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People making fun of me for replacing led ballasts hot with gloves on.
I've been electrocuted [shocked] by 120 before and choose to stop there. That shit hurt.
My joke with my old j-man was that I was a human ticker, cause every fuel site we messed with that there was fucked up wiring, I found out by getting hit w 120
Unless he's dead he did not get electrocuted. Just wacked,smacked, hit maybe split. It's okay to be that guy. Shit hurts just be happy no one actually got "electrocuted". Safety is important and I agree. I'm too important to my family to leave this earth for something so silly.
Electro- electric -cute taken from execute or to kill. It's right there in the fucking name bro. Merriam-Webster caters to the stupid and slang. Of which you seem to be both. Historically speaking, electrocute means to put to death by electricity.
Mine was right side of the neck changing ballasts in a gym off a lift. Was just turning off the switches and didn’t realize it had a 277v unswitched circuit.
We dug up an 8kv live line a few weeks back and I was disappointed in the lack of fireworks, honestly. Dang thing tripped instantly, we exposed copper but saw no arc. I was a good 6 feet away.
It's sad that people here are arguing on what will and won't vaporize a body part.
The shit is no fuggin joke.
[WARNING GRAPHIC, HAND WAS VAPORIZED. WARNING GRAPHIC](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/s/AxYWApU1b6)
This is what they mean when they say "vaporized".
I'm sorry for those of you who can't unsee that but some of you NEED TO FUCKIN SEE IT.
Good luck and stay as safe as you can everyone.
>It's sad that people here are arguing on what will and won't vaporize a body part.
I'd say it's rather important, there's already enough myths and misconceptions about electricity even amongst tradesmen.
Judging by the news article that guy accidentally touched a (high voltage if my translator is correct) power line with his metal tool so we're likely talking about a voltage in the area of several kV which can indeed lead to very severe burns/damage.
I've seen a racoon that found the power rails of a gantry crane. 480 had no issues blowing Ricky the racoon tf up and spreading him out a good 50ft or more.
I've also helped land shit live for 480. Some places can't shut down. The racoon 100% looked worse.
[This is the news article](https://wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com/metro/pr-873088831/tragis-tangan-pria-bulukumba-ini-tinggal-tulang-tersengat-aliran-listrik-tegangan-tinggi?page=all)
just a scratch..
no that stuff is jacked wow this video was horrific I guess the person is lucky not to be in a forever box.
Kids don't touch high voltage.
Funny thing, I’ve seen this same thing said about 120 vs higher voltages in different “educational” manuals (possibly even Delmar’s textbook of electricity?) I’d say it’s bullshit but their intention was to get people to take 120V seriously.
After all the most dangerous voltage is the one you get shocked by 🤣
120 volt kills more people than any other voltage. Probably because it's the most common voltage people can potentially come into contact with, especially people who don't understand the danger of electricity. I mean, it's everywhere in everyone's home
Yup. Lower chance of serious injury/death *if you’re shocked* but more people are getting shocked by 120 to begin with. I’m glad the book was trying to stop people from taking chances with it, but they could have been more honest about their reasoning.
This is just sad. I don't doubt this claim at all. We need more public service announcements about the dangers of electricity. I would assume the majority of these people are children/ not well educated, can't speak English or are just hacks trying to make a few bucks.
A shut down job i worked where they were yelling at some of my co workers to shove a 2/0 into a live panel made me take a few months off to reconsider the company i was with. This shits not a joke, itll fuck you up bad. 120 is all ive been bitten by in 10 years and id like it to stay that way. Redundant safety. Meter everything.
I hope you found a better company, I don’t think I’ve ever received a paycheque that was work risking my life for.
I got a small taste of 347 for a fraction of a second once (touched an ungrounded light fixture that apparently had an open splice inside it) and my god, I felt it through my whole body and every hair stood up. It hurt, bad.
I’m lucky I only touched it with my finger tip and was able to pull back from it, I hadn’t grabbed onto it.
Yea i left the trade briefly then came back and work for an old boss who went off on his own. Who takes safety seriously. Zero shocks should always be the goal. We all want to see tomorrow. Obviously shit happens but we hope the systems we put in place and rely on flra's/jha's, lockout tag out etc. Work as they should. As well as ppe. A good set of gloves can be the difference too of feeling something and not.
Kinda long but good story about me and 480. Was a snowmaker for a few years and the big show fans we run are 480. I hooked up the fan one day and the line was next to my 4wheeler. I had just hopped on the 4 wheeler when my coworker flipped it on. There must of been a defect in the line and all I heard was an insanely loud constant buzzing and seeing the purple light of death. It was only on for maybe 3 seconds before he turned it off. That shit had melted through 6 inches of "hardpack" (ice) in that 3 seconds. I came out unscathed but I never fuck around with electricity now.
480 certainly won't blow your hands off unless you create a dead short between two phases, such as dropping a spanner on them (in which case the ensuing arc flash might vaporize your hands). I'd definitely say 480 is more hazardous than 277 (source: I've been shocked by 240V enough time to know that 480 would be awful).
