Will I die?

[dbase]

You did what I would have done when plugging into a receptacle with no ground socket.... you cut the ground pin off the cord...problem solved

 

[agedhorse]

One

You did what I would have done when plugging into a receptacle with no ground socket.... you cut the ground pin off the cord...problem solved

One problem solved, other more serious problems created.

What has happened to basic education???

 

[Mushroo]

True, but if you’re around for that kind of timeframe, getting sucked into a black hole and issues from the collision of the Milky Way and Andromeda shouldn’t be discounted as significant threats

Every night before I go to bed, I look up at the Andromeda Galaxy, and it fills me with the sense of dread I need to get a good night's sleep.

 

[lermgalieu]

You will die, but probably not from that.

 

[AudioTaper]

One of the coolest statements I have heard in a long time!

It's a great song too. Check out the 2015 Wembly Arena clip on YouTube if you have 20 minutes to spare

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I dont know the current draw, but I've been running a massive dehumidifier for days at a time off a busted cord with no ground. Zero issues. Thing gets hot for sure. The cord doesn't tho. If my stuff hasn't burned down I doubt yours will.

Yeah, well basically, that ground doesn't do much of anything until there's a problem that shorts things out and then it sends the excess current to ground instead of into you. As long as things are working well, they will continue to work with that prong cut off, but it's like driving a car without a seatbelt (or airbags). Everything is fine up until the crash.

 

[Glennbassmann]

Not if you're wearing a mask before you plug it in....

 

[Killing Floor]

Update? Did you die?

 

[Rip Van Dan]

@agedhorse Andy, help me save some lives here. This is 100% false. What’s the figure that can stop the heart, like a tenth of an amp?
(It’s the amps/current, not the voltage)
I’ve been lit up by an old Fender amp and the 2-prong non-polarized power plug. Not fun, my arm tingled for days.

Please, no more Darwin awards. Repair that power cable or toss it.

Actually @agedhorse, if you could tell us at what amperage and current 110v can kill you that would certainly be appreciated.

1969 was the first time that UL required grounded plugs on major appliances. And, if I recall correctly, it wasn't until the 70's that the 3-hole grounded plugs and outlets became common. I was in my 20's at the time and my '66 Bassman certainly did NOT have a grounded plug. Can't remember if my '71 Standel did or not.

And for the OP, yes, absolutely repair or replace that power cable.

 

[AudioTaper]

Update? Did you die?

It's been almost 2 minutes and he didn't reply. I'm assuming he died.

 

[Killing Floor]

Rock! Just made $5 in the TB death pool!

 

[micguy]

Every night before I go to bed, I look up at the Andromeda Galaxy, and it fills me with the sense of dread I need to get a good night's sleep.

The description I heard recently of the day the Chicxulub asteroid hit might be more effective in the dread department. 3 hours after initial impact, the fine ejecta particles from impact descend, heating the atmosphere to...900 degrees. Everything on land, roasted.

 

[agedhorse]

Actually @agedhorse, if you could tell us at what amperage and current 110v can kill you that would certainly be appreciated.

1969 was the first time that UL required grounded plugs on major appliances. And, if I recall correctly, it wasn't until the 70's that the 3-hole grounded plugs and outlets became common. I was in my 20's at the time and my '66 Bassman certainly did NOT have a grounded plug. Can't remember if my '71 Standel did or not.

And for the OP, yes, absolutely repair or replace that power cable.

Very, very good question.

The safety regulatory agencies use "standard body models" which are fairly representative of, well, the "average body"...

So much depends on the contact resistance between the skin and the source and the skin and the ground. For mildly sweaty skin (say a bass player, as opposed to a guitar player or drummer who may be sloppy sweaty), the contact resistance is roughly 1000 -10,000 ohms. The internal body resistance is typically about 250 ohms (depends somewhat on the path length).

To calculate the "worst case" current, the circuit consists of a voltage source plus the load of 2 contact points and the body itself. Using Ohm's law, the current flowing through the body = V/Rtotal = 120/(1000 + 1000 + 250) = 120/2250 = 53mA which is well beyond the electrocution point and in fact beyond 20mA it's very hard (for 99% of people) to let go if you happen to be gripping say the bass strings.

(Now you could use the contact value 10k which is pretty high for a damp contact, but doing the math, 120/20250) = 6mA which probably won't electrocute you but for some people with health conditions may cause breathing or heart issues which could indirectly lead to death.

The point is that it is QUITE possible for somebody to become severely injured with the typical 120V that we see domestically. For 220-240V, the currents double, so yes this is more dangerous in the event of contact.

The grounding system does two things, it provides a dedicated path for the fault current to flow AND everything that's held at the same ground potential through the bonding requirements of the NEC (such as exposed metal, water and gas piping, building steel, CATV shields, steel in concrete and earth) will remain at the same potential so that there is no voltage differences between these objects under fault conditions. This is called equi-potential grounding, special attention is paid in pool installations, agricultural milking installations, etc.

Here's a very good and simple paper that describes what happens during an electric shock by the NIH (a science based organization): Invalid Link Removed

 

[beans-on-toast]

The amp is illegal with the ground pin removed. If it results in fire or bodily damage, your insurance won’t pay out. If the fire causes your neighbours place to burn down, you won’t have public liability coverage.

Go to a hardware store, buy and install a three prong plug. It isn’t worth not having it in place.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Very, very good question.

