Can someone get a fatal electric shock from an exposed household light wire?

Question

If a household light has exposed wire & is turned on can someone get a fatal shock from it?

Answer 1

Hell yeah. But its not the voltage that kills... its the amps.

If you touch a hot wire... even at a typical household 110 volts, you'll get a moderate to strong shock --- depending on how the contact is made. E.g. brushing up against a few strands of a hot wire vs. grabbing hold of charged wire with your whole hand.

The fatal part would occur in the event that, by touching the hot wire you complete (and become part of) a closed circuit. That would happen if, for example, while standing barefoot on top of a washing machine (the metal cabinet is grounded) you touch the hot contact of a light socket while changing a bulb. This can be fatal. Isn't always, but can be.

The 15amp circuit will trip when you have about 12 amps flowing through you. Or, if you have happened upon a 20amp circuit, you feel about 16 amps. Ouch. Depending on the circumstances, the flow of electricity will HOLD you in place (can't move) until the breaker goes.

By constrast, a GFI protected circuit (like the outlets in your bathroom) will cut the power as soon as it detects that the flow of electricity coming in through the hot wire is greater than the flow returning through the neutral wire (as in the case of completing a circuit through a person and then through the metal cabinet of a washing machine OR through your grounded household plumbing.) If the GFI circuit is wired properly (and in good working order) it will trip well before enough current is present to kill.

Trying to remove a broken light bulb? Turn off the switch and the controlling breaker? Still not sure? They sell current detectors as Home Depot and Lowes. Shaped like a pen, the detector will beep and lightup even if it gets near an insulated hot wire. This is an absolute must-have for any household repair involving electricity. They cost about $8.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 2

First and foremost get the switch repaired immediately. Second, there will not be any harm to you as you are still alive and asked the question. Now let's speak something technically, The electric shock we get depends on only the amount of current that passes through our body. That means the resistance our body offers with / without insulation. If we use plastic shoe ( not leather shoe ) or stand on a dry wooden chair the total system will offer more resistance and we will be able to safely touch live parts. You must have seen professional technicians working on high voltage line wearing gloves. But be cautious they are trained for that. You must have seen birds sitting on high voltage transmission line without getting electrocuted. They are safe there as they are sitting on the live wire without touching the ground thus not completing the electric circuit. But safety always come first. Don't play with electricity. (Just for your information I am an electrical engineer and received several electric shock in my life due to my own negligence ( you can say over confidence ))

Answer 3

First off household current (120 volts)from a light bulb will NOT stop your heart it will however send you into ventricular fibrillation . The only way to get you ack is with a difibrillator that the paramedics use. If you get in contact with 220 volts that will stop your heart, and if you are not in contact with the electricty for a long peroid of time and you are luckey your heart will restart on it own. Keep in mind the circut breaker is not there to protect people it protects the circut. It only takes one tenth of one amp to KILL you,it also depends on the path that hte electricty takes

Answer 4

House hold electricity is called A.C. Meaning alternating current. AC electricity can stop your hart at a vary low rate , if hit in the right way.

Answer 5

A Little known fact 110volt can kill you easily, 110volt grabs you and locks your muscle's, where 220volt can kill you, does it the same way but faster, heck a 9volt battery can kill you if it hits you at the precise time and conditions are right, all's it takes is 77hundredths of a volt to stop the heart.

Answer 6

It would be really rare, I mean the person would really have to try. The amount in the voltage in a home is low, plus has breakers so being fatal would be hard, unless the person has a heart condition, old, got shocked and fell off a lader, or standing in alot of water, then they might die.

Answer 7

Yes , household current is more than enough to kill you, but you would have to be well grounded, like touching a pipe or concrete floor or wet floor.

Answer 8

If they are standing in water. Otherwise just get a good heart pumping shock.

Answer 9

They will probably just get a painful shock. I don't know about fatal.

Answer 10

Nick Parker and Jamie Williams asked the same question. You should see their answers side by side.