Don't fry yourself

Many people think that electricity cannot hurt them therefor they are invincible, however this is not true. Hundreds of people are killed my electricity yearly, of course this is only because people either do stupid things or incorrectly wiring electrical equipment. These stupid things might but are not limited to sticking a fork in an outlet, sticking your finger in a light fixture to see if you will light up like a light bulb , using damaged extension cords in wet locations, and one of the most famous , accidentally having a plugged in hairdryer fall into the bathtub. Some misconceptions about electrical wiring may include that electricity will travel in the path of least resistance, this means that if you touch a bare hot wire you will become the path of least resistance to ground. Resistance is measured in Ohms the metric reading of how much opposing force the electricity has to overcome to go through something.

What some people do not understand is that electricity travels at 186,000 miles per second. That’s pretty fast close to the speed of sound. So that means that if you make a mistake like put your finger in a light bulb socket you will get a shock or even die. The electricity itself will not kill you the push behind it or what us electricians call it amps or electromotive force, amps is what will kill you not voltage which is flow of electrons. 0.005 amps is enough to kill one person so, 20 amps is more than enough to kill you too. The usual household service which is the panel in your home is usually a hundred amp minimum due to the electrical code or the NEC as electricians call it. The NEC gives all rules and regulations for electrical installations in homes and many other places. These rules and regulations are set for the protection of property (house) and people from the hazards that arise from the use of electricity.

Improper installation of wiring is also a huge problem in the United states causing hundreds of house fires yearly most of this happens because hot and Neutral wires may be crossed or other factors. Some of these factor may include old wiring, this includes homes that have knob and tube wiring this uses porcelain insulators for the wires and the wires are wrapped either in rubber or paper tar combination, or loose connections. Knob and tube was made around the 1800s when little was know of how electricity works which means it does not have a ground wire which is a big issue. This is a big issue because if the circuit were to short there would be no place for the current to go so, the electricity would travel through the neutral, heat up, and cause the wire to catch your home on fire. With the rubber insulated wires the rubber, overtime would dry-rot and expose the bare copper which could also be hazardous  because someone could touch it and be electrocuted. Also there is the possibility of both the hot and the neutral wires touching, sparking and igniting a fire inside the home.

So please next time you think of doing something stupid electrically or installing electrical equipment have in mind that its the amps that kill not the volts.