# Whats your worst shock ever?



## SonoranShocker (Oct 28, 2008)

Sorry guys, I'm bored. I am still stuck working in an office 4 days a week until my business kicks off, so I have a lot of time on my hands...

So back when I was a young apprentice, I was doing track homes in central cali for a med sized company. My j-man had just taught me how to do my first panel a week prior, so I was excited to do another on the day in question. To go a little further, he let me do the panel and the AC disconnect.

So I am doing the panel, its the hottest part of summer, and I am sweating my :no::no:'s off. I get done with the panel about the same time the carpet guys show up. Everything inside is complete except the panel and AC, but we havent hot-checked the house yet. Anyways, I turn on only the washer recept for contractor power, and I return to my truck to grab a disconnect from the truck. I go to the side of the house, put down my materials and grab my large wire cutters to cut the 6/3 that is stubbed out of the wall. I see a large white flash and the next thing I know my j-man's above me slapping me in the face to wake me up. I immediately get up (well sort of, more like stumble-crawled) and go to the panel to see that everything in the panel is turned on!

At this point im pretty pissed, (btw I wasnt a large guy by any means. I think I weighed about 145 soaken wet, and was about 5'8") so I storm into the house screaming "who in the F*!# turned on all of the breakers?!". The foreman of the carpeteers stands up and is a 6'5" 280lb corn-fed guy that slightly resembles the black guy from the green mile. (I once watched him pick up a new roll of carpet and put it into his truck, to give you an idea of his size...) So in my little tantrum I get nose to nose with him...well nose to sternum anyway, and start chewing his ass about turning on breakers without checking the house or asking permission first using lets just say language that would make a sailor blush.   I do remember distinctly that there was a voice in the back of my head saying..."um dude? what the hell are you doing?" Luckily he was cool about the whole thing, and offered to drive me to the ER if I needed it. I settled with going out to his truck and having a beer instead. The whole time I was shaking like a leaf, but to this day Im not sure if it was the shock, or the fact that I just escaped a royal ass kicking....

Hope you enjoyed this, and please share your experiences...:laughing:


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## woodmagman (Feb 17, 2007)

What is my worst shock ever…can’t say I really remember, but I know a electrician that was directing a sail boat into a cottage driveway with the metal mast up and when he leaned on the boat to release the hitch from the trailer, the current was so great coming from the overhead wire that was just touching the mast, it blew his arms off at the shoulders…..does that count?


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## mickeyco (May 13, 2006)

> *Whats your worst shock ever?*




Old girlfriend tells me she's pregnant, turns out she was just late.











Reverse polarity dishwasher, while laying in a puddle of water from the drain, it hurt, really badly. 



.


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

Ahh...carpet guys. I was only a few weeks into the trade, trimming out a brand new house. I puled some wires out of a JB, stripped them and got stung. WTF?

The carpet guys had put jumpers in the empty, glassed over meter socket.


Ahh...sailboats. One of our reidential customers lost their young daughter in a sailboat incident.

There was a high voltage power line running over part of a lake here in AZ. The lake (resivouir actually) had been modified/expanded recently and as the water line moved up, the power lines became closer to the water. The mast came in contact and disaster struck. Nery sad.


Personally, the one that hurt the most was from a 12K volt neon transformer. Momentary but painful.

Second was the first and only time I felt 277V and I got it twice in the same JB. Cramped quarters above a grid in the dark. Made me cuss.

What should have been my worst didn't actually hurt. I was doing a resi overhead service change and POCO wasn't there to disconnect. I had done my own (illegal) disconnect/reconnects probably a hundred times in the past so I figured I would just proceed with the job.

Normally the transformers are mounted well above the secondary service drops. This was the one out a million that was mounted below th 7K volt primary.

I cut and taped the triplex, and held the metal attachment device in my hand as I climbed down the ladder. I was _just_ about to lay the end of the drop on the ground when the bare grounded conductor came into contact with the fuse link on top of the pole mounted transformer.

I had a very light grip at ths point and was bent over, a half second sway from release when a huge green flash and that very distinctive pop came from above. The hair on my nech stood straight up and I felt the buszz thru my entire body. I was literally a second away from electrocution.

The grounding/bonding helped me out but the fact that I was just releasing it was the reason I am here today.

Yeah...it was stupid.....beyond stupid. I finished my job, pulled the drop back into place and called the POCO. The place was crawling with suits from the power company and I took my share of admonishment that day and, occaisionally, to this day when I run into someone who was involved.


