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Thread ID: 83272	2007-09-26 00:57:00	Electric shocks	FoxyMX (5)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
595051	2007-09-26 00:57:00	I've always been under the impression that if you poke a knife into a toaster to dislodge stuck bread then you risk death by electrocution. Same goes for picking up a dropped hairdrier from a bathroom basin full of water. Now, however, I read somewhere on the internet that ordinary household electricity isn't strong enough to kill you under "normal circumstances", ie providing you don't suffer from heart problems and are not very young or old. Is this true? If it is, does it mean that if I poked my fingers into a light socket or whatever I would just get a big belt from it but not likely get killed? What about all the people you hear of getting killed from household electric shocks? :confused:	FoxyMX (5)
595052	2007-09-26 01:05:00	It depends entirely on the circumstances - what else are you touching, what path will the electricity be taking through your body, what is the relative humidity, is your skin wet (and if so with what? sweat conducts very well, distilled water less so), how long is the current applied for, how healthy are you, etc etc. The list goes on. Under the right curcumstances, as little as 24v can kill you. Realistically, it's highly unlikely until you start getting up around mains power level (although phonelines can run at up to 96v - they also pack a nasty punch). I have received a mains shock twice in my life - both times gave me one hell of a fright, and I'd rather not have it happen again. Damn dodgy extension leads!	Erayd (23)
595053	2007-09-26 01:11:00	I’ve been zapped a couple of times, and I’ll tell you what, if you were in a bath of water when a hair drier fell in – you probably wouldn’t last long. It does really depend, like if you were holding a knife and put it in a toaster, electricity would cause your muscles to tense and clamp onto the knife – therefore possibly not being able to let go, you’d be fried. But in terms of getting a zap, unless it is sustained it wont kill you. It really hurts, it made half my body go numb and my heart was stupid for about half an hour afterwards. It also depends on the appliance you get zapped by, for example it may transform the wall voltage into something much higher. I work on my guitar amps, and being valve amps – voltages in the power filtering section are about 350-400v – gotta make sure those caps are drained good!	Enigmur (10547)
595054	2007-09-26 01:15:00	Another thing is current, that’s what kills you I believe. Static shocks that you feel are about 4000v if I remember correctly – that’s how it fries computer parts. Static shocks you see or hurt can get upwards of 10-20kV.	Enigmur (10547)
595055	2007-09-26 01:29:00	Mains voltage (230 volts) is more than ample to kill. It only takes aroud 20 mA or more of current for a mere few AC cycles to kill a person, when the path of the current includes the heart. It does therefore depend on the path and the nature of the contact made, as dead dry skin vs soft moist skin would offer a vastly different resistance. As your skin is soft and moist due to you being so young Foxy, death would be very quick...	godfather (25)
595056	2007-09-26 01:58:00	Most have already coverd what I am going to say, but voltage does not matter, it is the current and Mythbusters done a trial and found that 6ma through the heart is enough to kill. And it all depend on the path of travel, where it enters your body and where it exits (accross the heart is the most leathal) I have been shocked by mains a few times and electric fences... I still remember the first time I was shocked by an electric fence, I was quite little and I was out of it for about an hour... it was fun :D Static electricity has high voltage, but very little current, which is why you can safely take a 100kv shock by a Van de graf generator (as I have).	The_End_Of_Reality (334)
595057	2007-09-26 02:15:00	A toaster element would snap (so it kills the current), if you put something metallic in it. I would say this is how toasters are made, which is why you dont / wont get an electric shock.	Speedy Gonzales (78)
595058	2007-09-26 02:28:00	Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . 220v? Another screw in the coffin lid . We use GFI's here to help the hair blower in the tub from being deadly .	SurferJoe46 (51)
595059	2007-09-26 02:32:00	The other thing to consider is that new houses are fitted with RCDs in the main switchboard, which should theoretically cut the power off within milliseconds of an unexpected short to earth (i.e. you getting a shock). I think RCDs in bathrooms has been mandatory for a bit longer.	somebody (208)
595060	2007-09-26 02:43:00	ordinary household electricity isn't strong enough to kill you under "normal circumstances", Well I wouldn't go playing with knives in toasters or hairdryers in baths, Lightning may not necessarily kill you either but who wants to try it?	pctek (84)
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