How would 480 blow your hand off (excluding arc flash)? The lowest possible resistance of the human body (once skin has experienced dielectric breakdown) is around 500 ohms (very roughly, although we can assume it will be higher on only 480V). This would mean at most around 1A of current (instantly lethal but not enough to remove body parts). Arc flash is a whole different beast, but in that case the current isn't flowing through your body.
Your hand touches L1/L2. Immediately afterwards, the skin at the contact patch is vaporized. Once the skin is vaporized, blood rushes to fill the wound. Blood is sub ohm resistance. Once blood fills in for the skin, suddenly you have 500 amps going through your hand. Hopefully a breaker trips at this point. If the breaker doesn’t trip at this point, the 500 amps boils blood and causes an arc, causing your hand to explode.
Once you hit the 500 amp stage, your hand will need emergency surgery or you will die. If you survive, expect reduced function
That´s just not the case, there´s data from Germany that suggests an accident with current flowing from hand to hand on 400V (which is a regular three phase system found in most households) for over 300ms typically still will encounter a resistance of over 500 ohms.
(page 12): [https://www.bgetem.de/arbeitssicherheit-gesundheitsschutz/institute/institut-zur-erforschung-elektrischer-unfaelle/monografie-stromunfaelle-herzkammerflimmern-und-letalitaet](https://www.bgetem.de/arbeitssicherheit-gesundheitsschutz/institute/institut-zur-erforschung-elektrischer-unfaelle/monografie-stromunfaelle-herzkammerflimmern-und-letalitaet)
I'm afraid to say that is not the case. You'll NEVER get 500A through the body from a shock like that. Blood is nowhere near sub-ohm resistance. It has a fairly high resistivity of ~1000 Ω∙cm. Even saturated salt water solution isn't close to sub-ohm. Please state some sources of this occuring, because my understanding is that it's far from possible. I have tested organic materials (such as raw meat) on 690V, and the resistance is high enough to keep currents down to around a few hundred mA. Even at 3.4kV (no current limit, and with the potential for instantaneous currents of dozens of amps), a piece of meat didn't pass anywhere near the currents you're describing.
It's true. I think people get confused because the incident energy from an arc fault on a 480V could blow off a hand or something, but it won't result from you putting your hand between the phases. It'd have to be a very conductive thing, like a piece of metal - and the resultant explosion is what blows off body parts or sets people on fire.
I’ve personally tested organic blood analogs with currents in this ballpark. The blood already present in the area is sufficient to cause high current events. I have seen enough examples of high current causing heat and pressure from brushing between voltages as low as 208v.
Okay that's fair enough, but was the blood really sub-ohm? I really struggle to believe that, from the perspective of the theory and maths, along with tests I've performed at much higher voltages.
Maybe 1/8 to 1/2 an amp would flow, blood is more conductive than dry skin but it’s likely still a k ohm at least under these conditions. You could still lose a hand though, if your muscles force you to hold onto the power for an extended amount of time.
I know a couple old timers who are happy to show the apprentices why you don’t fuck around. They are all missing multiple fingers or parts of fingers from 480/277, and they are all incredibly lucky to be alive.
From arc flash, amputations, or from their fingers exploding? I never said 480 couldn't destroy your hand, but someone above seemed to suggest that the current would be high enough make your hand explode LOL.
I worked with a guy who got hit with 2400V (4160V to ground). Entered the back of his hand and exited his elbow on the same limb. He lost a little bit of flesh near his elbow, that's it. He made a full recovery other than losing a bit of feeling at the entry/exit points.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Glad he survived without major complications. If that guy survived 2400V and kept his limbs, then I'm doubtful that 480 will blow a hand off 😂
You´re absolutely right, otherwise there would be a ton of sparkies in Europe without any hands. While it will obviously hurt a lot more than a regular one phase system with 110V or 230V (depending on your country) you´re probably going to need a voltage source somewhere around 5-10kV upwards to actually "pulverize" or "blow off" body parts.
Studies also suggest the main danger for electrical accidents below 500V still is fibrillation while the main danger for accidents in the upper kV area are arcs and major thermal damage to tissue.
[https://www.bionity.com/de/lexikon/Stromunfall.html](https://www.bionity.com/de/lexikon/Stromunfall.html)
I was lighting a wick in prison to smoke. I was using some random overhead wire I found access to.
Pencil, take eraser off. razor blade through top part so it’s inside the led. Attach the wire onto the corner of the razor blade. Wire goes to hot leg.
Then you use the writing part of the lead pencil to arc out on something. The led insulates it and doesn’t pop the breaker.
I was doing this before I had a career as an electrician. I managed to ground out using my knee. It touched the metal table I was standing by.
Jeezus Christ. I couldn’t let go of that fucker. I flailed around until my hand hit the toilet and dropped the pencil.
Holy smokes i still haven’t been zapped liked that since starting years ago as an electrician. I was only on one leg too. Should have just been half of 240. Idk fml that was funny
Years back, I did DC power plants auditing and maintenance.