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## threaderman (Nov 15, 2007)

1]Recently did a gas pressure test,when I put my air chuck to the gauge ,which was attached to 1-1/4" black-iron,I got a helluva zap.Had it bein raining it would have bein lights out for good I believe.
2]Trimming out a sink,bare wires coming out of wall,I'm on my back sweating like a pig and my cheek touched a wire.Zapped in the face,what a bummer.
3]Daily storm in clearwater fl,I pull up to a gate and punch in the code to enter,lightening strikes 100 ft away at the same time I'm punching in the code and went through the key pad somehow and got me good.Walked off that job till the next day.I was in my van,luckily..
4]Vegas remodel,breaker box locked,240v wires disconnected from the elec. htr. but very close to the work in tight quarters.Pouring sweat and inadvertantly bumped the wires with my arm,what a jolt.


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## SonoranShocker (Oct 28, 2008)

Youch to all...220 You are friggin lucky you survived! So now if any one from the POCO here ever talks about that I can say hey I know him!...lol


fftopic: Real quick 220, do you charge a special attic access fee in the summer? i know a company in central cali i worked for would charge in the summer, and I figure as hot as it gets here, it would be beneficial...What do you think?


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

Induced voltage from a 25kv catenary ; about 20 - 30' above grade.

I'm lucky to be here in more ways than one.


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

220/221 said:


> Ahh...sailboats. One of our reidential customers lost their young daughter in a sailboat incident.
> 
> There was a high voltage power line running over part of a lake here in AZ. The lake (reservoir actually) had been modified/expanded recently and as the water line moved up, the power lines became closer to the water. The mast came in contact and disaster struck. Very sad.



Please tell me the name of the Lake. There was a Lake with a new Dam that was growing day-by-day when I left in 1994 and I can not remember the name.

I am thinking Roosevelt or is it Saguaro?


My worst shock came from my pool filter Power Switch. Your typical Intermatic rotary timer box that had no "paper" shield over the connections which are directly below the dial and switch. Imagine that at 8 years old dripping wet from swimming!!!!

One of these!









http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71G3dV5CJ-L._SL500_AA280_.gif


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

Hmmm, many moons ago when working for another electrician i had to redrill a hole on the floor of a room for a circuit. The boss had already drilled the hole the wrong size and i had taken a recepticle apart to jump power from. He meanwhile was waiting in the basement for me to push the wire down through. I reached over to the opened "still live" rec. "didnt want to waste time getting a lead cord from the truck" and plugged the drill into it. Problem was one of my fingers slipped over to the line side and i couldnt let go. I hung on until the 20 amp circuit breaker tripped. My boss was like, whats going on up there? Why did the breaker trip? Needless to say no more short cuts!!! I felt like crap for a good half hour.


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## jazzbone (Sep 3, 2008)

I was checking out some pool lights one day and was in a concrete deck j box and of course the concrete was wet :sad: anyway it was a 3 phase system the circuit i was working on was off :blink: yes but the other 2 were on and when i took the neutrals apart I ended up about 5 feet away from where I was working with welded pliers another 5 feet away :w00t: ha good times


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## Magnettica (Dec 19, 2006)

Hungover hanging a ceiling-mounted exit/ emergency light at 277 volts. Wired it like a knucklehead by making the connections in the metal supply box first, then making an additional hookup within the fixture, and all the while I was balancing myself by holding onto the metal box. Boom!! Threw me off the ladder about 8' and I went crashing in to a cubicle divider. That was my worst ever. I had about 3 years in the trade at the time.


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## Forry (Feb 12, 2007)

I was 8 and thought I'd plug a single Christmas light bulb (you know, the little ones with two wires poking out) into an outlet. White flash and I was against the opposite wall. Don't remember it hurting, but scared me good.


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## Bubbles (Sep 27, 2007)

*Ma Bell*

This will be hard to believe...but...i've been zapped by 120, 240, 277, but the worst I got was I was down in a trench in a puddle , barefoot , and I reached down and grabbed a damn 16V Phone line. I swear. couldnt believe it shocked the **** out of me. Everyone was laughing there ass off and didnt' believe me. Figure that one out you formula nerds O resistance and 16 V . Maybe I was hallucinating though


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Phone is typically 48vdc and 90vac "superimposed" whence ringing. Was this a "System"?


