Can 120 Volts Kill You?

The phrase “It’s only 120v! It can’t kill you!” has been around for years, and many veteran electricians don’t think twice about working live 120-volt circuits. But, in today’s episode of Electrician U, Dustin shares with us some electrical safety tips and shows us what 120v can do to the body!
TIMESTAMPS:
00:01 Introduction
00:36 Safety - "It's only 120 volts, just work on it!"
02:04 Tools - Insulated Tools vs Non Insulated Tools
04:16 Did You Know - Difference between "Electrocution" & "Shock"
04:53 Electrical Theory - "You Become the Load"
08:42 electricianu.com/state-approv...
09:01 Demonstration - The Chicken Part
14:23 Code Time - For Super Nerds Only
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In the construction industry we hear that phrase frequently. In lieu of turning off the power to something to be worked on, we will tend to leave the breaker on and just work it live. Whether it’s machismo, laziness, or even fear of our employer demanding we just do it is no reason NOT to turn off a circuit(s) and do it safely. For most circumstances, there is no reason not to de energize a circuit! No one should work on live electrical circuitry unless they have been properly trained in how to do it AND have the proper PPE in place. If you don’t have the proper training and proper PPE/tools, the risk of electrical shock and electrocution rises dramatically.
There is a difference between the terms Shock and Electrocution. Shock is defined as “a sudden discharge of electricity through a part of the body”. Electrocution is defined as “the injury or killing of someone by electric shock”. Another common misconception is that it is not the voltage, but rather the current that kills. In fact, it is the resistance from your body introduced into an electrical circuit that does it. The resistance the body offers differs depending on which body part you introduce into the circuit. Entering and leaving through a finger, while definitely not feeling great, PROBABLY wont kill you as there are no major organs in the path and the resistance is low. But, if you were to have electricity pass from one arm to the other, your heart and lungs are in that path, making for a very dangerous situation!
10ma of current can cause ventricular fibrillation in the human heart and current above 10ma can cause skin burns or death. Given that the amperages we work on are well above that amount, you can start to see the seriousness of working on live circuits. Also, wet skin is more conductive than dry skin. Since most of us sweat while we are working, that means our skin is usually not completely dry. And since the internal portion of our body is mostly fluid, having electricity run through it is very dangerous. Water by itself is not a great conductor. Start adding minerals/electrolytes to it and it becomes very conductive. In Dustin's example, 120v introduced into regular water didn’t result in anything happening. But when electrolytes were added we saw a rise in current flow and the water even started to boil. When he introduced 120v to the chicken (to simulate the muscles within the human body), we could see the damage almost instantly!
The NFPA 70E is a great document to review for electrical safety. There are a multitude of tables that show the boundaries for live electrical circuits. It also discusses the required PPE for energized electrical circuits. Normal electrical hand tools are NOT designed to protect us from electrical shock. There are specific tools that are made to withstand live electrical circuits. Look at the packaging and/or on the tool itself to see if it’s rated for energized work.
#electrician #electrical #electricity

[@James-dt7ky]

Worst shock I ever had was 90 Vdc through both arms. Felt like someone hit me in the chest with a sledge hammer. I thought I had the power switched off but there was another source. ALWAYS check with a meter for power first.

[@blizzington4528]

I always tell people DC hurts way worse than AC at least imo

[@James-dt7ky]

@@blizzington4528 That was nasty. I thought I was dead. It happened 37 years ago and I'll never forget it.

[@hamburbers]

​@@James-dt7ky dc hurts worse at lower voltage and less at higher voltage. Weird how it works. I'd prefer a 120vac shock over a 90vdc shock...but I'd prefer a 10kvdc shock (been there) over a 10kvac shock (wouldn't be here) any day of the week.

[@beachbums2008]

Yes dc power latches onto a person. Ac current does do the same thing

[@davegibson4255]

Please go back and read my comments on the to twist or not to twist!!!!!!!!

