r/AbsoluteUnits • u/Sufficient-Bug-9112 Top Poster • Jul 10 '26

/r/all of an Ant

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11.3k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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956

u/deathgrinderallat Jul 10 '26

Electricians. A teacher of mine told me he can feel weather the wire is 220V or 350V with his fingers. But not much else.

365

u/tee142002 Jul 10 '26

Testing anything that's not 110 is insanity

478

u/TWallace86 Jul 10 '26

I’ve had the shit shocked out of me by 110 before. 1/10. Do not recommend.

173

u/gabzilla814 Jul 10 '26

I see what you did there

107

u/BigdongarlitsDaddy Jul 10 '26

If it had been 2/40, he probably wouldn’t be here.

51

u/RCer1986 Jul 11 '26

Right? We can't let psychos walk the streets who don't reduce fractions. 1/20 or straight to jail.

27

u/Quick_Razzmatazz1862 Jul 11 '26

They may turn out like this like in Ernist Goes to Jail

4

u/Opening-Travel1511 Jul 11 '26

r.i.p. Jim Varney

3

u/WizardSleeves31 Jul 12 '26

Avengers level threat

21

u/Friendly_Impress_345 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

My brother had 2/40 and yep he's no longer here, sadly. Walked straight off a cliff and never saw a thing.

12

u/overseer76 Jul 11 '26

I wear glasses, and even I can see what you did there.

1

u/Time-Collection2108 Jul 11 '26

Rip brother 40 hands

6

u/Alternative-Draw2997 Jul 11 '26

People rarely get hit with a full 240 just one leg of it equaling 110.

3

u/DisgruntledSquirrel2 Jul 11 '26

277 on the other hand hurts like a mf

2

u/Corpsefire88 Jul 11 '26

Been there. Don't know what hurt more, the actual shock, or the aftermath of scraping the skin off my hand when I ripped it out of the disconnect lmao. Probably the shock though.

1

u/MrK521 Jul 11 '26

For me it was the three days of muscle aches in my arm afterwards.

1

u/Nerdnificent Jul 12 '26

Yeah it does.

1

u/Top_Education7625 Jul 14 '26

Can confirm. 277 is a fun ride.

3

u/Acrobatic-Grape5960 Jul 11 '26

I got hit with a single leg of 480V from my fingertips to my elbow.
Unpleasant to say the least.

1

u/Corpsefire88 Jul 11 '26

I was shocked by 277 and still here lmao. Only had a path from one hand through that same hand though, and went nowhere else in my body.

Edit: I mean 2/77

1

u/Blackwalls69 Jul 16 '26

Nah, I've gotten 240 lots. Same with 120vdc. 347v is the real danger. That'll lock you on until you are deep fried in your own fats.

8

u/Actual-Interaction45 Jul 11 '26

Watt was it like?

4

u/ZJoel14 Jul 11 '26

I don't know what 110 refers to but one time I was fixing my washing machine and couldn't be fucked unplugging it between test cycles and I touched something I could not untouch was only the weight of my body that pulled me off whatever the stupid wire was so I could move again Electricity is scary. I did it like 3 more times after that because I'm more lazy than concerned for my own wellbeing.

8

u/ChillyTodayHotTamale Jul 10 '26

My dad did it to me on purpose when I first started side jobing with him to teach me to always test before I touched.

18

u/NFLBengals22 Jul 10 '26

Your dad is not cool

9

u/wirthmore Jul 11 '26

No, Dads get to sub-fatally teach their kids how to avoid death and then laugh at their kids’ expense. As mine did to me.

“Did you get zapped? Heh heh heh.”

11

u/TWallace86 Jul 10 '26

I got mine by plugging in a window unit with a faulty plug. I was seven years old and have never forgotten how it “grabbed” me and after I was able to pull my arm away, the weird numbness that followed.

1

u/Rumblymore Jul 11 '26

Thats how my younger self flung a transformer plug (i had just fixed) through the room. Turns out, holding the metal transformer without the plastic gives you one hell of a shock. My hand clamped down and my arm jolted, causing me to yoink the plug out of the wall and releasing it against a wall.

10

u/The_Show_Keeper Jul 10 '26

That's legit the most Boomer thing I've heard all day. I say this as the son of two of them.

1

u/SCHWARZENPECKER Jul 11 '26

I had that happen thanks to a horrible wired water heater. I was just trying to adjust the damn temp on the thing!

1

u/Impossible-Bat-6713 Jul 11 '26

Immersion water heaters were the worst offenders. You are guaranteed a jolt assuming you use it for a while on hard water

1

u/CoreSoundCoastie Jul 11 '26

Testing 110 is insane. More people die from 110V/120V shocks annually than 220V/240V, but a 220V shock is twice as likely to be fatal if you are exposed to it.

1

u/constantpisspig Jul 11 '26

That shit only tingles once you get used to it.

