RCD didn't!

[Dave Liquorice]

Well connected to earth, ie sticking you hand in dirty pond water will connect you very effectively and the body can detect pretty low currents when well connected. Mostly our skin resistance is fairly high so we don't feel the "tingle" from most other electrical sources like batteries etc. Not really surprised the RCD didn't object.

I well remember getting "Ouch, WTF!" shocks from the DC on an ordinary telephone line (50v, current limited) when putting the lines on for an outside broadcast, standing in a puddle in the pouring rain.

[Tim Watts]

I take it he lived to form a scientific conclusion of his experiment :)

Happy New Year!

[Andy Dingley]

A moulded pond liner has a very high earth impedance, if there are no other paths round it.

[F Murtz]

Maybe he could set it all up again with a meter in circuit and stick his finger in again. (just kiddin )

[Tabby]

That all sounds good for the situation where only the live is exposed. When you've got L&N together, the electric field around them will be reduced, so I'd expect the curent for L to the earth under the pond to be nearer half this.

Then there's the L to E flex current. If we make a rough estimate for a pair of razor blades in clean water of 5A, 1mm^2 would get around

8mA, for a total L-E leakage of about 15mA.

NT

[Mike Clarke]

Whether or not the OP was wearing wellies could also be significant.

[Andy Dingley]

Earthed sausage on a stick.

I once tested the plasma cutter's flesh-eating abilities with a couple of old barbecue sausages and a worn-out welding glove. It was quite reassuring to find that it doesn't cut "flesh" at all well.

Sausages do have a much lower impedance than the standard assumptions for flesh, but it's near enough for this.

[Skipweasel]

Considerable capacitance to ground, I expect. ICBA to work it out.

[ARWadsworth]

Plug the thing back in and tell your MiL that you have dropped your watch into the pond and ask her if she could be so kind as to retrieve it for you.