ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Mole man electrocuted

1. A three phase installation is regarded as the absolute standard here in Germany. No resonable electric cooking is possible without it.

2. The incident happened in the former GDR (check Google maps for "Zingst", although the guy originates from Berlin), and there you will still often find TN-C installations without any RCD protection.

3. It does not need much current at 400 V to kill you with a weak heart.

If he was indeed an electrician, as Tex says, he would have known enough to disable any RCD device fitted anyway, otherwise his cunning device of driving spikes into the mounds wouldn't have killed him. Wolfgang already pointed out last year the high resistance of earth rods, so the current flow between phases could have been substantial.

Hans Moleman [ from The Simpsons ] is just one of many famous moles, such as Mole from Wind in the Willows, Bottles from the Nintendo 64 game, the Pokémon mole Diglett, [ who evolves into Dugtrio then back again- don't go there!], the Berlin 3 phase Mole and the much loved " little Gentleman in black velvet" that killed the hated King William [ of Orange ] III in 1702 by tripping up his horse at Hampton Court. In fact, thanks to ECN, you now know more famous moles than you do Belgians!

Leave our moles alone!

Alan

Indeed, most Eastern European countries almost exclusively used TN-C to save metal (I've seen that recently at the Slovakian Hotel where I spent last week, the 4 star hotel had receptacles falling out of the wall...) unless the distribution system was/is (some areas of Berlin) 3x220V without neutral.

I assume if there even was an RCD he bypassed it /it wasn't working anyway (some of the Germans at the Elektronikforum even commented:"Most likely he took out that stupid thing that keeps tripping all the time!") and there was not enough current flow to trip an old 16A MCB or fuse. Maybe he didn't even get the rods into the ground before killing himself.

A scary idea anyway!

Regarding the more humourous topic of moles:

Ok, if that guy was a construction foreman and not an electrician it doesn't really surprise me as much... after all, I witnessed construction guys trying to burn down my very own house using horribly butchered extension cords about ten years ago... they DID succed setting it on fire and then blame the house wiring!
The official cause never got out, but I'm pretty sure it was said extension cord, having more tape than actual insulation and running under a big cardboard box right through the center of the fire.

Ok I am going against the grain here but I used to do this regularily to get worms out of the ground when I was a kid and i am still alive. We regularily took a cord and a couple of coat hangars stuck in the ground about 5 feet apart and plug it in and wait till the worms came out of the ground. We used 120 volts and I think we wore shoes too. Never blew a fuse and there was no GFI then. Also cooked hot dogs this way too using 2 nails and a zip cord. If our German friend was using 480 or 380 volts I can see this being a greater hazard just for step voltages but I doubt you would blow a breaker. 380 volts at 25 ohms give around 15 amps. Stay 20 to 30 feet away from the electrodes and watch the ground smoke. Ok it is damn dangerous and I would not recomend anyone try it but it could have been done without killing anyone. Did anyone report weather he made contact with the electrodes or was he standing between them and was shocked by step potentials? It is not just morbid curiosity as I am a little surprised he would have been killed with rubber soled shoes. Was he kneeling? there needs to be a good potential difference and quite a lowering of normal contact skin resistance. Sure if he put the electrodes 5 feet apart the step voltages could be quite high 150 volts in 1 step.

I doubt whether the precise details are known, unless there was some burning or other evidence to show exactly what happened. The report just says that he was found dead lying next to the cable and spikes.

The 380-volts was most likely from two phases in his house (European homes often have 3-ph services), in which case it would have been 220V from each hot wire to ground.

Any kids [ or adult Darwin Award Nominees ] reading this, using 120v and coat hangers to get worms, [ or for that matter moles, rattlesnakes, rabbits from Albercoykee, coal miners or hermits ], is not recommended. You might end up in a thread like this as your obit!

Here's what I used to do as a lad to get nice big juicy worms for a spot of night barbel fishing on the Thames. [ Which was BTW illegal but just added to the fun! ] On damp warm nights the worms come half way out of their holes in lawns, [no idea why]. Sneak up with a lamp and grab one- you have to be nimble as they move surprisingly fast! Pull firmly but not so hard as to snap the worm, and eventually it will tire and come out. Be selective- pick the biggest. If it's not damp weather and the worms are staying in for the evening, make up a thin pourable mustard and water mix. Look for a big wormcast and pour some mix down the hole. Out pops the worm- jeez that must sting! A quick wash in water, [ no need to be cruel ] and into the bait tin. Keep worms under a damp sack in a box if not using immediately.
BTW don't use salt or brine, as it kills both the worms and the lawn!

Alan

You will keep us informed of any Ossi jokes that come of this incident won't you Tex?

Ouch, you're mean!
So far I haven't heard any.