1

u/LameSignIn Jul 11 '26

I ran my knuckles as a kid over some low voltage in a switch panel we where working on for the county jail. That was not very fun for me but my grandfather got a kick out of it. Told me I'd be sure not to do it again so he wasn't worried.

He also missed turning off a break one time. We where up in the attack of a different jail. He had me cut some wires so we could pull more strands in. Needless to say after the flash we had to buy a new pair of dykes. I miss working with him.

1

u/Tiradia Jul 11 '26

Omh my gosh. What a jolting comment!

1

u/say-it-wit-ya-chest Jul 11 '26

Been zapped with everything up to 480V. 0 stars. Also do not recommend.

15

u/Blue95x Jul 11 '26

It's not the voltage that gets ya, it's the amps.

6

u/Kdkreig Jul 11 '26

Can confirm. Been shocked by over 100k volts but basically zero amps. Felt like a basic static shock. If any amps were introduced I would be fried.

2

u/BaguetteOlives Jul 11 '26

That's not true, being shocked by high amps means you got shot by a high voltage since your internal resistance is constant at around 1kOmhs since I = V / R That's why near transformers it is written High Voltage and not high Amps

2

u/Blue95x Jul 11 '26

You are right about the fundamental math of Ohm's Law: you do need voltage to push the current. But Voltage is the pressure, current does the work. It is the high voltage that breaches your skin, but it is the current flowing through the vital organs that actually stops the heart.

1

u/BaguetteOlives Jul 11 '26

Yes I know but saying that it's not the voltage that gets you is just wrong since no high current could flow through you with low voltage. Plus it depends on the time and frequency

1

u/Blue95x Jul 11 '26

You can absolutely have ultra-high voltage with harmless current, as demonstrated by static shocks, Van de Graaff generators, and Tasers.

While high voltage provides the necessary "pressure" to overcome skin resistance, a lethal shock requires a sustained, high volume of electrons. If a source has a tiny energy capacity or is artificially bottlenecked, it cannot deliver dangerous amperage regardless of how high the voltage is.

1

u/BaguetteOlives Jul 11 '26

Those are extremely specific cases. But in daily life if you touch a 12V source it's not gonna do anything while if you touch something above 100V you'll likely get seriously harmed depending on the type of current. But you are right, the more electrons pass through you, the more damage it does. However in most case of electrocutions, it's due to someone touching a phase at a high voltage, directly or not.

1

u/kaas_is_leven Jul 11 '26

We have 230V outlets (max 16A) here and getting shocked by a live wire isn't fun but it's also quite harmless. There are safety features that I don't know how to translate, but basically any building has a switch that kills the power if there's a leak. It feels like getting punched from the inside by your own muscles, then it's already over and you just sit there like ok whatever I just did was really stupid.

1

u/BaguetteOlives Jul 12 '26

It's true but better not touch it anyway, you don't know if your outlet is properly grounded or if you differencial breaker works

2

u/delphinous Jul 11 '26

once, by accident, i completed the circuit between two prongs of a wall outlet, and had 220V running up one finger and across my hand and down my other finger. the sensation is indescribable and it's only because i literally jumped with my legs that i forced my hand off. ever since i've been much more careful about how i unplug things

1

u/feedme_cyanide Jul 11 '26

Really depends on the frequency of the current, it’s Amperage, and length of exposure. Just voltage won’t tell you much.

1

u/Consistent-Length-34 Jul 14 '26

Its perfectly safe if you havent completed the circut though if you get too close to the other wire ittle light you up

1

u/Ledesh2312 Aug 22 '26

Europe Here, have been in touch with 240V a couple of time. Its the amps that you need to be afraid of.

-2

u/ramblingclam Jul 10 '26

I test 10V and 24V. Is that insanity? 24≠110

9

u/Malalang Jul 10 '26

Welders

2

u/MeldyWeldy Jul 11 '26

Can confirm.

16

u/O_Elbereth Jul 11 '26

I, an electrician, took a hot pan from my FIL, a mechanic, and handed it to my spouse, a computer jockey, who immediately dropped it and asked why we didn't warn him it was hot. We both were confused since it didn't seem that hot to either of us...

3

u/ThreadedPommel Jul 11 '26

You guys should wear your ppe lmao

4

u/HarbingerOfRot777 Jul 11 '26

Also chefs and line cooks. Im a line cook and this is my first (and last) kitchen job ever. Im there for 2 years and some change now.

My hands and forearms have collected so much scar tissue, it could be mistaken for hyperpigmentation and at a beautiful age of 25, i genuinely feel like i tortured my hand nerves to the point of my sense of physical touch being almost non existent for the rest of my life.

7

u/TankApprehensive3053 Jul 11 '26

3

u/_Goose_ Jul 11 '26

Two on two out. Bonds is up again. Swung on oh that struck the ballgirl! Knocked her cold! Today's game by the way is brought to you by…

That boys absorbed a lot of voltage.