[@BearStar1]

As a State Licensed Journeyman Electrician/ Sub Contractor with over 55 years in the trade mostly Residential and some light Commercial, I have been shocked by 120 VAC numerous times and it just sort of buzzes and tingles for a fraction of a second usually with just my fingertips of one hand only . When I was a Apprentice back in IL in '66, I was on a 6' ladder working on the splices in a J Box in the basement of a new house being built and got shocked on one phase of a 220 VAC Branch Circuit going to a Clothes Dryer circuit. It knocked me Off the Ladder and the fall on my rear end and back hurt more than the actual shock did !

[@throttlebottle5906]

as a lazy new construction sparky (mid 1990's) I did majority of all finish install live, too lazy to play in the panel. but it was often not even finished/labeled out, sometimes still no stairs to basement yet! yeah helter-skelter disorganized overall construction levels. but I would slip now and then, taking it hand to hand all too often, fortunately calloused hands and high body resistance made it minimal. now in my aged even lazier years, I feel it a bit more. but what always gets me the worst in and out the same finger/back of them where soft skin and sweaty. over the years I have lit up plenty of incandescent bulbs via my fingers. even crazy enough to have wired live in flooded basements from ankle to chest deep.(probably would have expired me, if I got zapped)

[@dannydropsda8616]

I do industrial

[@climbingnurse]

As both a DIYer and a guy who worked as an ER nurse for 16 years, thank you for making this video. I hope people watch and take your advice.

[@djlane522]

Get a licensed professional to do electrical work

[@climbingnurse]

@@djlane522 I tried that. And I was horrified by the work they did. I do a better job myself.

[@fredastaire6156]

@@climbingnurse I agree 100% Piss poor contractors, piss poor service...expensive mistake!

[@alphasaiyan5760]

This is one of the best videos you’ve done lately 👍

[@PlayNowWorkLater]

Agree!

[@BearStar1]

The hardest Electrical Shock that I ever got was from my Dad's Electric Fence to keep the horses in their pastures ! In the barn lot there was a 10' gate that allowed my Dad to let the horses out into the larger pastures. He had strung a electric line above the gate to continue the circuit to the fence on the other side of the gate. I was on the gate while it was closed and I was climbing over the gate and my forehead touched that wire above the gate and it knocked me off of the gate ! Son-of-gun, that hurt like Hell !!

[@manguydude287]

I did the same thing once. I bumped the wire with the metal button on top of my ball cap and it felt like getting kicked in the head. I have never been shocked like that by anything

[@WTFUSERNAM44]

Electric fences are super high voltage but low current. You can feel them because the high voltage pushes the current through you easily but the low current means damage is impossible. No one wants to damage their cattle after all. Animal fences can be from ~700V to 6,000V.

[@conleykat]

Back when I was about 4 years old (56 years ago) we had a refrigerator plugged into a ceiling light socket and you had to pull the light string to turn the electricity off from the refrigerator before you could even touch it. One day I went to open it and the light was still turned on and as soon as grabbed the handle it brought me off the floor. I commented on a video earlier that if my brother hadn't of been there to get my mom I probably wouldn't be here now and someone commented back and said 120v wouldn't have killed me. My brother said my body was sticking straight out.

[@WTFUSERNAM44]

120V can kill a adult never mind a child. Sounds like the fridge was improperly grounded making you tied to direct ground. The worst case for an electrical shock.

[@conleykat]

@@WTFUSERNAM44 I don't know who hooked it up unless it was the landlord. I was blessed that my brother was there and saw me and ran and got my mom or I wouldn't be here today. I still remember that day. I had Angels watching over me that day for sure.

[@Cymaphore]

Thank you for demonstrating it and making people aware why 2-pole voltage tester, insulated tools and 1000V protective wear are mandatory. So good to see some reason about safe working for a change. Thank you!

[@yesteryearr]

Love those little transitions. Feel like I'm watching Bill Nye 😂 Great video man!

[@ElectricianU]

This is the best compliment we’ve ever received. Thanks for watching and commenting my friend

[@Voo504Doo]

The thing is bill nye is a clown who regurgitates whatever the mainstream textbooks say AKA rockefellers

[@jimthannum7151]

👍Excellent educational video, something that every DIYer NEEDS to see, and dispels the myth 120 volts will not kill you. I especially liked your illustrations on where electricity can flow through through the body and do the most damage. As a DIYer, your channel is excellent and has taught me how to do things correctly and most importantly, to know your limitations and call in a licensed electrician. Keep up the great work for both professional electricians and the accident prone DIY community.

