I have just electrocuted myself
Posted by: Mick P on 07 January 2005
Chaps
Being retired I have the time to do all those little jobs around the house at great liesure.
Today I decided to trim all the overgrown plants in the fish pond. I was snipping away at some weeds with scissors about 3" under the water when a jolt went through my body and I realised that I had accidently cut through an electric cable that powered the water fountain.
I have since repaired the cable, I was fortunate that the cable had plenty of spare length, but Mrs Mick asked if the shock would have killed the fish.
The pond holds 2000 gallons and is rubber butyl so the pond is not earthed as such.
I cannot see any fish swimming but to be fair they lie at the bottom this time of year so I do not see them anyway.
Question
As the cable was cut under the water, do any ofyou electrical bods think the fish have had their chips so to speak.
Regards
Mick
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by matthewr
Let me the first to say that I am shocked and saddened to learn that someone we have all looked up to as a moral beacon is nothing more than a common or garden Fish Murderer!
Matthew
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Joe Petrik
Mick,
If the fish you keep are a particular species of eel, they're OK. In fact, they're probably just waiting for you to drop your guard so they can return the favour. Expect a rather nasty shock in the 600- to 1000-volt range.
[And now some useful advice...]
Even if your pond isn't earthed your fish can be zapped. All that's needed is a path for the current to travel through and since one of the wires in the cord is live and the other is neutral, you have such a path. You're obviously OK, but the fish may not be because they were fully immersed in the path and had no chance to escape.
Electricity is sometimes used to stun fish, so even if yours were zapped and are now unconscious, they may be fine. Just give it a few minutes to see if any are floating bell up. If not, they're fine.
Joe
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Mick P
Matthew
I am not very happy about it myself.
Some of the fish are 7 years old and I cannot detect if they are dead or still alive.
Does the electricity spread throughout the water as it were.
I don't need you going on. I am getting it in the neck from Mrs Mick
Regards
Mick
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Matthew T
Mick,
Glad to hear that you are OK. I have had a couple of mains voltage shocks and it is quite an experience though not one I would recommmend.
I would guess that the easeist earth for the mains before the fuse would have been (I presume the fuse went, ideally you would have a circuit breaker on anything outdoors in case of such events) would have been you and the scissors so the fish may well be ok, rubber lined pond without any leaks etc. I thought dead fish usual float so unless you have any local carrion that sneaked in whilst Mrs Mick was tending you following your trauma they are probably lurking at the bottom.
What you did!Matthew
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by matthewr
Mick,
Fish, to avoid lots of annoying sinking, are essentially quite buoyant. Hence if they were dead I am fairly sure that they would all be floating on the surface.
Matthew
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by garyi
Mabye the lead was on the better side of the power and was running at 12 volts or something, were you thrown back, or was it just a bit painful.
As Matthew says they would all be looking at the world from a different angle if they is 'swimming wiv the fishes' as it were.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by andy c
Hi Mick,
thnak god for Ac current eh.
I once was called to an industrial accident whereby dc current of a high voltage was being used. The poor chap was cooked from the inside as DC causes muscles to constrict and he could not let go of said electrical item.
Thankfully AC chucks you off, so to speak.
I think your fish will be en'lightened', nothing more, if they ain't floating etc
andy c!
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Rockingdoc
Using cutting tools under water with the mains on. This is a joke, right? I mean it would be stretching credibility in an ITV sitcom.
On the other hand, perhaps I can see a new character in Little Britain.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Mick P
Chaps
It is now 2 hours since the electrocution and I have just seen 4 of them swimming about.
Hopefully the others are ok.
I rather fancied the idea of BBQ'ed goldfish.
Regards
Mick
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Mick P
Rockingdoc
I can see the funny side of it now but at the time it was worrying.
I was using Mrs Micks drapery (all metal) scissors to cut some over grown weeds and a cables was in the middle of it.
Regards
Mick
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Joe Petrik
Sorry to be such a pedant -- actually, I'm not sorry -- but electrocute means to kill or execute with electricity.
