Electric shocks-How long to wait before you call an electrician

Yes, I'd forgotten about that and the MP's daughter who died because of a faulty extension lead, but he ended up supporting Part P. MPs, not the brightest people on the face of the planet.

Reply to
Steve Firth
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Only if the panelling was flush .Loads of tenement flats in Glasgow etc had the doors ruined by folk ripping the mouldings off before hardboarding the doors . Luckily there is a place near me that does a suitable replacement.

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Reply to
Stuart B

In article , Stuart B writes

I moved into a Victorian house some years ago. All the beautiful cast- iron fireplaces had been hardboarded over and painted. On removing the hardboard every single one had had the gathering smashed into pieces (where a couple of minutes with a screwdriver would have got them safely off intact) and the bits left in the firebasket. Even the firebaskets and brass fireguards were left in place.

I could have cried.

Reply to
Mike Tomlinson

Reminds me of a girlfriend - oh, sorry, nose you said.

Reply to
PeterC

Steve Firth coughed up some electrons that declared:

Well, whilst I cannot quantify it, people do seem to be less practical and generally more helpless these days - which I consider a specialised form of stupidity. How do you explain that?

When I were a lad in the 70's, most of the men in our section of our road, rightly or wrongly, would do their own DIY, electrics[1], plumbing and at least basic car servicing.

[1] OK - at least one of them really shouldn't have, but at least he had a grasp of the basics and could make things work even though he was a bit of a dangerous sod.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S

In message , Man at B&Q writes

Yeah, I got some really well preserved 1930's doors from a skip a few months ago because some makeover obsessed neighbour had decided that they wanted some panelled doors instead of the flat boring ones in their new house ;-)

Reply to
Clint Sharp

Hasn't some thick bastard has already done that to create the fault you have found? A note in the JB is very sensible for the reasons already posted.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

I think you're using "stupid" in a different sense. You're using it as a synonym for inexperienced, unintelligent, ignorant. Stupid seems to be more generaly accepted as a combination of those things plus the unwitting tendency to do other people harm.

I think on the Cartesian system discussed by Livraghi there are the following groups:

People who do good for others while doing no good or even suffering harm themselves. These people are altruistic possibly even saintly.

People who do good for themselves and for others. These people are leaders, entrepeneurs.

People who do good for themseles and harm others. These are gangsters and brigands.

People who harm themselves and others. These people are stupid.

In reality most people move between each of the states depending on circumstances, chance and necessity. I don't think the people you are talking about quite make it as stupid, yet.

Reply to
Steve Firth

You must be a young man. We had a greenhouse heater that used to do that all the time. IIRC the mains lead passed trough the metal frame, and the grommet had collapsed, and eventually it wore through. I would assume that the earth wire also had fallen off.

This was 1958. When I cleared my mothers house in 2003, it was still in the garage..

Shocks were something you got. The WORST shock I have EVER had was off a toy transranformer and a meccano electric motor. I was trying to build a tram with an overhead wire to pick up the voltage. Well the contact wasn't good, and when I fiddled with the 'safe' 12v system, I got one hell of a belt off the inductive flyback of the motor.

I had almost as bad when testing PA amps, and put a probe on the output whilst and accidentally touched the input.. About 55vAC hum.., Ouch!

Unless you are seriously earthed, touching the mains is not that dangerous. My father used to use a knuckle - explaining that 'teh muscle spasm jerks the finger away' - before the days of a neon test screwdriver. He did get thrown across the room once tho.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

People regularly get a man in to hang pictures - I'm glad to say :-)

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

The most unpleasant I have had is when sitting at the computer listening to music through headphones, and I reached out to clear a spec of dust from the screen. I inadvertently discharged the static buildup on the screen through my ears via the headphones!

Reply to
John Rumm

I think the trouble here is someone gets a shock from an appliance, and thinks 'OK, that was unpleasant, probably best not to do that again' but no more than that. They have no comprehension that the severity of future shocks from the same source can vary massively depending on whether they happen to have rubber-soled shoes, wet hands, have one hand in the sink and one on the kettle, are standing barefoot in a puddle, or whatever.

David

Reply to
Lobster

She would have only have to touch the toaster that was plugged into a correctly working socket 1m away to make a good earth.

I have had my share of belts. The worst was when I was subcontracted out and I was given that firms worst apprenctice (in his 3rd year) and told to make sure he got fired for something. Within the hour he energised a lighting circuit I was working on.

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth

The Medway Handyman coughed up some electrons that declared:

Whilst I wouldn't deny you your livelihood Dave, I still have to say:

"Oh please!"...

Unless you're 90+ or blind or otherwise disabled there really is no excuse...

Even Maggie Thatcher could bang her own picture hooks in.

Reply to
Tim S

In article , Stuart B writes

Hi Stuart, Any chance you could share the source of those mouldings? I've not found anyone who has a realistic match off the shelf.

Reply to
fred

Its extrarordinary how fast the so called middle classes, socialist to a man, seem to adopt the trappings of the so called upper clases, and revel in servants to exercise their every whim.

Even John Prescott, class warrior to his boots, plays croquet..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I still take money off people who nail/drill through cables whilst hanging a picture.

She "Hang me that picture up please love" He "Where do you want it?" She "Directly above that lightswitch would be nice"

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth

ARWadsworth coughed up some electrons that declared:

She daft for not knowing He dafter for actually doing it!

I'd love to set this up for a school class:

Cork board with painted light switches etc, foil on the back in all the "zones" connected to electric fence generator.

Give children metal drawing pins...

I'd give a prize for the ones who avoid the 150mm corner bands :-)

Reply to
Tim S

It's one job I hate doing myself. I'd much rather be standing across the room calling out "left a bit!" while someone else does the nail. The nailer just can't see where they're putting it.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Present company excepted, just how many people (of our wonderful Hello- reading, Jade-loving general population) would have the first clue about this?

Reply to
Andy Dingley

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