[@NeanderthalDogma]

You put so much quality into your videos man

[@bernsfindsandmore7636]

What I do instead of going back and forth, I grab one of my blink cameras and point/focus it to the outlet that I plugged in my 3 light tester and watch it on my phone as I am turning off breakers. As soon as it turns off, I go in and perform final check before taking out. Has saved me so much time of going out and in until I hit the right breaker.

[@monteglover4133]

I’m a retired industrial electrician and enjoy your content it is one of the best on KZbin. They used to make a hotdog cooker that had metal pins you put in each end of the hotdog shut the lid and plugged it in to cook the hotdogs.? 110 can hurt you I have marks on my arm from long ago from an very old metal cased drill shorting out!

[@joshualinker5800]

Might be worth noting that while your body does in fact become the load, you're also a rather resistive load in that example. A fun thing you can do is grab a multimeter, set it to resistance and grab each lead with each hand. A good meter with a few significant digits can tell you your own impedance (your skin has a capacitive effect that can vary, so we like to call it impedance rather than simple resistance). With known voltage of whatever circuit you're working with... those two variables can tell you how much current would pass through you in the same path.

[@markchidester6239]

Yes. It takes a good meter. I did just that when I was a kid. The cheep radio shack meter didn't read that many ohms. A Fluke did.

[@marvinjoseph.8337]

thanks...informative as always

[@tommycho9068]

Great video. Thanks

[@RVwithTito]

Enjoyed the video. Been shocked with DC once working on avionics equipment. It felt like someone grabbed me really hard. I seized up, jumped back, then turned around to see who the hell did that...nobody there.

[@hmoobmikah]

It was a ghost.

[@brianmcdermott1718]

Great info., Justin. Thank you.👍

[@Sejokintosol21]

Best way to learn, thanks bro!😁

[@leopoldhind4652]

Very informative. Thanks

[@newenglandman2413]

Always love your content; faithful watcher. I got a good grin from your intro line when you mention that 120 volts "can kill you every day." From what I have read, it's usually successful only on the first day. lol Keep the content coming!

[@christopherderrick2923]

Worst injury I got was when I was trouble shooting a 277 light. Trying to figure out why it wasn't working when connected. Well helper hit the switch hot wire hit metal grid and now I have a scar on my left hand as a reminder.

[@clarenceeverline5654]

Dustin i appreciate your instruction and letting people see what electrical current can do to the human body because i get so tired of hearing people say its only 110 and if they keep it up your time is limited before your number is up thank you so much and how is your son doing in his school.

[@RJFerret]

I was in an attic, not macho just not thinking, ended up with BX cable in one hand and live in the other, of course couldn't let go, managed to kick off the ceiling to push my body off, thankfully didn't get overly burned, but had nerve damage and numbness in one thumb/hand for about a year. Doesn't matter how much volts/amps, it's free to turns stuff off and double-check, it's costly to have impacts.

[@usa5439]

💯 better to spend an extra 5mins turning off and checking stuff

[@4309chris]

great channel

[@PlayNowWorkLater]

11:48 Best laugh! You are so into this project. Hahaha. The things we do for science

[@RichardNickels-ot6iq]

Thank you Guys

[@Sixpathsoflight]

Great information in the video. I personally do not use the voltage rated series of tools from Klein or Knipex, I just use their comfort grips for all my live or non-live work. I troubleshoot 15k-20k neon transformers, live ballasts pushing out 277 from time to time, and pole lights pushing out 480. Never been lit using the comfort grips since there’s plenty of insulation.

[@PlayNowWorkLater]

Thank you for making this video! Such an important point to get across to “handymen” and Renovation DIY’ers.

