Nearly got killed today!

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  • Black Forest
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2010
    • 8984

    Nearly got killed today!

    I don't know why yet but my grinder somehow managed to have the steel frame live with electricity. I am not sure how much I actually got hit with but the grinder is connected to three phases of 220 volts each. I grabbed a hold of the frame and started flopping around like a fish out of water and after what seemed like a year I landed on my butt. My arms feel like I was doing bench presses all day meaning I am quite sore. I suppose I am lucky to have survived. I don't understand why the ground fault breaker didn't trip. Tomorrow I will have the electrician come and check things out.
    Location: The Black Forest in Germany

    How to become a millionaire: Start out with 10 million and take up machining as a hobby!
  • TGTool
    Senior Member
    • Aug 2005
    • 3613

    #2
    BF, glad it was no worse than that and that you're (mostly) okay.

    Did you notice what happened just BEFORE that happened. I hope you'll avoid that in the future.
    .
    "People will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time they will pick themselves up and carry on" : Winston Churchill

    Comment

    • thebigron
      Member
      • Jul 2009
      • 79

      #3
      Glad to hear you did not get "hung" on the grinder. Sometimes the muscles will contract making an ever tighter path for electricity. Smart to let the experts find the problem. Would'nt be stupid to let them check out your other tools. Good luck.

      Comment

      • Black Forest
        Senior Member
        • Jan 2010
        • 8984

        #4
        The main reason I have them coming is I want to know why the ground fault didn't trip. The ground fault on that particular circuit normally trips if you just look in that direction. I was even going to have them change it to a Class C breaker.
        Location: The Black Forest in Germany

        How to become a millionaire: Start out with 10 million and take up machining as a hobby!

        Comment

        • DFMiller
          Senior Member
          • Jan 2005
          • 1489

          #5
          BF,
          I am glad you survived to write about it.
          I wonder if 3 phase is sorta like DC. Does not want to let you go.
          Not suggesting any experiments.
          I am very interested in the fault analysis.
          Dave

          Comment

          • rock_breaker
            Senior Member
            • Oct 2009
            • 298

            #6
            Nearly got killed today

            Black Forest,

            Glad you are able to write about your experience. Stay aware (watch for changes) of your situation for a few days. My nephew bumped his head on one phase of 7200 VAC on a powerline. Two days later he stood up to cross a room and passed out falling to the floor. At that time there was not a lot doctors could do. The nephew is alive and working full time, this happened 30 years ago. No apparent long term after affects.

            Having worked around rock crushing equipment my first thougt was there is a break in the ground circut and a short circut in electrical supply. Just one armchair electrician's opinion. Getting a proffesional involved is the best way to go.

            Good luck

            Ray

            Comment

            • Black Forest
              Senior Member
              • Jan 2010
              • 8984

              #7
              I have no idea how much I got hit with exactly. I just know It hurt like hell! I have a headache right now and really sore arms. I looked in the mirror and my biceps look good! Maybe I should do it again tomorrow? New work out plan. Wasn't it Bruce Lee that used to train on an electrifed wall?

              Maybe I have super powers now. I am going up to the top floor and jump off and see if I can fly.
              Location: The Black Forest in Germany

              How to become a millionaire: Start out with 10 million and take up machining as a hobby!

              Comment

              • Black_Moons
                Senior Member
                • Aug 2009
                • 9096

                #8
                Recommend against seeing if you can fly by jumping off a roof. Anything you can do on a roof, you can likey do from the ground floor.

                rock_breaker: Sounds like it.

                Not sure why the GFI did not trip, It should unless you got your 3phase via rotary phase converter (Isolates input and output currents, Needs a GFI *after* the phase converter), VFD's are not isolated (Afaik?) And should still be able to trip a GFI.

                Could also be that the grinder was the ground, And it was something else you where touching/standing on/holding is what zaped you.

                Something like for example, a frayed power cord that just so happens to be resting against the bare metal framework of a workbench on the frayed part that you are leaning against.

                When playing with low current high voltage (<10mA) I once got zaped through a series of stray objects on my desk, I think about 6 or so where involved and had to be touching just so to zap me. Thats when I decided no more playing with HV on a cluttered desk!
                Play Brutal Nature, Black Moons free to play highly realistic voxel sandbox game.

                Comment

                • RussZHC
                  Senior Member
                  • Mar 2010
                  • 2411

                  #9
                  Count your blessings it was not worse.

                  Knew an electrician trying to fix such an unknown problem up on scaffolding and I guess he missed something (never did hear those details), anyway, when I first heard I thought he had fallen but what had happened was the muscle contractions basically split his scapula at the weakest point and it was luck that between the body twitching and his now slumping "dead" weight, the grip was released. He is back working.

                  Comment

                  • oldtiffie
                    Member
                    • Nov 1999
                    • 3963

                    #10
                    Most earth-leakage detection devices have a "test" feature which should be tested periodically.

                    Comment

                    • gundog
                      Senior Member
                      • May 2004
                      • 1030

                      #11
                      Sounds like an open service neutral. GFI will not work when the neutral is open, you may have and open neutral or ground and have a short on the hot leg to that neutral or ground connection. I would have someone out now looking at it. It is a free call to your power provider fires can and do get started as well as other appliances being affected. I have repaired many of these working for the power company over the years it could be on your side of the service or it could be on the Power providers side.

                      Mike

                      Comment

                      • rock_breaker
                        Senior Member
                        • Oct 2009
                        • 298

                        #12
                        Check safety features

                        Good point Oldtiffe !

                        The only super feeling I got after getting hit by a magneto spark system was super wet pants.

                        Comment

                        • lakeside53
                          Senior Member
                          • Nov 2007
                          • 10511

                          #13
                          BF -just so everyone in the USA doesn't wander off into the weeds, post some info about your grinder and electrical system.

                          Was it running from 3 phase or just derriving 220 from three phase (by referencing neutral)?

                          Is it "double Insulated" or does your plug have a ground lead?

                          If you have grounded grinder, and the ground is continguous from the grinder case to the plug, then from the plug (or extension cord) to the service ground, then you can't get big shock for the case. Start there... Simple multimeter will work.


                          As for GFCI... these are supposed to be checked regularly (but who does?). Over the years I've found (literally) armfulls of bad GFCI. Today (USA) they are required to fail open, but until a few years ago, they could (and did) fail closed. "Failure" is not always deterministic though.


                          Open the grinder and check the winding - I've seen some "shocking" repairs
                          Last edited by lakeside53; 02-20-2012, 12:39 PM.

                          Comment

                          • danlb
                            Senior Member
                            • Nov 2008
                            • 7994

                            #14
                            Do not touch anything else that is on the same circuit. They may also have live frames if your ground has come loose and become 'hot'.

                            Dan
                            At the end of the project, there is a profound difference between spare parts and left over parts.

                            Location: SF East Bay.

                            Comment

                            • Black Forest
                              Senior Member
                              • Jan 2010
                              • 8984

                              #15
                              My right arm is much more swollen than my left. I was holding my right arm a little while ago and the wife came over and was feeling my right arm in the tricep region. It is the most swollen. Then she felt my left arm and it is not so swollen as the right. She smiles and asks me if I couldn't touch my dick to the frame also! We both had a great laugh over that one.
                              Location: The Black Forest in Germany

                              How to become a millionaire: Start out with 10 million and take up machining as a hobby!

                              Comment

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