Crutch nut.

I've found distribution board ones failed in the 'on' position. Dodgy as
****, given that they were protecting sockets [1] and in one case an
electrick shower.

[1]One of those houses had a diy-installed downstairs shower that had
never worked; the idiot had installed a mains-pressure shower and fed it
from a tank in the loft. The low-pressure switch had prevented the
shower from operating. Just as well, really, since the clown who
installed it had used 2.5mm cable to carry 40 Amps.

Lovely. A house fire just waiting to happen.

--

Dave

GS850 x2 XS650SE / SE 6a

I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

 

Bugger. We don't use those too often here, they are usually built into
the plugs. The code now requires an Arc Fault Interrupt protect all
bedroom plugs. These are able to detect an arc either in the wiring or
plugs and trip the circuit. It's more for fire than sticking a finger in
the socket.

We do wire size by gage here, 40 amps would be 8 AWG copper. But as you
said 'clown' I take it the wire was too small by more than one size. I
should post some of my pictures of 'things we have found'. Frightening
it is sometimes.

Yep, seen that too.

 

I know that. 20,000 volts an a few uA will give you a start. 20,000
volts at 100 A and you'll be a burnt cinder.

 

There may be some resistance to it.

 

Yes, but since the current would flow according to the voltage applied
and the resistance of the body (assuming plenty of supply) there would
be less current flowing with 110v than there would be with 240v.

 

Probably a tab washer and the bolts holding the drum in place, if it's
anything like the Ducati. I've never bothered replacing the drum nuts,
just made sure they were cleaned, checked and Loctite'd back in
place. It hasn't fallen apart ... yet.

 

It was an 8.5kW shower which nominally would draw 36A - normally 6 sq mm
csa would do that, but given the length of run, 10 sq mm csa cable would
have ideally been the thing. 2.5 sq mm csa was taking the piss.

--

Dave

GS850 x2 XS650SE / SE 6a

I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

 

Cool. Oh, may I veer?

--

Dave

GS850 x2 XS650SE / SE 6a

I demand nothing of you except that you amuse me.

 

<shakes head>

 

Understood (now anyway). I simply cannot do maths in my head, I have to
get pencil and paper and work it out.

 

Oops, eh?

I do know a 1" spanner dropped across phases will pop the fuses on the
pole thus taking out an entire neighborhood. It also makes lots of
sparks. And, no it wasn't me, it was my boss.

 

Apparently so but I think a lower voltage must aid your chances.
Obviously I know next to **** all about electrickery but I had to do a
'basic' course covering safety in the workplace a few years ago and it
included small bits about power tools.

 

A 3/4"AF spanner dropped across the terminals of a truck battery makes
sparks ... and a whooshing noise as the spanner makes a rapid vertical
escape ... then a significant clanging noise as it lands on the car
across the road, still glowing with the heat of re-entry.

No further use as a spanner, more as a model for pretzels.

 

I was uncomfortably adjacent, playing a bit part as a temporary
stand-in casual cab prop ... and spanner holder. Rumbled!

 

I saw that trick done once too. Was it a 24 VDC battery?

 

Uck.