she wants to know why she isn't dead
2006-07-22 20:15:09 · 8 answers · asked by Stephanie w 3 in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
A heater falling into a bathtub used to be a probably fatal event. That's why it is required, by the electrical code, that all bathrooms have Ground Fault Interrupters (GFI) on their plugs. A GFI detects sudden current surges caused by a short circuit and trips, just like your surge protector, or a circuit breaker. That's why your mother is still alive.
The Mythbusters, a show on the Discovery Channel, tested to see if a heater dropped into a bath tub would kill someone, and they found out in a old house without GFI plugs that, yes it would be enough current to kill the person in the tub.
So your mother came within a hairs breath of death. If that little switch hadn’t tripped then she would he playing her harp upstairs right now. Don’t let the heater sit anywhere near the tub. Next time get a wooden or steel chair and have her put the heater on that, close to the tub, but not next to it.
2006-07-22 20:27:23 · answer #1 · answered by Dan S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The electricity follows the easiest path. as soon at both the negative and positive electrodes were immersed in water, the electricity would have jumped between them, but not through your mom because she is not the best conductor. As soon as it jumped it would have triggered the circuit breaker in the bathroom or the main circuit breaker.
The guy above me didnt take into account that in order to shock someone, you need to be grounded. if you arent grounded, you wont die.
I have a few hundred hours mig welding time, and I know that I can hold a piece of metal with thousands of watts flowing through it because its grounded and I am not.
2006-07-22 20:28:37 · answer #2 · answered by Doggzilla 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
why in the heck does she have the heater on in the summer????
Was she TRYING to kill herself? Tel her to use a blow dryer next time. Less obvious!
2006-07-22 20:20:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Plain and simple....she is very very lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell her to count her blessings and keep the heater away next time she may not be so lucky! Good luck.
2006-07-22 20:18:52 · answer #4 · answered by Simply Spoken 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe she really IS dead and just in denial about it.
2006-07-22 20:19:02 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
umm... i'm sorry but that's really funny...!
well, tell her to b glad for the second chance, if this story is indeed true.
LMAO
2006-07-22 20:17:55 · answer #6 · answered by X box lady(who doesnt play Xbox) 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They say god protects fools and drunks.
HAHAHA
2006-07-22 20:30:34 · answer #7 · answered by drudude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cuz she wasn't meant to die yet.
2006-07-22 20:20:35 · answer #8 · answered by Cy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