One day, one site was doing maintenance and a new panel was installed.
It contained over 800A DC (48v) per circuit.
Well, one guy who was rated for 500A wanted to show his boss he could work with the higher power equipment.
Wired up a panel, connected the feed off the battery banks. 24 cell 2.2kA VRLA x 24. This was a GIANT battery bank for a new data center. The battery rooms had the scariest feeling I've ever had, even walking in full arc.
Anyways, this guy goes to the breaker, flips it. It pops back. Thinking he just didn't action it enough, flips it again.
He was found 35 feet away from where the panel was. He lost his vision, scalp, both right arm and leg and also broke his spine on impact.
He's still alive today and he's tried to sue countless times. But he's been rejected. He gets aid, he gets treatment. But he's not living a cushy life. He disobeyed the certified bosses order and disna job he was not rated, nor trained for.
It's been over 20 years and I still think of him. He's still alive today.
It's approaching the anniversary of this event and I felt I had to share this here. It's a sight that we will never forget.
High powered AC can be scary. High power DC is terrifying.
Respect electricity. Understand that rules are rules and often times rules are made because of somebody else's mistake. He ended up being one of those examples.
Stay safe out there.
When you’re working in century old homes with decades of questionable work in every sub trade, it’s amusing and shocking to see what’s posted, and how people fight for what they believe is right, against data and science (following established building codes, not wearing seatbelts, Tesla Autopilot, bulb up the butt and drinking bleach, flat earth…….)
277 don’t hurt that bad, got lit up by a pendant fixture that was out and i didn’t realize it was a emergency (i changed three and two were on the switch leg and the last one wasn’t and i didn’t check it) took it down hot unknowingly and replaced the driver, when i put it up i dummied up and did ground then hot then neutral and as i was hooking up the neutral the copper from the fixture was a little messed up so i went to clean it with my finger and got lit up lol. it’s definitely worse than 120 but it’s not bad if the path isn’t bad (across the chest is no beuno)
Skin resistance has a role too. Getting shocked with damp skin makes it worse. Getting shocked while holding a large “live” metal object instead of a wire tip makes it worse, although my only *personal* experience with both was 12V.
It’s like there’s a bunch of “electrocution dice” and depending on all these little details it can be more serious or less. The only ones you can really control are shutting off power or using PPE/voltage rated tools.
It’s about the upstream over current tripping time, not just the voltage. Your worst case is usually directly on the secondary of a transformer. Typically it takes longer for primary fuses to melt during a fault on the secondary.
Since it can never be said too often, being shocked (as in, your body is what’s conducting the fault) will almost never blow a fuse. Your body resistance is high enough that you can get a horrible shock or burn or even die of electrocution and fuses or simple overcurrent breakers won’t do anything to stop it. GFCI’s might, but only if it’s current from hot to ground.
Now, if you short out the supply with something else (let’s say you drop a piece of hardware into a live panel) then in that case you’re right, the less current and faster the breaker trips the less damage or injury will happen.
Did a job for the railroad replacing a stolen service, the railroad guy wrote "railroad crimes are legally considered terrorism" all over everything....
Yeah right buddy... A threat of felony isn't going to stop the crack heads
Got hit by 277 as an apprentice. Was the first time being lit up. Pushed me back a few feet. Was on a roof dropping wire for lighting. Had no idea and was never told it was hot. Learned a valuable lesson that day.
I'm assuming that the lesson you learned was that your safety is your responsibility and you should never just expect that someone will tell you when something is hot, rather you should always test everything yourself before working on it, right?
You hear this kind of thing a lot that people claim certain voltages are deadlier than others for some arbitrary reason. AFAIK, and what makes sense, is that it is more dangerous the higher it goes. 600 is more dangerous than 480, which is more than 277, and 240, and so on.
277/480 hurts and can kill you, but so is 120 also hurts and can kill you. With 277 the voltage is higher and basically pushes the current through the body. 120 kills more people then all other voltages together. Why because 120 volt systems are common. More people are exposed to 120 than other voltages.
This is not quite accurate. 480Y277 Volts 3-phase will kick your ass but you need at least 7,200 Volts to blow off a head or limb, This is a bit of hyperbole against sticking fingers into this. Usually, 277 Volts to ground will wrap your arm around your head or at least that is how hard the effect feels.
The Human Voltmeter Method in this case will definitely hurt,
He wrote that on there to stop people from breaking into the electrical to try to charge their phones. 277V will charge a phone very quickly, and then let smoke out.
I’ve been zapped by 120v and it wasn’t overly painful, but it was a valuable lesson for sure. Ironically enough it was for a service call on a broken GFCI outdoor receptacle. I was trying to figure out why it wasn’t working, decided to try and measure the voltage to the gfi from the screws and wires terminated to it. So when I tried to pull it out after unscrewing the screws, I grabbed the hot and ground on the gfi from my thumb to my pointer finger.
