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My uncle the electrician swore his trick for testing outlets was safe, then I got zapped hard enough to see stars.
He said to just touch the hot wire with one finger and the neutral with the other to see if it's live, but on a 120v circuit in my basement last Saturday my hand clamped down and I couldn't let go for what felt like forever - has anyone else had a shock that taught you to never trust old-timer electrical advice?
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morgan91518h agoMost Upvoted
120 volts can definitely lock your hand up like that, it's not about the voltage but the pathway through your chest. Even dry hands can get you a serious jolt if you're grounded well enough. So your uncle wasn't completely wrong about testing, but touching both wires like that is a straight path across your heart and not worth any shortcut.
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rosep8719h ago
Honestly though, his trick kinda works if you know what you're doing. The real problem is you touched both wires at once instead of just testing one against ground like the old timers actually mean. Did you have wet hands or something?
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