[@landscapingkid2578]

They need to learn the hard way

[@usa5439]

​@@landscapingkid2578 no dolt

[@usa5439]

​@@landscapingkid2578they need to learn the RIGHT way

[@PSwayBeats]

Went to the continued education you don't got anything for Chicago or just Illinois please put something up I do want to learn

[@spyder666111]

When I was young, I would stick my finger in light sockets and hold it there to freak people out at parties. When I was 16, taking driver's Ed. they had a light board with exposed contacts for demonstration. and, I held both contacts in opposite hands for a good amount of time, almost a minute in total. I had done it before without incident but, on and off again. This time, when It came time to release. I realized I could no longer control my muscles, they had to turn the power off to the board for me to detach. That was an experience. No long-term damage though so I was lucky.

[@Voo504Doo]

Do you have many friends ? I’d keep my distance from you lol

[@spyder666111]

@@Voo504Doo LMAO... it's all good, I have been social distancing since before it was a thing. LOL To answer your question, NO, I do not have many friends, what I do have is a few good brothers that would die for me as easily as I would give my life for them.

[@Voo504Doo]

@@spyder666111 im jk tho bro lol i dont have any friends either lmao just my wife and kids

[@zackd7980]

Part of the issue with shocking a heart is the timing when the shock is delivered. When people are shocked into regular rhythms shocks are delivered at specific intervals on the cardiac cycle to avoid what is called R on T phenomenon. Basically there are labels applied to the cardiac electrical cycle and if you deliver a voltage during the hearts resetting of that cycle it will cause a deadly arrhythmia Ventricular fibrillation.

[@Skullrider-ds2vb]

I've worked in the service field. Sometimes you have to work on things live because the client might need whatever is on that circuit to stay on. For example, I had a call to go to the hospital because a recepticle kept arcing every time something was plugged into it. Well there were several medical machines that needed to stay on that were also plugged into that same circuit.

[@bb55555555]

I like this. I've seen many videos on the dangers of electricity but this one was unique. I thought you were going to do the hot dog one or the pickle. Cooking a hot dog with electricity is always fun.

[@darienredsox1878]

I remember once when a electrician was connecting some stuff to the panel at the office. He did not shut off the main breaker and opened up the panel (I know almost no one does this when connecting the the panel). Apparently the main breaker had not been bolted in when the panel was installed and popped out. He was able to quickly get it back together, and thought nothing of it at the time. But the power had been out for just long enough for critical IT equipment to go out. Because of this the building department found out and he got in big trouble for working live without a live work permit. After that he and the rest of his company was very carful to not work on anything else live in our building.

[@cliffcorson4000]

I was replacing some troffer lights at a store and had the power cut off for the fixtures Some goofball wired another set of fixtures through same conduits and when I moved the one fixture there was a huge pop and sparking from the conduit as they didn't shield the wires

[@arianaveil]

They spoke about you at my IBEW orientation this week during our OSHA 10😂😂😂😂 specifically this video.

[@brad885]

I work on the telco side-not in the field anymore or a journeyman, but I do my own electric at home. I was working on a roof on a jobsite straddling the weatherhead for leverage. Hot sweaty work. One of the safety clips came off the hot leads for power and I got hit with 200 amps, straight through the groin. Lesson learned. Ordered the proper safety gloves the next day. Don't f*** around because you will find out.

[@chaseSCZ]

Worst shock/burn I've ever had was from a 2.2kV MOT, went to ground through my feet and almost blew my fingers off. Very dangerous stuff

[@throttlebottle5906]

11:16 you just re-invented(demonstrated) how an old school "steam vapor humidifier" worked(more or less). I recall relatives asking me as an young kid, why their humidifier was dimming the lights and tripping the breaker, which I recall not figuring out the whole issue. turned out they had city water, which was still hard and a water softener that was malfunctioning, then manually adding more table salt to the humidifier water. they were lucky it didn't injure/kill them drinking the tap water! I was about 10 years old then and scratching my head over it.

[@Impossible_Fishy]

I’ve measured 120v with my multimeter on current once, thankfully didn’t get shocked. Have has some run ins with rf burns though, very quite painful.