Just a bugbear of mine.
Joe
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Matthew T
So not only did you nearly manage to kill the fish but you where using Mrs Micks scissors - in the pond!
Got to be bad news.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly
Joe
I get through 60 fags a day.....
Regards
Mike
Spending money I don't have on things I don't need.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Joe Petrik
Mike,
Me no understand.
Joe
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by JonR
quote:
Originally posted by mike lacey:
Joe
I get through 60 fags a day.....
Regards
Mike
More since that cab bill eh, Mike??
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Steve2701
You use 240 volts mains electric in the garden WITHOUT RCD protection??? whoops.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly
Joe
just me being a smart ass ( ie a clever donkey ) and pointing out that we share a common language except for the words we use in different ways.
Fags over there: gays. Fags over here: cigarettes.
Mick is at the forefront of the English language and is pushing the boundaries of our native tongue.
You are watching etymology in action. All just of Junction 14 of the M4, and no doubt complete with an Afro hairstyle.
Regards
Mike
Spending money I don't have on things I don't need.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Rasher
I can't see that the fish end of the pump would be more than 12 volts anyway; you wouldn't get 240 volts going to a submerged pump. My mother was very particular about her dressmaking scissors, couldn't even use them to cut paper because it would dull the edge; and there you are in the garden Mick, doing the gardening with them? Is this the same Mick Parry or an imposter? I can't believe this is true. Where is the real Mick Parry? What have you done with him?
I could understand a change in character after electric shock treatment, but not before leading up to it. We may have a self fulfilling time warp situation here.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Tarquin Maynard - Portly
quote:
Originally posted by Mick Parry:
As the cable was cut under the water, do any ofyou electrical bods think the fish have had their chips so to speak.
Mick
Naim chips, obviously.
Linn Skeets LOOK the same, but hey.
Regards
Mike
Spending money I don't have on things I don't need.
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Joe Petrik
Mike,
quote:
just me being a smart ass ( ie a clever donkey ) and pointing out that we share a common language except for the words we use in different ways.
Actually, I thought you were making a comment about British vs American English with the 60 fags comment. I was confused because both my Oxford English dictionary (authority on UK English) and my Webster's dictionary (authority on American English) say that
electrocute means to kill with electricity and that the word was coined by combining ELECTRO with (EXE)CUTE.
So, that's why me confused.
Joe
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by blythe
quote:
Originally posted by Rasher:
I can't see that the fish end of the pump would be more than 12 volts anyway; you wouldn't get 240 volts going to a submerged pump.
Correction; yes you CAN have 240 volts going to a submerged pump - the larger ones (rather than the cheap B&Q variety) run on 240 volts. I have 2 such beasts!
Also, I'm with Joe on this Mick; you're writing remarkably well for someone who's dead!
(Electroction = death by electric shock)
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by JonR
quote:
Originally posted by blythe:
(Electroction = death by electric shock)
Now there's an interesting word...
How about this then:-
Electro
cution = death by
cutting (a wire??)
JR
PS: Well,
I thought it was funny...
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by blythe
Oops! Slight typo - maybe I was thinking of lyposuction or something
Computers are supposed to work on 1's and 0's - in other words "Yes" or "No" - why does mine frequently say "Maybe"?......
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by Rasher
But Mick would have known there was a wire there, but Mortimer obviously doesn't. So having done away with Mick and taking Mick's place, unknown to Mrs Mick, why is he trimming the grass around the pond in the depths of winter, eh? Something fishy here. What clues remain around the pond. Mrs Mick complaining obviously forced Mortimer to post here to act out what Mick would have done.
Do we call the cops now or solve this first?
Maybe Mortimer was hoping to electrocute the fish, giving an excuse to get in there and dredge it out - for, say, the murder weapon??
Posted on: 07 January 2005 by long-time-dead
Wouldn't Mick have had one of his servants tidy the pond ?
Signature - surely it's just a Naim ?
