ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Electrocution Question

As wierd as this topic might be, for a hypothetical example and discussion:

If you lowered a heater into water and assuming that the wire contacts were not shorted with water (held out of the water) what do you think would happen? I believe that it would just heat the water. I am not talking about touching the unit directly.

The elements in a WH have a ceramic coating on them,thus the actual wire heating elements are not in direct contact with the water.

Russell

Actually they are imbedded in a ceramic with a metal coating,but still not in direct contact with the water.

[This message has been edited by ga.sparky56 (edited 06-22-2003).]

I think a big factor is how much of the current passes through vital organs, and if you are in direct contact with a ground - electricity favors water over people.

(I'm not volunteering for a field test, however!)

I always thought that this is the very reason for GFI's in bathrooms and kitchens. I also thought that the water became energized when the appliance "leaked" current through the conductive water to the grounded drain of the tub/sink. I also though that the amount of current draw was rarely enough to trip/blow the OCPD and that the person stayed energized long enough to arrest heartbeat and breathing. Kind of like wrapping you had around a pulsing electric fence. The shock is not enough to kill you but you can't let go, breath, or much of anything else until the pulse shuts off.

Thom,- You would be the first to know if 240v was in direct contact inside your water heater.

There are what's called 'electrode' water heaters that use the water's resistance to heat it, neutral is bonded to the casing.

Chris

Hollywood did a decent rendition of this in the movie "Groundhog Day."

At a grounding seminar given by Mike Holt, he wanted to prove what a poor conductor water 'CAN BE'. So he took the cord cap where the projector was plugged into the extension cord and placed it into a pitcher of water. Then he looked to make sure he was not grounded and he picked up the pitcher and drank from it.
The circumstances of whether or not you may be electrocuted in this situation have too many variables to take the chance it may not happen, just don't do it!

Pierre