[@throttlebottle5906]

I can attest, RF burns hurt every bad and that's very low level burns... I nuked a finger tip before at 1KW carrier, it was equivalent of being stabbed with an hot knife being twisted around endlessly for a week or more. likely it needed cut/cleaned at hospital(nope). I didn't/wont do that again!

[@martf1061]

I got stuck on 120v. Was holding one thing in both hands and couldnt open then to let go. The only thing i could do was to jump off the ladder. I was on the 10th step of a 12step ladder.. Broke my back on the floor.

[@sethparker4098]

I try not to work on anything while it's hot. At the very least I'll identify my line and cap it. Side note, I started watching your stuff a while back, and I just got my Texas journeymans license. Thanks for helping me out when I was getting started homie!

[@williamguido7190]

Would’ve liked to see the reading on the multimeter using saline as the one used in IVs. I noticed that the amount of electrolytes used in water was random and this could’ve render a hypertonic solution, while saline has the same electrolyte concentration as blood and bodily fluids. This could affect the readings in the first experiment.

[@PawsumGaming]

those Klein goggles were pretty sweet... need more klein stuff available here...

[@okaro6595]

In Europe nobody considers the mains voltage safe. The problem of thinking that something is safer is that one thinks it is safe.

[@terlinguaDrift]

Worst shock I had was when a 15A lighting circuit tripped through my shoulder. The pop was so loud and unexpected and it felt like my shoulder needed to pop for hours after that happened.

[@Hunterteacher]

As a teenager, I went to a "hog club" meeting with my dad. It was put on by a representative of the ag department of the provincial government. An animal sciences professor from the agriculture faculty of a local university was there to talk about swine health. One of the producers at the meeting brought a sick pig for the meeting. The bespectacled, scholarly professor opened his briefcase and pulled out an extension cord from his briefcase. The female end was replaced with small booster cable clamps. He attached one of the clamps to the pig's flank and the other to the ear on the opposite side of the body. The pig hit the floor as soon as the professor powered up the cord. He allowed the current to flow for a short while and then proceeded to do a dissection in front of a group of hog farmers, talking his way through the diseased organs of the pig. Electricity kills!

[@marcgaskett]

In Australia we work with 230/415V in standard electrical installations and sparkies here don’t carry non electrical rated tools e.g. pliers/screwdrivers etc. ours are always rated to 1000V and we rarely work ‘live’, the question is though, why as an electrical worker would you ever carry non insulated tools? It’s just good practice if anything to use them always

[@Enlightn76]

The same reason I don't wear a hard hat if there are no overhead hazards, don't wear hi-vis vests if I'm not doing road work don't wear safety toe boots if I'm in a finished occupied residence. Proper tools for the proper scenario.

[@sebastianlesny2230]

"that was stupid, but it hurt a lot". Oh boy do i love living vicariously through others experiences.

[@ST3ADYxKICKS]

I got shocked by 120 fairly recently and was surprised by how tame it was. It just sorta vibrated my hand and didn’t hurt at all

[@christiangrindrod4780]

Had that before, also had 120 rock me. Depends on the load and other factors

[@usa5439]

If you got shocked then you made a mistake somewhere. Use it as a lesson to be extra careful next time.

[@lawcohn2815]

I will say this, as an electrician,, as an electrician I promise you amperage still matters. If you're working on a live circuit that's 277 that is close to the source and there is no external laod like lights or motors, you will feel the difference between 120,277. Now put a load on that like live lighting retros in offices or industrial. Put ten lights in front of you and complete that circuit..on 277...same for 120 and drop ceilings. Wow worst shock on 120 was above the ceiling grid with a box that had two panels running through it and luck has it just so happens I troubleshot and identified everything hot and it just so happens that during one of our service upgrades at a large facility new service new panels. 2 x 600 amp service .So I finished one project I turn on all the breakers for that panel go to my next project to complete so I can turn on the breakers for the second panel found out that that box shared circuits. I was leaning on top of a sprinkler pipe inside of a tiny little space of 2 ft with concrete above my head on a ladder...wow that one made me get down and recover. Yep it could kill you and most electricians die on 120v

[@trailerdragger]

I was 10 years old when i went to unplug the tv from the outlet because the on/off knob had broke. My thumb contacted the plug blade and i was hit with the full 120V racing up my arm. I flew backwards, hitting the floor on my back. I could only lay there, stunned and hurting really bad. I recovered from that in time. Believe me, 120V is no laughing matter.