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## Magnettica (Dec 19, 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1-8kKtCGrA


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Magnettica said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1-8kKtCGrA


That first part had BETTER have ended in a Lawsuit!


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## MSSI (Mar 25, 2006)

480 line to line on the palm of my hand..It was on the lugs of a control panels main disconnectd. I dont know how I wasnt grounded but I was lucky it just blew a nickle size hole in my hand.

Or

This is a wierd one..I GOT IT IN THE MOUTH ONCE. I Was doing an install in Singapore. While tying in 100V 50hz control bundles _I USED TO_ size up the length trim the wire and kind of hold it in my mouth while I pulled the wire # marker of the trimmed piece to reapply. (now you see where im going with this) any way i asked one of the natives to make sure the disconnect was off for me before I started this. After I got plowed in the mouth. I said what the I thought you said the disconnect was off.. He said YES its off while making an upward motion with his hand..Apperently UP is OFF over there or at least to him it was.
Ever wonder what the difference between 50hz and 60hz is? well let me tell ya, you can feel every pulse very distinctly...


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## TrblShooter (Oct 28, 2008)

Hmm where do I start? lol

1st off imo any shock from a neutral hurts more. I think because you least expect it (usually)lmao

While removing a ceiling tile in a hospital..here comes an unboxed, non wire nutted M'c cable splice...277v Right to the Forehead...yeah I was holding the grid in my other hand.

In PA we always do POCO connections...in Philly a lot are in basements in steel boxes...anyhow while stripping the wires and showing an apprentice...I tell her..Yes I am hot right now, but as long as I do not touch anything other then one wire at a time..Im ok"...She didn't believe me and after (what I thought) to be a very informative conversation where maybe, just maybe I was able to teach someone something...she touched my elbox with a lead from her volt-con....the other lead was on the steel box.
After a lot of ranting and raving and threats...she sheepishly said..I'm sorry, I just wanted to "test" you to see if you were joking 


The worse one I remember was while working on a simple 110volt closet light door switch. I was still kindof green but "Knew enough" lol...Guess I didnt know with the door open the switch is ON huh...that one hurt


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## TrblShooter (Oct 28, 2008)

MALCO.New.York said:


> That first part had BETTER have ended in a Lawsuit!


Ummm why?
Do what you're told by law enforcement and you wont ever have to worry about that happening lol


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

*An oldie...*






:laughing:


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Celtic said:


> Just once?:shifty:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The Masons are Alive and Well in America.

In Atlanta, detainees are NOT permitted to stand with their hands anywhere but behind their back while appearing before a Judge.

???????????

A Mason is, by Oath and Decree, obligated to treat other Masons differently than other Humans.

One hand gesture from a Prisoner to any of the Masonic Judges will result in an immediate acquittal.


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## JBBS (Jan 17, 2008)

Celtic said:


> Just once?:shifty:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Well only once that I can remember LOL Now excuse me while I stare at the Bush girls some more. Kinda creepy saying that since I'm a Bush :shutup:


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## 220/221 (Sep 29, 2007)

Sonoran, we don't charge an additional attic fee but we try like hell to stay out of them.

Malco, it was Lake Pleasant, Northwest of Phoenix.


BTW, I'm familar with the shocker but what is a Sonoran Shocker?


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

220/221 said:


> BTW, I'm familar with the shocker but what is a Sonoran Shocker?


Both hands at the same time!:thumbup: :notworthy


:laughing:
:laughing:
:laughing:


Sorry Sono...couldn't resist


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## Burby (Nov 25, 2008)

I have been zapped several times and maybe even some more, but always because of workig with hot wires and just simple zaps. 

2 of the worst times I recall are
1st time, I purchased this old house and was in the basement, (dirt floor) properly hanging wires with staples instead of the baling wire some were hung with. 
I came accross this fairly new entrance wire laying on the ground, looked like it was brought here to replace an old falling apart entrance wire that was in place & working. Instead of tracing the wire to see where it came from, I decided to save time, strip the end & push it up thru the hole along side the old existing entrance wire. Then when I go back upstairs, find the other end & make the new hook up. --=phew, never again have I done that and so lucky, I think and do believe, I only had staples, razor knife & hammer with me for tools. I took my razor knife and as soon as that knife blade touched the bare wire, yeah buddy, that knife went to flying accross the room. Yup, that had been agood razor knife....