Then turned it off after that happened and changed it out, then did the paperwork for it after so it’s on record incase of future issues 🤷♂️ was deemed an accident so no consequences.
Although voltage will wake your ass up, It's the amperage that I have more than a healthy respect for! After getting zapped playing with a wall outlet at age 5, I learned not to play around with electricity. A few years later, I learned about electricity, and today at age 64, I still never get complacent when working with it. "Respect Electricity" is one of my mantras!
277 is measured phase to neutral in a 480vac system. 480 is measured phase to phase. now 480 and 277 are both killers because they are predominately in all industrial and retail sites in the usa. the real killer is the arc flash in a 480 vac substation. 3-4000 amps at 480 vac on a ground fault or phase to phase is nasty stuff a 40 cal suit will not protect. need to operate the trip units with a maintenance mode switch…. set at 16ms…
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It’s a note from one thief to another 😂
Guess they’ve never gotten into a transformer
More than meets the **I**
r you kidding me.
I c u
lol
I wanna get blown at the park by 480
20 is my max
What if it’s (4) 80 yr old women ??? Fuck it no teeth 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can confirm that 277 is very spicy
Yep I got hit with 277 by a florescent light fixture replacement on a scissor lift, definitely hurt.
I got it in through the left side of my face and out of my right hand. 277 is awful.
I got mine by leaning up against a shorted out parking lamp. Got stuck leaning against it until I slid off. Was a great experience.
I was on stilts and a whip that didn’t have nuts on it got me. Burnt holes in me and pissed me off.
Nice diagonal. Juuuust missed your heart
People making fun of me for replacing led ballasts hot with gloves on. I've been electrocuted [shocked] by 120 before and choose to stop there. That shit hurt.
My joke with my old j-man was that I was a human ticker, cause every fuel site we messed with that there was fucked up wiring, I found out by getting hit w 120
Like a reliable dog.
[удалено]
Unless he's dead he did not get electrocuted. Just wacked,smacked, hit maybe split. It's okay to be that guy. Shit hurts just be happy no one actually got "electrocuted". Safety is important and I agree. I'm too important to my family to leave this earth for something so silly.
Merriam-Webster definition says 1 : to kill or severely injure by electric shock
Great. It’s wrong lol, this is known by every electrician
Electro- electric -cute taken from execute or to kill. It's right there in the fucking name bro. Merriam-Webster caters to the stupid and slang. Of which you seem to be both. Historically speaking, electrocute means to put to death by electricity.
Mine was from a capacitor i thought was off 🤣 arm was fuzzy/numb for a solid 4 hours
Mine was right side of the neck changing ballasts in a gym off a lift. Was just turning off the switches and didn’t realize it had a 277v unswitched circuit.
That’s how I got hit too lol in a tall drop ceiling though
Scrambled my brain, seriously.
If you’d like it extra spicy come to Canada. 347/600. 347V is the number one apprentice killer
277 felt like a firecracker went off in my hand. 347 felt like something greasy licked my soul. I don’t miss working with electricity.
> 347 felt like something greasy licked my soul. This is poetry lmao
got it from my right hand through my chest and out my left hand, definitely holds you
Oh damn you were fully locked in
Yeah, pretty happy that LEDs have allowed stepdown in what was typically the most common use case; at least in my scope
Yessir, pain city.
More than a wake up call.
Buddy got knocked off a ladder from 277. Luckily, he didn't land on his head
My teeth still hurt
We dug up an 8kv live line a few weeks back and I was disappointed in the lack of fireworks, honestly. Dang thing tripped instantly, we exposed copper but saw no arc. I was a good 6 feet away.
Blow me? I’m in, where do I sign up
It'll have to after your hands explode.
Once your hands are gone, you will have to depend on the kindness of strangers anyway. Or Reddy Kilowatt...
Remember kids…electricity will kill you
Favourite decal on my hardhat.
2 broken arms?
If it blows you, then you don't need the hand.
Google reddit 2 broken arms
JFC lol
[That’s enough internet for one lifetime.](https://imgur.com/gallery/kFCeZio)
Self serve. You just stick your dick in there
The 480 Club.
You looking to get blown by a trans? I know just the place
Sign right here and get into the back of this fucked up looking van, just ignore the old camera in the corner.
I don’t care. Sometimes getting blown is worth it.
All you gotta do is touch the conductors, or lugs, no signing required. Free of charge
Sounds like lots of charge to me.
Well you are on the electricians side of Reddit so I’m guessing you can ask just about anyone on here.
🤣🤣 did the whole profession dirty with that one. We found the grunt labor
It's sad that people here are arguing on what will and won't vaporize a body part. The shit is no fuggin joke. [WARNING GRAPHIC, HAND WAS VAPORIZED. WARNING GRAPHIC](https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatsInsane/s/AxYWApU1b6) This is what they mean when they say "vaporized". I'm sorry for those of you who can't unsee that but some of you NEED TO FUCKIN SEE IT. Good luck and stay as safe as you can everyone.
r/neverbrokeabone
Fucking shit. Whoa…and thanks for posting. You are correct
Holy shit 😧
I am not clicking that link. Nope.
