...and brembo tries to kill himself

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 5:27 pm

Yeah, I'm an idiot

I have a problem with my wiring in the house. If the hot-water heater and the dryer happen to be on at the same time, I pop a breaker. They are wired to the same breaker(I KNOW...thats bad, but alas, it must be so). I can normally compensate for this, but if anyone decides that hot water is needed while I dry clothes/laundry it gets annoying.

So I searched for a 30amp switch for a few days, finally tracked one down and bought it. Simple toggle switch, 4 posts&ground. Simple enough...BUT NO!!!! I had to go and confuse myself with it. The wiring diagram was in tri-language, and the set screws were reversed. So I wired it wrong. Doh! More on that later.

While wrestling with the big guage wire I must have found a sharp edge on the switch. I kept seeing a dark red substance on the wires and the top of the water-heater. Lots of it, so I decided to find the source of the mystery goop. Looked all over the place, and then stuck my hand on the side of my head in puzzlement and I found the "leak". It was my thumb, a nice gash, didn't hurt in the least but boy-oh-boy does it squirt the blood. That was fixed with some gauze and microderm(I keep a supply).

Okay, bodily fluids cleaned up, wires in place. On goes the breaker. *BIG BLUE BALL OF FLAME/SPARKS*, plunged into darkness. My basement is a true basement, underground. Total absence of light...lol. I stumbled around for awhile tripping on god knows what, to find the door and the wonderful outside light. I go back in and replace a fuse or three. Go have a lookie-loo at the switch and see the problem. I wired the + to the - on one side. Doh!

Fix that, pray I just didn't fry an expensive water-heater or anything else in the house(I didn't). Now I can dry clothes at my leisure, and not worry if I forget and run some hot water.

I also recharged my iron filter, changed the particulate filters and added salt to the water softener. That went smoothly tho, the p-filter did make me cuss some, would not release pressure from the resivior(big hammer=the WIN).

I think I might try my hand at rebuilding the carb on the weed-eater soon. I'll keep y'all posted

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 5:39 pm

got to love those DIY projects huh ?

just yesterday i was messing around with a power supply that crapped out on me last week, i wanted to salvage the wires and fan for some unknown project that i may have in the future.

i had the cover off and thought to myself, better make sure this PS is discharged before i go poking around too much and hurt myself,but i wanted to see if it still had any charge left so i replugged the fan back in and it didn't spin,
so i plug the PS back into the wall socket to see if the fan spins and blamo, nice spark and the kitchen lights go out, quickly yank the power cord out of the wall,and go reset the tripped circuit breaker.

go back and look at the PS and one of the sides was welded to the heatsink, must have been touching it when i pluggd it in.

didn't get shocked but almost pissed myself

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 5:39 pm

Aint them blue balls of fire cool?

And the stars afterwards, just spectacular

EvilAngel · Post by **EvilAngel** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 5:52 pm

Good thing your OK.

I stopped working, cleaning and anything else on my house about 3 months ago... This place is a freaking maggot farm.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 5:57 pm

EvilAngel wrote:Good thing your OK.

I stopped working, cleaning and anything else on my house about 3 months ago... This place is a freaking maggot farm.

High in protien from what i hear

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 5:59 pm

I've been popped by a 440 line before. Now that lit me up, knocked me back a few feet too. I was careful with the power lines, I used a stick to flip the breaker, I know my propensity to pull bonehead manuvers. My self-preservation areas in my brain work pretty well, now if I could just get the common sense sectors online.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:00 pm

brembo wrote:I've been popped by a 440 line before. Now that lit me up, knocked me back a few feet too. I was careful with the power lines, I used a stick to flip the breaker, I know my propensity to pull bonehead manuvers. My self-preservation areas in my brain work pretty well, now if I could just get the common sense sectors online.

Have another beer dude, it will all be ok

YARDofSTUF · Post by **YARDofSTUF** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:04 pm

LOL Brembo, maybe you should stick to empting the trash

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:05 pm

...and brembo tries to kill himself

Oh, I forgot to ask, did you succeed or fail again?

Croc · Post by **Croc** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:21 pm

YARDofSTUF wrote:LOL Brembo, maybe you should stick to empting the trash

Noooooooooooooo !!!
That would involve wheels, lifting and walking.

Glad you're ok Brembo. Maybe you should get a sparkie in to check out your wiring just this once. He may be able to wire a new circuit for ya.

Croc.

downhill · Post by **downhill** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:26 pm

brembo wrote:I've been popped by a 440 line before. Now that lit me up, knocked me back a few feet too. I was careful with the power lines, I used a stick to flip the breaker, I know my propensity to pull bonehead manuvers. My self-preservation areas in my brain work pretty well, now if I could just get the common sense sectors online.

110 hurts like crazy...

220 turns a man into a screaming child..

Oh man...440 hurts like a mofo...It hits you like a Mac Truck.

I've also been shocked by 2300 volts. I believe that's the same voltage that most states use for the electric chair, if they use the chair.. It meltied part of my fingerprints together on my right index finger. lol

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

I was aligning lights on an overhead cantilever for a new crossing install. The signal gang had aligned the lights but did a terrible job of it. As I was laying on the cantilever sighing them, someone put the gate up. One of the gang members had complained to the foreman and general foreman that there was an overhead power line too close...They explained to him that he was an idiot and paid by the hour to work and not point out things they knew more about.

This gate when it came up, contacted a 24,000 line....I could feel the heat on my back and turned around to see what was happening. The surge went through the gate circuits into the bungalow and then dropped the gate. So the gate hit one of the lines again. Only this time I was watching it. The blue ball of light burned my eyelashes and some eyebrow hair, and singed my moustache....

Oh man..I hate getting shocked.

Every have that electrical treatment applied to your back? I have no idea how anyone can find that relaxing....