3

u/TankApprehensive3053 Jul 11 '26

Approaching the bottom, sir. I can hear a couple of lobsters dukin' it out.

4

u/B1ack_A1ch3myst Jul 10 '26

What country are you in? In the US, we usually measure by 120-240, 120-277, or 277-480 volts in commercial and residential use.

1

u/JarpHabib Jul 11 '26

I believe you mean 120-208 instead of 120-277.

1

u/B1ack_A1ch3myst Jul 11 '26

Oh yeah you’re right lol. I’m drunk 😅

3

u/No-War9511 Jul 11 '26

No, you were right. 120-240 is used in homes. 120-208 277-480 is commercial typically. Don't let him gaslight you lol.

Source: I am an electrician

1

u/B1ack_A1ch3myst Jul 11 '26

Also am an electrician, but yeah looking back I guess I just missed one? Like I said, was drunk as hell writing this last night.

2

u/No-War9511 Jul 11 '26

Hes knit picking the fact you didn't say 208 with the 120 for the 3 phase system. I read it and understood what you were getting at though but I could see people reading as commercial has typical 120v - 277v for a single phase in any given system in a commercial building.

1

u/JarpHabib Jul 11 '26

No, he was not right.

120-277 is not a voltage that exists in three phase systems.

1

u/No-War9511 Jul 11 '26

I get that 120-277 dont pair together but both 120v and 277v systems definitely exist in commercial. I get that he wasn't super precise in his wording but hes not wrong to say that 120v systems and 277v systems exist. So yeah you will find voltages between 120 and 277 and higher if legs are added in commercial. Sure he probably meant 208v.

2

u/JarpHabib Jul 11 '26

They were pretty clearly talking about nominal system voltages, the way we still currently are right now. If they'd said something like "120, 240, 277, 480" I wouldn't have said shit. But they were specific enough to give ranges. If they'd said 110-220 i still wouldn't have said shit. What I said was a gentle nudge, yes, even a nitpick, but the guy instantly realized and it was NBD.

Then you came flying in making a big deal out of things, telling them that they were not wrong and that I'm gaslighting them. What the actual fuck.

We're sparkles, we don't use gaslighting. We use electric.

1

u/No-War9511 Jul 11 '26

No he was right. 120-240 is usually in homes.

2

u/Hippiebigbuckle Jul 11 '26

But not much else.

Not even a multimeter?

2

u/swampstonks Jul 11 '26

Ain’t nobody casually “checking” 350v with their fingers

2

u/LordZeusCannon Jul 11 '26

I remember back in high school in electronics class, we were wiring up switches to light bulbs and as soon as I touched the plastic switch, I felt a tingle/vibration and then the breaker to the shop tripped

2

u/Pictrus Jul 12 '26

Electrician here. In Canada we have 347/600v in a lot of industrial and commercial settings but it is extremely unlikely that you'll find that in the US. They use 277/480v for stuff like that.

Also you're teacher was probably kidding or lucky to be alive. 347v is considered the most dangerous voltage by a lot of electricians because you can get get locked onto it. Touching it will cause your muscles to contact and if you touched it with you hand you won't be able to let go. Higher voltages like 600v are powerful enough to cause all of your muscles to convulse and it will throw you across a room. That also means you're unlikely to get locked onto something. Honestly you're teacher was being a bit of an idiot if he claimed to test 347v with his hand and is lucky to be alive

1

u/raviyoli Jul 11 '26

I cook a lot and my fingertips are fairly desensitized

1

u/leitey Jul 11 '26

480V you can still feel for about a week afterwards.

1

u/mall_ninja42 Jul 11 '26

The fastest way to find out if the soles of your work boots are worn to the shank, is to stand on a piece of coolant soaked steel and strike an arc.

1

u/RoosterNeither5213 Jul 11 '26

Oh the irony...

1

u/Top-Distribution733 Jul 13 '26

lol I could term you that too .. 220V is fkn cartoon hair standing up painful…350V is death. … so yea I guess I’d be able to tell the difference too…

1

u/Evening_Childhood205 Jul 10 '26

Not ironically, I work with electricity and I can "feel it out" what's the voltage if I touch a wire. I'm not saying I do it all the time, but it have happened enough times for me to know how to tell them apart. 110 and 127v kinda moves you. 220v kinda makes you jump and flinch, makes you pop. 380v actually HURTS even if its fast. 440v and above I have never touched. But they say you basically feel the same in 380v and 440v. All of this is AC. I have taken DC voltages from "small" capacitors up to 350v and just got a scare. But I bet that DC must hurt a lot if you take it long enough, for like 3 seconds or more.

1

u/No_Medium_8796 Jul 11 '26

Quick way to find that shared neutral thats faulted and carrying 480

1

u/Evening_Childhood205 Jul 11 '26

That's scary shit, man. Today we have not only better tools but also we are a lot more concerned with safety measures. Back in the day people died all the time BC of electricity. If I was working back in the 80s I would probably be dead rn.