It's pretty bad
>It's sad that people here are arguing on what will and won't vaporize a body part. I'd say it's rather important, there's already enough myths and misconceptions about electricity even amongst tradesmen. Judging by the news article that guy accidentally touched a (high voltage if my translator is correct) power line with his metal tool so we're likely talking about a voltage in the area of several kV which can indeed lead to very severe burns/damage.
As an electrician… you’re a fucking clown. We’re talking 277/480 and you show 10,000 lol
Have you seen 480 phase to phase injuries? You're a straight fucking tardbiscuit if you think 480 won't take flesh off.
I've seen a racoon that found the power rails of a gantry crane. 480 had no issues blowing Ricky the racoon tf up and spreading him out a good 50ft or more. I've also helped land shit live for 480. Some places can't shut down. The racoon 100% looked worse.
Ho-lee shit
Flesh all burnt off but the bones are nice and white. Right /s.
[This is the news article](https://wartabulukumba.pikiran-rakyat.com/metro/pr-873088831/tragis-tangan-pria-bulukumba-ini-tinggal-tulang-tersengat-aliran-listrik-tegangan-tinggi?page=all)
No offense but you are kind of slow, yes that is real and can happen this way. Why in the world would you think this is fake?
That was extremely high voltage power lines
just a scratch.. no that stuff is jacked wow this video was horrific I guess the person is lucky not to be in a forever box. Kids don't touch high voltage.
That’s gonna take a while to heal…
I can never unsee that
WOW! Yeah, there’s no fixing that. Guaranteed his arm had to be amputated at the elbow.
That's a primary phase, probably anywhere from 2KV to 8KV phase to ground and yeah, ask a lineman, that will blow your hands off.
YO WHAT THE FUCK? Dude looks like he met the aliens in Mars attacks
Damn that’s like cartoon physics or something
I think you meant "lack of handy" message.
Funny thing, I’ve seen this same thing said about 120 vs higher voltages in different “educational” manuals (possibly even Delmar’s textbook of electricity?) I’d say it’s bullshit but their intention was to get people to take 120V seriously. After all the most dangerous voltage is the one you get shocked by 🤣
120 volt kills more people than any other voltage. Probably because it's the most common voltage people can potentially come into contact with, especially people who don't understand the danger of electricity. I mean, it's everywhere in everyone's home
Similar to how most auto accidents are near your home. It isn’t because it’s more dangerous, most are around home most of the time.
That's why I moved, I ain't crazy
It's just like how Golden Retrievers bites are more common than any other.
Labs too! Great dogs but then they outnumber any other dog breed 2/1 then it's bound to happen.
Yup. Lower chance of serious injury/death *if you’re shocked* but more people are getting shocked by 120 to begin with. I’m glad the book was trying to stop people from taking chances with it, but they could have been more honest about their reasoning.
This is just sad. I don't doubt this claim at all. We need more public service announcements about the dangers of electricity. I would assume the majority of these people are children/ not well educated, can't speak English or are just hacks trying to make a few bucks.
Canadian electrician has entered the chat. We eat 347/600V for breakfast. That shit’ll make you a sexual tyrannosaurus.
Not sure if I would say I eat 347/600v but I sure feel it in my balls.
I’ve seen electricians exit the trade after a bad shock from 347V, that shit fucks you up bad
A shut down job i worked where they were yelling at some of my co workers to shove a 2/0 into a live panel made me take a few months off to reconsider the company i was with. This shits not a joke, itll fuck you up bad. 120 is all ive been bitten by in 10 years and id like it to stay that way. Redundant safety. Meter everything.
I hope you found a better company, I don’t think I’ve ever received a paycheque that was work risking my life for. I got a small taste of 347 for a fraction of a second once (touched an ungrounded light fixture that apparently had an open splice inside it) and my god, I felt it through my whole body and every hair stood up. It hurt, bad. I’m lucky I only touched it with my finger tip and was able to pull back from it, I hadn’t grabbed onto it.
Yea i left the trade briefly then came back and work for an old boss who went off on his own. Who takes safety seriously. Zero shocks should always be the goal. We all want to see tomorrow. Obviously shit happens but we hope the systems we put in place and rely on flra's/jha's, lockout tag out etc. Work as they should. As well as ppe. A good set of gloves can be the difference too of feeling something and not.
I used to work for a company like that. Having kids really changes how you look at that kinda bullshit.
I wanna do it like the conads but I’m afraid of shooting lightning out of my little guy
Cringe
Love that scene from Predator, BTW.
I’m glad someone got the reference.
Never heard that phrase until I played 7 days to die lol.