[@susanhershey7107]

So do you still use the insulated tools on non-energized circuits "just in case" or do you only ever use them on live circuits?

[@Cymaphore]

One recommendation about eye wear: Physical protection is good, of course. But never forget the amount of high energy light comes of an arc. Always a good idea to wear arc proof protective glasses when working of high impedance live circuits, people have suffered loss of eyesight due to arc incidents. Technically it's similar to electric welding without eye protection.

[@timwilson3150]

DANGER: Do Not Touch! Not Only Will This Kill You, It Will Hurt The Whole Time You’re Dying.”

[@edge1289]

As a power lineman I’ve direct handle 20 Kv with proper PPE for over 4 decades. I don’t work 120 volts hot. As a kid I got 277 across my thumb and index finger, not fun. When I was a young apprentice lineman, we were taught that it only took a 1/10th of an amp to be fatal.

[@lqdxoni1]

220 was my worst asked electrician if circuit was off burned my fingers and almost lost control of the built in i was installing , learned the real importance of trust but verify.

[@willschultz5452]

Have any of you ever played the game "operation"? That's how careful you have to be working on live circuits😆

[@jamesupton143]

Dad worked in a power plant. He was working on something and had to leave it for a few minutes. In the meantime, as you co-worker turned it back on. That voice we hear from time to time told him to check it again with a meter. He did and avoided being shocked. He was passed at the guy who turned the circuit back on. I don't know if he found the guy who did it.

[@James-dt7ky]

Also use lock-out and tag-out to prevent others from turning on the power.

[@Voo504Doo]

Ur dad fucked up by not Lockout tagout ,not the other guy

[@jhoughjr1]

Well I used to stick pins in outlets as a kid and giggle as my finger tingeled and warmed

[@beachbums2008]

As an electrician do you send your high voltage gloves out to get tested as far as pinholes, etc. Just curious

[@AnActualCoconut]

Where I work they require you switch them out every 6months

[@felipea1844]

What long sleeve shirts, and clothing (insulating materials) can Electrician Helpers and Electricians wear to avoid or to lessen shock, and electrocution?

[@marcgaskett]

If you want to really ‘suit up’ against electrical current then you more or less need an insulated bomb suit. Typically though, wear cotton or wool as opposed to nylon clothing, the nylon will literally melt onto your skin if you’re hooked up, I speak as an Australian though and we don’t work with 120V, our standard is 240V

[@alphasaiyan5760]

Yes

[@JTRipper420]

I just accidentally grabbed 120 Vac the other day while messing with vacuum tubes, made my arms lock up and start to shake kinda hard but I let go of it within a second so I was fine just kinda scared me more than anything.

[@user-dw9hv6dd9q]

I accidentally touch a 30amp breaker today straight tingle up my arm scared the shit out of today

[@onlineconsumer4796]

As a youth. I got shocked many times. Now as an old man, I have A-fib and other heart arrhythmia issues. Wonder if there is any connection.

[@mathisvatt8944]

Worst shock was getting hit by 1000vdc from a megohmmeter. I was training an apprentice when I was much younger and asshat went hard on cranking handle before I was even ready. Lasted all day for my body to regulate itself.

[@hulkangry5546]

If your old enough that used to be a prank or a way or hazing apprentices Journeyman would take out the old megger and " here hold these"😵‍💫🤯🤣

[@PacRimElectric]

MY MAN! with that TOOL screen saver

[@ElectricianU]

#toolarmy

[@theTaterSalad]

In my experience 120 felt like a weak taser, 240 about made me do a jumping jack on top of a 14 footer (3 points of contact obviously)

[@smashthings4fun]

I’ve accidentally made contact with hot and neutral prongs via extension cord and to me it felt like bunch of vibration still not fun

[@TheTubejunky]

Realistically NO ONE TURNS OFF THE MAIN PANEL FOR A BREAKER REPLACEMENT. It's not necessary if you know how to stay safe and have the correct PPE. Service work however is frowned upon, but many do it live at times. With no OVERCURRENT protection it's another ball game.

