Any Electricians out there?

[Deere Dude]

Quite a few years ago when I had to work in a control panel and I was uncomfortable with do that I would tie a rope around me and have my wife standing by, just in case. But in my defense, that was before we had TBN to get all this good advice. I like the plug in tester first and then start checking with the multimeter. I would maybe check and re-tighten the connections inside the panel making sure the breaker is off in the house. Even the breaker in the house may have a loose wire.

 

[teejk]

Quite a few years ago when I had to work in a control panel and I was uncomfortable with do that I would tie a rope around me and have my wife standing by, just in case. But in my defense, that was before we had TBN to get all this good advice. I like the plug in tester first and then start checking with the multimeter. I would maybe check and re-tighten the connections inside the panel making sure the breaker is off in the house. Even the breaker in the house may have a loose wire.

I guess you never told your wife about how much life insurance you had. But anyway, electricity is one of those things that scares a lot of people. I'll admit that I learned a lot via errors that should have killed me but didn't (e.g. gotta be very careful in the panel box where the neutral/ground bus is usually pretty close the "hot" bars (typical 240v installation means 2 of them). Ruined a screwdriver once but learned a lot about welding in the process. Beyond the panel, no reason to fear anything if you "kill" the main and carry a flashlight. Btw the multimeter can be used to check outlets also but that little plug-in thing is a no-brainer thing and will also test for polarity and ground (and will also test for GFCI connections if the outlet is on one).

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Not an electician, but an electrical engineer.. I find electric circuits to be rather simple, but you do have to respect what you can't see.

check the breaker output first, then proceed down the circuit. Using a volt meter is really no more dangerous than plugging something into an outlet, just gotta know not to touch the live circuit.

 

[jerrybob]

We haven't heard from 2Lane aka.....Sparky..... since 7:38 this morning........hope he' has called a friend and/or fixed the problem......I saw on the news there was a power flicker throughout Oklahoma earlier today.........maybe he really did lick his fingers?

 

[CobyRupert]

check the breaker output first, then proceed down the circuit. Using a volt meter is really no more dangerous than plugging something into an outlet, just gotta know not to touch the live circuit.

Well it's very similar. With both you're holding an insulated conductor as it touches other electrified metal.
Just don't let one probe touch two pieces of metal at the same time, especially if one is Hot and the other is grounded (like when testing the terminals of a receptacle and the probe also touches the metal receptacle box). It's not dangerous, but the flash can be startling.

 

[k0ua]

It's not dangerous, but the flash can be startling.

And after the arc, and molten metal, you can post pictures in the welding forum!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Before you start, say the following.

"Hold my beer and watch this"

Anything you do after that will be ok.

 

[dragoneggs]

We haven't heard from 2Lane aka.....Sparky..... since 7:38 this morning........hope he' has called a friend and/or fixed the problem......I saw on the news there was a power flicker throughout Oklahoma earlier today.........maybe he really did lick his fingers?

Hey wasn't Sparky or was it Sparc who started "pallets in the fields"? Strange things happen to those who start messing with things we don't understand. :laughing:

 

[jerrybob]

Hey wasn't Sparky or was it Sparc who started "pallets in the fields"? Strange things happen to those who start messing with things we don't understand. :laughing:

Saw a falling star tonight.....no wait......was that 2lane???:confused3:

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Saw a falling star tonight.....no wait......was that 2lane???:confused3:

After looking at some of those internet pictures of the crispy critters who tried to cut into the high voltage lines in order to purloin copper belonging to the Utility Company, I have decided to take a nap and go to the dentist instead.