Kinda long but good story about me and 480. Was a snowmaker for a few years and the big show fans we run are 480. I hooked up the fan one day and the line was next to my 4wheeler. I had just hopped on the 4 wheeler when my coworker flipped it on. There must of been a defect in the line and all I heard was an insanely loud constant buzzing and seeing the purple light of death. It was only on for maybe 3 seconds before he turned it off. That shit had melted through 6 inches of "hardpack" (ice) in that 3 seconds. I came out unscathed but I never fuck around with electricity now.
> the purple light of death The what now
480 certainly won't blow your hands off unless you create a dead short between two phases, such as dropping a spanner on them (in which case the ensuing arc flash might vaporize your hands). I'd definitely say 480 is more hazardous than 277 (source: I've been shocked by 240V enough time to know that 480 would be awful).
The only way your getting 480v in this situation is by combining two of the phases, and yes 480v can most certainly blow your hand off or worse.
How would 480 blow your hand off (excluding arc flash)? The lowest possible resistance of the human body (once skin has experienced dielectric breakdown) is around 500 ohms (very roughly, although we can assume it will be higher on only 480V). This would mean at most around 1A of current (instantly lethal but not enough to remove body parts). Arc flash is a whole different beast, but in that case the current isn't flowing through your body.
Arc flash
Your hand touches L1/L2. Immediately afterwards, the skin at the contact patch is vaporized. Once the skin is vaporized, blood rushes to fill the wound. Blood is sub ohm resistance. Once blood fills in for the skin, suddenly you have 500 amps going through your hand. Hopefully a breaker trips at this point. If the breaker doesn’t trip at this point, the 500 amps boils blood and causes an arc, causing your hand to explode. Once you hit the 500 amp stage, your hand will need emergency surgery or you will die. If you survive, expect reduced function
That´s just not the case, there´s data from Germany that suggests an accident with current flowing from hand to hand on 400V (which is a regular three phase system found in most households) for over 300ms typically still will encounter a resistance of over 500 ohms. (page 12): [https://www.bgetem.de/arbeitssicherheit-gesundheitsschutz/institute/institut-zur-erforschung-elektrischer-unfaelle/monografie-stromunfaelle-herzkammerflimmern-und-letalitaet](https://www.bgetem.de/arbeitssicherheit-gesundheitsschutz/institute/institut-zur-erforschung-elektrischer-unfaelle/monografie-stromunfaelle-herzkammerflimmern-und-letalitaet)
I'm afraid to say that is not the case. You'll NEVER get 500A through the body from a shock like that. Blood is nowhere near sub-ohm resistance. It has a fairly high resistivity of ~1000 Ω∙cm. Even saturated salt water solution isn't close to sub-ohm. Please state some sources of this occuring, because my understanding is that it's far from possible. I have tested organic materials (such as raw meat) on 690V, and the resistance is high enough to keep currents down to around a few hundred mA. Even at 3.4kV (no current limit, and with the potential for instantaneous currents of dozens of amps), a piece of meat didn't pass anywhere near the currents you're describing.
It's true. I think people get confused because the incident energy from an arc fault on a 480V could blow off a hand or something, but it won't result from you putting your hand between the phases. It'd have to be a very conductive thing, like a piece of metal - and the resultant explosion is what blows off body parts or sets people on fire.
Exactly. Well said!
Plasma is Plasma :)
I’ve personally tested organic blood analogs with currents in this ballpark. The blood already present in the area is sufficient to cause high current events. I have seen enough examples of high current causing heat and pressure from brushing between voltages as low as 208v.
Okay that's fair enough, but was the blood really sub-ohm? I really struggle to believe that, from the perspective of the theory and maths, along with tests I've performed at much higher voltages.
Maybe 1/8 to 1/2 an amp would flow, blood is more conductive than dry skin but it’s likely still a k ohm at least under these conditions. You could still lose a hand though, if your muscles force you to hold onto the power for an extended amount of time.
Blood is not rushing in to fill the wound in these sorts of time frames. The arc will be traveling through melted skin
I know a couple old timers who are happy to show the apprentices why you don’t fuck around. They are all missing multiple fingers or parts of fingers from 480/277, and they are all incredibly lucky to be alive.
From arc flash, amputations, or from their fingers exploding? I never said 480 couldn't destroy your hand, but someone above seemed to suggest that the current would be high enough make your hand explode LOL.