[@jacobcutshall6523]

I know this doesn’t really have anything to do with the video, but I’ve been told the neutral carry’s voltage back and the ground sends “excess” voltage to the earth, but how can the ground carry so much voltage to the earth since it is it is so much smaller than the current carrying conductors (I’ve also been told the neutral carry’s the same voltage as the hot)

[@johnhershey4010]

I loved getting shock by 120v 15 amp

[@thomaslibke697]

Please get Iowa as continue education!

[@kribywood9298]

Back in 1965 I was doing a little experiments with a extension cord from the from Atlanta but I did was I stuck to one part into the wall and twist two wires and stuff in my ear and I got a result 120 volt went through my my head

[@deej19142]

This reminds me of a friend that used to cook hotdogs at work using a 1/4-20 bolt on each end of the hotdog wired to an extension cord. It worked...I guess.

[@jupiterblue3227]

lmboo

[@tedlahm5740]

Three (3) phase three (3) wire power company distribution system ( no neutral). How does the power company Balance The Load. Many many three phase services connected to the system.

[@TRG972]

Great lessons. Oh, at 12:45 0.2A on the meter is 2 tenths or 200 mA. 0.02 would be 2 hundredths or 20mA and 0.002 would be 2 thousandths or 2mA

[@seth2871]

got hit with 277v on a lighting load few weeks ago, never jumped off a ladder so quick.

[@martf1061]

7:45 277V.. Where are you from, or on what were you working on?

[@jfarley1221]

Probably lighting

[@npccali2839]

I got straight up electrocuted by 277 with a load of who knows what with it being a grocery store lighting circuit. I was doing it hot in the dark t bar ceiling and I missed the wire with the wire nut and it stabbed my finger instead. It grabbed me and I couldn’t do anything, I was screaming the whole time and after about 5 secs it let me go and I was able to step off my ladder. Everything in my body felt like it was seizing up afterwards like a really intense workout.

[@beachbums2008]

You said lockout,tag out test the system but you forgot to say try out. I've seen alot of circuits bypassed and not upgrade on the blueprints,schematics etc. Just my opinion

[@ThorsonKahn]

this dude works hot

[@red-Rx]

Worst I’ve ever been hit was on the high leg of a old bulldog bus piece of allthread was coming down from the ceiling and I could only open the busplug door half way, I couldn’t kill power to the bus because it would’ve killed equipment that was running production so I installed the plug live and I wired up the load side of the bus just fine but as I was popping the fuses in (with bare hand) (stupid) my right hand was on the door to keep it open and my left hand hit the fuse clip on the line side. I’ve NEVER felt anything like it before and I don’t care to feel it again.

[@marktony4842]

Omw to work electrical apprentice 2nd month

[@grandpanate_yt6953]

While your getting started, learn how to manage money as well, you're in a good trade to earn good money. I'm an IMT electrician, and I've done 3 years of commercial, 2 years certified apprentice. Learning how to manage money while you're getting paid like shit and working your ass off until you get you're liscence will pay in the long run.

[@jhoughjr1]

I’m an unemployed EE but the above gives good advice

[@BipityBopity93]

I always use the term electrocution when I die.

[@martf1061]

12:08 Why didnt the leg start to jerk? The muscle should have cramped up.

[@nooneswedish5142]

the wort i ever experienced is 400Vdc i whose troubleshooting the control circuits in a substation and something failed in the multi-meter , that felt like someone kicked me in the chest. and i actually have a scar in my hart from that. so remember anything a bow 50V can kill you if the circumstances are wrong but if you are seriously lucky you can survive 400V. But do not be lacy and take that gamble. A former electrician.

[@alexanderquilty5705]

I know it doesn’t really matter, but be careful using that mil unit(I know he wrote “mills” and that he means milli-), it could be confused by some with the unit “mil/mils” which is 1/1000’th of an INCH. It’s used in PCB board design and layout to get different precise distances between components.

