Forgot the "never assume anything" rule..

[beanhead]

We've heard it a million times...when you're working on a running engine, wear gloves and don't touch your coil tower(or plug boots for that matter) if you don't have to....I usually always wear gloves but wasn't today while taking some quick voltage checks..my hand grazed the wire at the coil tower while my other hand was touching a ground point and bzzzzz..."but the boots are all good!"..the boot visibly covered the metal terminal end, but there must have been a microscopic gap there-enough to arc to my hand. As a professional electrician and someone that's been working on cars for many years, sure made me feel stooopid! (not to mention a little jittery for a bit) Be safe everyone!

 

[747mopar]

No fun at all!! I was working in a 480V panel and had it locked out when I got lit up!!! After I collected myself I investigated and found that somebody thought it would be handy to route a second 480V circuit threw the same panel. It took hours for the numbness to wear off, never assume anything is wired with common sense.

 

[beanhead]

No fun at all!! I was working in a 480V panel and had it locked out when I got lit up!!! After I collected myself I investigated and found that somebody thought it would be handy to route a second 480V circuit threw the same panel. It took hours for the numbness to wear off, never assume anything is wired with common sense.

Ouch! you're lucky though...480 can do some damage. The coil secondary kinda felt like 277, but I could feel the distributor pulse. On the bright side, I'm pretty sure my new ecu is firing nice and steady!

 

[BeepBeepRR]

Wow lots of electricians here.. Its good to know there are others out there with the same interests.

 

[SoCal440GTX]

Ouch! you're lucky though...480 can do some damage. The coil secondary kinda felt like 277, but I could feel the distributor pulse. On the bright side, I'm pretty sure my new ecu is firing nice and steady!

Isn't 480V really 3 legs of 277V out of phase?

 

[BeepBeepRR]

Isn't 480V really 3 legs of 277 out of phase?

Well technically it is but you can get 480 across 2 legs. Doesn't require 3 to kill you. But, yes each leg is 277volt.
1 leg 277 volt
2 legs 480 volt
3 legs 480 volt

 

[kiwigtx]

230 Volts single phase, 415 Volts 3 phase all at 50Hz on M.E.N. system over this way.....it only takes about 120 Volts and 0.03 Amps to kill someone.
Let's be careful out there.

Always keep my gloves and over-gloves in a safe place ready to use.

They normally only get used when I do live switchboard work, or something that cannot be disconnected without upsetting people.

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

[moparwacko]

Just a 3 wire guy

 

[kiwigtx]

 

[BeeKool]

I was replacing a 220v variable sp motor on an end wall fan in a barn.
I asked a co-worker if he killed the breaker. He said yes.
As simply touched the motor and immediately saw the back of my own head, out of body experience.
Turns out he was lying.
A relay had gone bad and was sending one of the 110s through the ground wire, so simply touching the motor was enough to get it.
To this day, I never take anybody else's word for it. Kill the power myself

 

[kiwigtx]

I never take anybody else's word for it.

Excellent advice - never take someone else's word for the power being switched off.
Test, Prove, Test again.

 

[69L48Z27]

Anyone ever get zapped from a TIG torch to your filler rod? I did, makes you a big jumpy every time you light the torch for a while.

 

[Ranger16]

I remember getting zapped by a plug wire when I was in my late teens as I recall. To this day I treat plug wires on a running engine like snakes.

 

[beanhead]

I'm just tryin' not to end up like ol' Reg.....

 

[super-bee_ski]

I've been bitten by 240 a few times ....
ouch, my arm was numb

 

[bm02tj]

Our standard industrial power is 575 or most call 600 volt so 570 to 615 3ph
it hurts to be bit always test leads to ground and each other

 

[Budnicks]

 

[vintage chromoly]

Well technically it is but you can get 480 across 2 legs. Doesn't require 3 to kill you. But, yes each leg is 277volt.
1 leg 277 volt
2 legs 480 volt
3 legs 480 volt

There are 2 transformer configurations that will yield 480vac.

A Delta configuration is 240 / 480.
Each of the three transformers is 240vac across the coil. The coils are added linearly and yield 480vac across two transformers.

A wye configuration is 277 / 480. Each transformer has 277 vac across the coil and the coils are added vectorily and yield 480vac across two coils. This is sometimes called a "star" system.

Delta systems are common where there are lots of motors such as a machine shop or industrial installation.

Wye systems are more common in a commercial installation where there are lots of lighting loads.

 

[vintage chromoly]

At home, you have a "split phase delta". This is one transformer of a delta system with a center tap (neutral).
240 vac across the whole coil and 120 vac from the center tap to the end of the coil winding.
IE 120 / 240.