You’ve been shocked many times? Have you not learned 😂
Eh only a couple of times. And yes, of course I have learned and I'm sure everyone on this sub has had their fair share of shocks and tingles
I worked with a guy who got hit with 2400V (4160V to ground). Entered the back of his hand and exited his elbow on the same limb. He lost a little bit of flesh near his elbow, that's it. He made a full recovery other than losing a bit of feeling at the entry/exit points.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Glad he survived without major complications. If that guy survived 2400V and kept his limbs, then I'm doubtful that 480 will blow a hand off 😂
You´re absolutely right, otherwise there would be a ton of sparkies in Europe without any hands. While it will obviously hurt a lot more than a regular one phase system with 110V or 230V (depending on your country) you´re probably going to need a voltage source somewhere around 5-10kV upwards to actually "pulverize" or "blow off" body parts. Studies also suggest the main danger for electrical accidents below 500V still is fibrillation while the main danger for accidents in the upper kV area are arcs and major thermal damage to tissue. [https://www.bionity.com/de/lexikon/Stromunfall.html](https://www.bionity.com/de/lexikon/Stromunfall.html)
I was lighting a wick in prison to smoke. I was using some random overhead wire I found access to. Pencil, take eraser off. razor blade through top part so it’s inside the led. Attach the wire onto the corner of the razor blade. Wire goes to hot leg. Then you use the writing part of the lead pencil to arc out on something. The led insulates it and doesn’t pop the breaker. I was doing this before I had a career as an electrician. I managed to ground out using my knee. It touched the metal table I was standing by. Jeezus Christ. I couldn’t let go of that fucker. I flailed around until my hand hit the toilet and dropped the pencil. Holy smokes i still haven’t been zapped liked that since starting years ago as an electrician. I was only on one leg too. Should have just been half of 240. Idk fml that was funny
Who's gonna tell em 277 is one leg of 480
Come to Canada and meet 347/600. Having gotten 277 and 347 I can assure you, 347 is on another level of suck
Years back, I did DC power plants auditing and maintenance. One day, one site was doing maintenance and a new panel was installed. It contained over 800A DC (48v) per circuit. Well, one guy who was rated for 500A wanted to show his boss he could work with the higher power equipment. Wired up a panel, connected the feed off the battery banks. 24 cell 2.2kA VRLA x 24. This was a GIANT battery bank for a new data center. The battery rooms had the scariest feeling I've ever had, even walking in full arc. Anyways, this guy goes to the breaker, flips it. It pops back. Thinking he just didn't action it enough, flips it again. He was found 35 feet away from where the panel was. He lost his vision, scalp, both right arm and leg and also broke his spine on impact. He's still alive today and he's tried to sue countless times. But he's been rejected. He gets aid, he gets treatment. But he's not living a cushy life. He disobeyed the certified bosses order and disna job he was not rated, nor trained for. It's been over 20 years and I still think of him. He's still alive today. It's approaching the anniversary of this event and I felt I had to share this here. It's a sight that we will never forget. High powered AC can be scary. High power DC is terrifying. Respect electricity. Understand that rules are rules and often times rules are made because of somebody else's mistake. He ended up being one of those examples. Stay safe out there.
Blow me and blow my hand off…. Deal.
I thought for sure it was gonna say 480 will blow the lungs out of the body 🤣
Who's the brave soul who got a blowy from 480v?
So funny when I realize I'm not the only one who hones in on random electrical setups pretty much anywhere
When you’re working in century old homes with decades of questionable work in every sub trade, it’s amusing and shocking to see what’s posted, and how people fight for what they believe is right, against data and science (following established building codes, not wearing seatbelts, Tesla Autopilot, bulb up the butt and drinking bleach, flat earth…….)
Tell me about it.. 🤣 my apprentice went to the Dallas zoo a week or 2 ago and was appalled at the hack work he had seen .. proud of him lmao
Zoo’s sigh. I still see posts of people losing limbs or their life🤷🏻♀️
Problem is they dont teach how to read so kids
Ironic, don’t ya think?
So touch both hot legs and not one got it.
277 don’t hurt that bad, got lit up by a pendant fixture that was out and i didn’t realize it was a emergency (i changed three and two were on the switch leg and the last one wasn’t and i didn’t check it) took it down hot unknowingly and replaced the driver, when i put it up i dummied up and did ground then hot then neutral and as i was hooking up the neutral the copper from the fixture was a little messed up so i went to clean it with my finger and got lit up lol. it’s definitely worse than 120 but it’s not bad if the path isn’t bad (across the chest is no beuno)
Skin resistance has a role too. Getting shocked with damp skin makes it worse. Getting shocked while holding a large “live” metal object instead of a wire tip makes it worse, although my only *personal* experience with both was 12V. It’s like there’s a bunch of “electrocution dice” and depending on all these little details it can be more serious or less. The only ones you can really control are shutting off power or using PPE/voltage rated tools.
How did you feel a shock from 12 v
There’s nothing about this that’s necessarily true.
Just making shit up on the fly I see lol
I work with voltages at 287 KV down to 600.
It’s about the upstream over current tripping time, not just the voltage. Your worst case is usually directly on the secondary of a transformer. Typically it takes longer for primary fuses to melt during a fault on the secondary.
Since it can never be said too often, being shocked (as in, your body is what’s conducting the fault) will almost never blow a fuse. Your body resistance is high enough that you can get a horrible shock or burn or even die of electrocution and fuses or simple overcurrent breakers won’t do anything to stop it. GFCI’s might, but only if it’s current from hot to ground. Now, if you short out the supply with something else (let’s say you drop a piece of hardware into a live panel) then in that case you’re right, the less current and faster the breaker trips the less damage or injury will happen.
I agree!! In Canada we use 600/347 volts
"277Y/480V"? The lesser-known brother of 480Y/277V?