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:37 pm

=Croc Maybe you should get a sparkie in to check out your wiring just this once. He may be able to wire a new circuit for ya.

Croc.

If a contractor saw the rats nest I have in there now, they might condemn the place...lol. I paid "extra" to have the dryer installed on the hwheater circuit. The box that I have is such that it will NOT accept two 30 amp breakers, the metal pins are arranged so that it prevents the breaker boxes from being placed in there. My power meter is also fubared, I got a quote from a power guy and I about lost my lunch. I will eventually have the whole place rewired, until then its dubious-engineering at its best. Its that old of a house really, just that the previous owner didn't want/need a dryer.

I'll have to have the power meter moved, a pole set and the wiring ripped and re-installed. A wad of CASH I just don't have at the moment. If I could wiggle it onto the house insurance I would, but I think Nationwide might say something like "pre-existing" condition, and then they'd hike my rate. Damned if I do, damned if I don't kinda thing.

Croc · Post by **Croc** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:45 pm

I was one of 8 adults who took 55 kids on a 2 week camping holiday some time ago. We set up 9 large tents and ran party lights each time we stopped.
One of the women plugged in and turned on the switch before the bulbs were screwed in and one of the boys stuck his finger in the light socket. 240 volts through his middle finger. Ouch!!
Burned 2 spots on the tip of his finger and caused an involuntary urine release much to his embarrasement.
He was rushed to the local hospital where the doc checked him over and cleared him with the comment: "One thing bout lectricity, it either kills ya or it don't."
Fortunately, I haven't been booted yet and don't really want to.

Croc.

MadDoctor · Post by **MadDoctor** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:49 pm

downhill wrote:110 hurts like crazy... = foreplay

220 turns a man into a screaming child.. = sex

440 hurts like a mofo... = orgasm

Croc · Post by **Croc** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 6:56 pm

Brembo, you have a problem.

Could you jump the supply side of the existing board to another small board and wire the hot water system to that? Grab a small s/h board from a demolition yard.

Only if you can isolate the supply lines tho eh!

Croc.

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 7:00 pm

I can isolate the lines easy enough, and add a board.....

but I'd have to splice into the main lines for the board, and I have no means of shutting down that feed. I think I'd fry myself trying that. Don't think Carolina Power and Light would approve of me goin up the pole and monkeying around ya know?

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 7:05 pm

This house I rewired, at the other house I put in a 100 amp pannel, rewired the house to it and fed it from the 60 amp double pull on the old box. Was carefull not to overload it, but this gave me ample breakers for expansion and all inside rewired to code. When the time comes we will do the service and eliminate the old box that is just being used as a main breaker now.

Croc · Post by **Croc** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 7:09 pm

brembo wrote:I can isolate the lines easy enough, and add a board.....

but I'd have to splice into the main lines for the board, and I have no means of shutting down that feed. I think I'd fry myself trying that. Don't think Carolina Power and Light would approve of me goin up the pole and monkeying around ya know?

Nah, not worth the risk. The feed was what I was referring to.

Croc.

Debbie · Post by **Debbie** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 7:20 pm

Geez Brembo!!!!!!! Please be careful!

kneemeister · Post by **kneemeister** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 11:50 pm

My best was turning on the water, while standing barefoot on a conrete floor, the exact moment lightning struck the well head, knocked me clear across the shower room floor, and into the crapper door, who knows how long my lights were out but my arm was parallized for a good hour afterwards!

Also got a good zap by a 400HZ power supply in a Therapy ultrasound unit i was calabrating, That hurt like a SOB!!

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 11:53 pm

kneemeister wrote:My best was turning on the water, while standing barefoot on a conrete floor, the exact moment lightning struck the well head, knocked me clear across the shower room floor, and into the crapper door, who knows how long my lights were out but my arm was parallized for a good hour afterwards!

Also got a good zap by a 400HZ power supply in a Therapy ultrasound unit i was calabrating, That hurt like a SOB!!

Cripes....never been popped by lightning. Has it strike real close(hit a fence about 20 feet away, made this creepy buzzing noise). Yer a lucky one. Stay outta the shower during storms eh?

Forgetful · Post by **Forgetful** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 3:36 am

Just a word of caution Brembo. Although our house wiring systems are completely different the basic rules are still the same. The fuse or trip is for protection and safety. Two things would cause it to blow........ short circuit...... this is no problem as the fuse will blow within the recommended time...... and an overload. To be safe in overload conditions the cable MUST have a higher current rating than the fuse and it sounds like you've just uprated the fuse and left the wiring the same. Is it sufficient to take all the load? Not a critiicism here........ just a note of caution. And yes I have personal experience of a fire caused by this.

kneemeister · Post by **kneemeister** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 7:05 am

IM not that stupid, but had just responded to "nature's call" and was simply washing my hands, i never ever take a shower in a storm and now i use wet ones even to wash my hands during a storm!!!

Rainbow · Post by **Rainbow** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:48 am

Sounds like you need a new service and bigger panel...How close to Pittsburgh are ya

The most deadly voltage is 277....more qualified people killed every year on this.Not to mention it hurts like hell

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:51 am

Forgetful wrote:Just a word of caution Brembo. Although our house wiring systems are completely different the basic rules are still the same. The fuse or trip is for protection and safety. Two things would cause it to blow........ short circuit...... this is no problem as the fuse will blow within the recommended time...... and an overload. To be safe in overload conditions the cable MUST have a higher current rating than the fuse and it sounds like you've just uprated the fuse and left the wiring the same. Is it sufficient to take all the load? Not a critiicism here........ just a note of caution. And yes I have personal experience of a fire caused by this.

Thats why I put in a switch, so I won't overload. I can turn off the offending appliance while I use the dryer.