and neutral 120V and then you'll post from hell

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: calvinHobbs
and anyone saying 120V is not dangerous is ignorant, go hold live and neutral 120V and then you'll post from hell

Those who don't read the thread are ignorant.

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: Condor
OK if you know what you are doing and your skin is dry. Don't do it in a sweat! I wire hot all the time. I like to do that because you don't get careless and overconfident. If you wire cold and then someone turns on the breaker without telling you, you can get killed. If you wire hot all the time, you remain cautious.

Hail wisdom.

In addition to sweat, working with wires one can get minor scratches and cuts often, which affect the resistance of a given area of skin.

Oh man... One of my heroes is Nikola Tesla. Now I got to go play a round of Red Alert 2! :|

 

[daniel49]

Originally posted by: Krazy4Real
If you're experienced you don't need to turn off the power. That's like us unplugging the computer before we work on it. Do you do it? I don't. But we're supposed to.

that is so braindead...for heavens sake power down.

 

[Molondo]

Nikola Tesla

Hes not given enough credit.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i was an electrician in the Navy, working on energized equipment was rarely authorized, it had to go all the way up to the captian to get authorization, so from my background, you don't do that without a really good reason

Nice to see a fellow Navy electrician. (IC1 here). I completely agree. It's not worth leaving the stuff on, and having something mess up, or getting messed up. I turned everything off when replacing the wiring at my fathers house...

 

[Bassyhead]

Originally posted by: calvinHobbs
and anyone saying 120V is not dangerous is ignorant, go hold live and neutral 120V and then you'll post from hell

My point exactly. There are numerous posts in this thread of people who have survived electrocution by mains voltage. Hasn't anyone considered that those that haven't survived are not going to be here to post about it?

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Bassyhead

Originally posted by: calvinHobbs
and anyone saying 120V is not dangerous is ignorant, go hold live and neutral 120V and then you'll post from hell

My point exactly. There are numerous posts in this thread of people who have survived electrocution by mains voltage. Hasn't anyone considered that those that haven't survived are not going to be here to post about it?

I've never heard of anyone surviving electrocution... since by definition, electrocution means you die
Well, I suppose someone could have been revived afterwards... regardless, if you live, it's "shocked." If you die, it's "electrocuted."

As condor said, always treat the wires as if they are live.

 

[seanws]

when i worked as an electrician this was not uncommon. most of the time it was due to stupidity. when we would pull wire before the walls were done, we would label the wire with the location and shove it through the floor into the basement. later after the drywall was up we would come back to put in outlets/switches/fixtures and to wire the panel. th eidiots that would wire the panel would strip the wire off and throw out the end with the label on it. then they would wire it into the panel without marking the box with the wire location. you really never knew which breaker went to which room until you shorted it out and then labeled it. made for some hair raising days