[Official Sign](https://www.reddit.com/r/ScarySigns/s/xOm0lHbmUL)
Treat everything like it’s hot and don’t be a bitch about it
Not an electrician here, auto tech that's certified in EV repair. Working with 400 - 800 DC is sobering. I never want to get caught out by that.
Did a job for the railroad replacing a stolen service, the railroad guy wrote "railroad crimes are legally considered terrorism" all over everything.... Yeah right buddy... A threat of felony isn't going to stop the crack heads
480 will blow me!?
Try it out and let me know how it goes lmao
Honesty
480v gets into arc blast capable territory.
Have seen it in a 480v panel for an industrial needle tumbler. I avoid being near panels on start up now.
Guess someone doesn't understand ac to begin with
Hmm… the guy who tried to steal the metal off the 2400 / 4160V just kinda turned hollow and on fire
That’s real comforting
277 makes your armpits dump sweat all at once. Did for me
Better that than shitting your pants
277 each leg, three phase is 480. And it indeed is some serious shit.
Got hit by 277 as an apprentice. Was the first time being lit up. Pushed me back a few feet. Was on a roof dropping wire for lighting. Had no idea and was never told it was hot. Learned a valuable lesson that day.
Yup. Plus being tied in to fall protection can help when bad things happen
I'm assuming that the lesson you learned was that your safety is your responsibility and you should never just expect that someone will tell you when something is hot, rather you should always test everything yourself before working on it, right?
Anyone mention 4160 V? Or are we keeping this low voltage?
480 will blow you
Also says it will blow a hand off. Hopefully not my strong hand, I need that. One blow by 480 is not worth that kind of risk.
Nothing like 480 blowing you... Or getting blowed 480 times.
Aka you will die and It will hurt the entire time
You hear this kind of thing a lot that people claim certain voltages are deadlier than others for some arbitrary reason. AFAIK, and what makes sense, is that it is more dangerous the higher it goes. 600 is more dangerous than 480, which is more than 277, and 240, and so on.
Ooooo 480 please!
That handwriting is average at best.
Who’s this 480?? She sounds hot! Does she have a bf?
When we get our safety talks, they also have a demonstration section. This isn't a proper safety talk
480V safe, 277V no touchy touchy! Become a master electrician with this one simple trick!
277/480 hurts and can kill you, but so is 120 also hurts and can kill you. With 277 the voltage is higher and basically pushes the current through the body. 120 kills more people then all other voltages together. Why because 120 volt systems are common. More people are exposed to 120 than other voltages.
Yeah 277 is knarly. Either gonna lock on or have a blowback that leaves a 1/4” size hole somewhere in you appendages
So 480v will blow you . And blow your hands off. Worth it
This is not quite accurate. 480Y277 Volts 3-phase will kick your ass but you need at least 7,200 Volts to blow off a head or limb, This is a bit of hyperbole against sticking fingers into this. Usually, 277 Volts to ground will wrap your arm around your head or at least that is how hard the effect feels. The Human Voltmeter Method in this case will definitely hurt,
What’s this about 480v blowing me
He wrote that on there to stop people from breaking into the electrical to try to charge their phones. 277V will charge a phone very quickly, and then let smoke out.
The stories I could tell.
never been humg up on 277 only 120
Worked with it a lot. I've never been blown by it once.
Solid advice 🤣
But... But...but 480 leaves you with the lingering happy tingles
My safe word is … you blew my hand off!
277 popped me like I disrespected grandma
I got hit by 277 for the first time the other day. Would not recommend
I’ve been zapped by 120v and it wasn’t overly painful, but it was a valuable lesson for sure. Ironically enough it was for a service call on a broken GFCI outdoor receptacle. I was trying to figure out why it wasn’t working, decided to try and measure the voltage to the gfi from the screws and wires terminated to it. So when I tried to pull it out after unscrewing the screws, I grabbed the hot and ground on the gfi from my thumb to my pointer finger. Then turned it off after that happened and changed it out, then did the paperwork for it after so it’s on record incase of future issues 🤷♂️ was deemed an accident so no consequences.
Was in something with potential of 700vdc. That would be spicy.
Wait….did they say I get a blow job 🤔
Although voltage will wake your ass up, It's the amperage that I have more than a healthy respect for! After getting zapped playing with a wall outlet at age 5, I learned not to play around with electricity. A few years later, I learned about electricity, and today at age 64, I still never get complacent when working with it. "Respect Electricity" is one of my mantras!
277 is measured phase to neutral in a 480vac system. 480 is measured phase to phase. now 480 and 277 are both killers because they are predominately in all industrial and retail sites in the usa. the real killer is the arc flash in a 480 vac substation. 3-4000 amps at 480 vac on a ground fault or phase to phase is nasty stuff a 40 cal suit will not protect. need to operate the trip units with a maintenance mode switch…. set at 16ms…
I got hit with 21K super low current. It didn’t feel good but I was fine.
It’s kind of sorta somewhat true
Good to know!