2. And my worst zap by far & hope to never again feel that feeling, but I know how it feels to be like a fish out of water flopping around. I was on an aluminum ladder actually being electracuted and unable to let go with just 110. I got burns to my cheek that was touching the ladder, my knee, side, & shoulder as well that were all touching the ladder and took about an 2 or 3 hrs before I returned to work..
Roofers had just finished installing a new roof for me. I said I would remove the siding from the cheek walls and install the new copper flashing to replace the old aluminum flashing. 
I laid the ladder against the roof & climbed up, while on the ladder I took a flat bar, tapped it in under the siding & pulled back on the bar to pry the siding away form the house. The heel of the bar was against the siding pc below and as soon as I began to pry, I began to thrash around on that ladder like never before. lol
I could not make my hand let go of the bar, I felt the burning and shocks on each part of my body that was touching the ladder. I could think clear, just could not make my hand let go of that metal pry bar. 
I finally took everything I had and could muster up and tried to throw my body away from the ladder, including trying to get my feet off the ladder rungs, even if it meant me falling down to the ground, I knew I had to do something and finally with all I had thru my weight backwards. Lukily I was able to catch myself before falling to far and or tangled up in the ladder while falling and have the end result even worst. 
That feeling I had long after in my heart & body as well, not to mention the burns was one I hope to never have again. 
I could never understand how people die from simple shocks until then.. 
What it ended up being cause from was when one of the roofers had pulled back a pc of siding to replace a pc of torn flashing so as not to leak until I replaced the flashing, when he nailed the siding back, his nail struck a wire inside the wall. 
It never tripped the breaker and I guess because it only hit one wire there was no need for it to trip a breaker. 
Looking as to why I even got shocked as I did, I took my tester and could not believe every nail I tested, metal light fixture on the outside of the home, flashing, ect I was getting juice & then knew there was a wire that had been struck at some point. Then finding that new nail the roofer installed, I went in the house and cut out an area in the drywall and just by luck the pc of drywall I cut out showed the nail into the wire. Even with the breaker now turned off, lol, I handled that wire with care.. lol
Over 30 years in business and always working each job I have never had that happen or even heard of it.. 
But one never knows and is always good when one can look back and laugh. :clap:


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## SonoranShocker (Oct 28, 2008)

Celtic said:


> Both hands at the same time!:thumbup: :notworthy
> 
> 
> :laughing:
> ...


 
:w00t: Well the sonoran desert is...well, hot. So you throw a little tabasco on the hand and well, you know the rest....


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## SonoranShocker (Oct 28, 2008)

I have another thats actually pretty hysterical.

When I was about 16, my dad had me working with him in the summer, doing a lot of dairy service work (central cali). Well he was on the top of a very large stainless steel milk tank that was about 2 1/2 feet from the celing. On the top of the milk tank are two 5 horse 3 phase motors that turn augers in the milk tank. So my dad gets on the fiberglass ladder and wedges his body between the celing and the tank, so that he can disconnect the motor. He has me walk over to the panel that is near the tank, and shut off the breaker. He directs me to the correct one and I shut it off. He then calls me up on the ladder (leaning on the tank mind you) so I can watch and "learn something".
All the sudden he grabs two wires and starts screaming and shaking like crazy!:no: I instantly freak and leap off the ladder. My dad suddenly stops, looks at me, and just smiles...:furious:. When the realization hits me he just starts to giggle Then he realizes, "hey way to help out your dad! You just stood and watched! Next time shut off the main breaker..." I was so pissed at him for getting me that good. 

Can you imagine?! laying on a stainless steel milk tank getting electrocuted by a couple legs of a 480 panel? Not to mention that the roof was corrugated steel. Papa sandwich anyone?

Its okay, a couple years later I gave him one of those "shocking" ball point pens for christmas....


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

SonoranShocker said:


> Its okay, a couple years later I gave him one of those "shocking" ball point pens for christmas....



:thumbsup:One deserves another!!!!!!:thumbsup:


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## MacRoadie (Dec 9, 2007)

Working on 277v lighting circuit in a J-box above a t-bar ceiling. J-box is about 12" above the top plate in the tin can stud wall. I'm standing on an 8-footer, circuit is supposed to be de-energized (actually was, but the other one in the box wasn't). I am leaning on the top of the wall and popping out a KO when a wire nut pops off, pliers hit the conductor, and send the juice down my arm (right through my funny bone) and into the top plate of the wall. Ended up off the ladder, hanging on to the wall for dear life with the one arm that still had feeling in it.


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