The safety regulatory agencies use "standard body models" which are fairly representative of, well, the "average body"...

So much depends on the contact resistance between the skin and the source and the skin and the ground. For mildly sweaty skin (say a bass player, as opposed to a guitar player or drummer who may be sloppy sweaty), the contact resistance is roughly 1000 -10,000 ohms. The internal body resistance is typically about 250 ohms (depends somewhat on the path length).

To calculate the "worst case" current, the circuit consists of a voltage source plus the load of 2 contact points and the body itself. Using Ohm's law, the current flowing through the body = V/Rtotal = 120/(1000 + 1000 + 250) = 120/2250 = 53mA which is well beyond the electrocution point and in fact beyond 20mA it's very hard (for 99% of people) to let go if you happen to be gripping say the bass strings.

(Now you could use the contact value 10k which is pretty high for a damp contact, but doing the math, 120/20250) = 6mA which probably won't electrocute you but for some people with health conditions may cause breathing or heart issues which could indirectly lead to death.

The point is that it is QUITE possible for somebody to become severely injured with the typical 120V that we see domestically. For 220-240V, the currents double, so yes this is more dangerous in the event of contact.

The grounding system does two things, it provides a dedicated path for the fault current to flow AND everything that's held at the same ground potential through the bonding requirements of the NEC (such as exposed metal, water and gas piping, building steel, CATV shields, steel in concrete and earth) will remain at the same potential so that there is no voltage differences between these objects under fault conditions. This is called equi-potential grounding, special attention is paid in pool installations, agricultural milking installations, etc.

Here's a very good and simple paper that describes what happens during an electric shock by the NIH (a science based organization): Invalid Link Removed

Thanks!!

 

[g-dude]

Very, very good question.

The safety regulatory agencies use "standard body models" which are fairly representative of, well, the "average body"...

So much depends on the contact resistance between the skin and the source and the skin and the ground. For mildly sweaty skin (say a bass player, as opposed to a guitar player or drummer who may be sloppy sweaty), the contact resistance is roughly 1000 -10,000 ohms. The internal body resistance is typically about 250 ohms (depends somewhat on the path length).

To calculate the "worst case" current, the circuit consists of a voltage source plus the load of 2 contact points and the body itself. Using Ohm's law, the current flowing through the body = V/Rtotal = 120/(1000 + 1000 + 250) = 120/2250 = 53mA which is well beyond the electrocution point and in fact beyond 20mA it's very hard (for 99% of people) to let go if you happen to be gripping say the bass strings.

(Now you could use the contact value 10k which is pretty high for a damp contact, but doing the math, 120/20250) = 6mA which probably won't electrocute you but for some people with health conditions may cause breathing or heart issues which could indirectly lead to death.

The point is that it is QUITE possible for somebody to become severely injured with the typical 120V that we see domestically. For 220-240V, the currents double, so yes this is more dangerous in the event of contact.

The grounding system does two things, it provides a dedicated path for the fault current to flow AND everything that's held at the same ground potential through the bonding requirements of the NEC (such as exposed metal, water and gas piping, building steel, CATV shields, steel in concrete and earth) will remain at the same potential so that there is no voltage differences between these objects under fault conditions. This is called equi-potential grounding, special attention is paid in pool installations, agricultural milking installations, etc.

Here's a very good and simple paper that describes what happens during an electric shock by the NIH (a science based organization): Invalid Link Removed

If I hadn’t already bought a Mesa TT-800, I’d totally put Mesa towards the top of the list due to contributions like this.

 

[Mushroo]

The description I heard recently of the day the Chicxulub asteroid hit might be more effective in the dread department. 3 hours after initial impact, the fine ejecta particles from impact descend, heating the atmosphere to...900 degrees. Everything on land, roasted.

Another cheerful thing to ponder is the Carrington Event of 1859. If something like that happened today, the astronauts in the ISS would be dead, airplanes would fall from the sky, electronic equipment would spontaneously combust, etc.

Carrington Event - Wikipedia

 

[Wfrance3]

Leviton Commercial and Residential Thermoplastic Ground/Straight Blade Plug 5-15P 18-12 AWG 2 - Ace Hardware

 

[g-dude]

The amp is illegal with the ground pin removed. If it results in fire or bodily damage, your insurance won’t pay out. If the fire causes your neighbours place to burn down, you won’t have public liability coverage.

Go to a hardware store, buy and install a three prong plug. It isn’t worth not having it in place.

Re: the insurance - maybe, maybe not. It all depends on the policy.

Of course, who actually reads their insurance policy. (Narrator: “You really should read it.”)

That being said, an insurance payout is never going to feel like an adequate replacement for the non-financial trouble that occurs when you have a claimable event.

 

[Indiana Mike]

One

One problem solved, other more serious problems created.

What has happened to basic education???

We had all all kinds of classes available in high school. From electricity to machine shop , auto repair , small engine , drafting ,design etc... these were optional. Encouraged, but optional.

We had finance classes , civics , home economics etc... , these were mandatory.

I find myself teaching my kids , now young adults or grown adults , things I learned in high school that they didn’t learn, because it wasn’t offered.

We were taught to adult.

I’m not sure what happened , but I’ve been pretty much self sufficient since 18-20 or so. It seems like that’s been pushed way out for the younger generations. Not blaming the younger generation, but feel somehow the older generation has possibly failed them in some ways.