[@adammiller7236]

Not a problem in the developed world

[@dillonneal9]

4:55 electical?

[@TheTubejunky]

Why isn't there a faraday suit that you wear to carry current outside of the body instead of through it? Seems like a fool proof safety ppe.

[@adama2742]

I was servicing an outlet and discover it was wired in the box with 18 AWG doorbell wire.

[@gradyrm237]

Rhythm. R H Y T H M. Rhythm. Did you see it?

[@wvoyles]

Time is money,and if the circuit ain't live,I can't tell,voltage drop,current, and other info ,I like to test,without it taking 2 hours to change out a receptacle, or a switch

[@highvoltage1979]

Only use PPE when cooking otherwise not needed

[@peteasmr2952]

For the rest of the world that uses 240 in every standard single phase outlet, I think a version of this with 240 plus the chicken and amp test would be interesting. Yes this video already answered the question for the most part. But perhaps it could help for those that might still think that while 120 won’t automatically kill you but can, still believe that 240 will automatically kill you no matter what. Even if your just shocked in the hand. I wonder if this misconception “that 120 is inherently safer” the word safer here makes far too many people think it automatically means safe. Could be why its taken North America much longer to add gfci to every outlet wheres in every EU, AU, NZ system every outlet is RCD “GFCI” protected even the 400v circuits are RCD protected. Although interestingly most RCD I’ve come across are rated at 30ma and I’m curious why that is vs the 10ma stated being the safe limit in the video, is it different for 240? Now for note, I do have a power strip that has a 10ma RCD I got in Germany. So they do exist in Europe. The RCD is made by ABB and is the European standard style din rail type just in a power strip which I thought was really cool. So that could be an interesting addition as well.

[@LDuncanKelly]

I don't think "Big Clive" electrocuted any chicken but he did hot dogs and meat pies and other foods and the 240+v on the Isle of Man made a lot more sparks and smoke and sizzling/crackling sounds!

[@peteasmr2952]

@@LDuncanKelly Interesting, I wonder if the composition of the hot dogs as being processed and higher in salt and nitrate content than chicken “despite the added electrolytes for this experiment” had any added effects to the resistance. I would be just as curious to see those hot dogs at 120 now that you mention it.

[@jonholt495]

Disclaimer: DO NOT EVER TRY WHAT I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU, I'M SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE SO NOBODY ELSE DOES WHAT I DID!!!!! I'm not an electrician although I have done numerous electrical projects around the house, and yes I've been shocked with 120 volts but it wasn't because I accidentally came in contact with it. I was about 3 beers deep and since I had touched 100kV+ from a Tesla coil and didn't really feel anything (while I was sober as a stone, mind you), I wanted to see how 120 volts would feel, since it's only 60 Hz (compared to the high frequency of the tesla coil) and capable of delivering significantly larger currents. So I found an old lamp cord I had laying around, stripped the ends off, and plugged it in then touched both wires against my arm. They were only a few inches apart and I made sure the current would flow just through my arm and not my body. Even in my slightly intoxicated state, it hurt like hell, I didn't even last a second before I pulled my arm away. Much worse than the 100,000 volts I took like a champ from the tesla coil, lemme tell you! 30 volts DC from my bench power supply across my tongue also hurt and I couldn't taste for awhile after that, still not comparable to 120 directly from the wall outlet though. Definitely not doing it again!

[@elliotsimpson3591]

Fun story, pure water is actually NOT conductive, it's actually the impurities in the water that create the conductivity; AKA electrolytes like potassium, sodium, etc. Also, the skin is generally regarded as a really good insulator, but like Dustin said, it's not the current or the voltage, it's the combination of the three. Enough voltage and you break over resistance. Or, if you break the skin and get into the gooey parts of the human body, resistance is very low!

[@rhynoklein7]

I got hit with 277 through a ceiling grid also.

[@Brian-yt8fu]

As a tv tech the AC voltage is whats dangerous.

[@BillyD]

Were any chickens harmed in this video?

[@yesteryearr]

Buddy, there's a DEAD ASS chicken leg on the table 😂😂😂

[@ElectricianU]

😂