Dropping a Laptop into a filled Bathtub

So I am sitting in the bathtub, which is full of water, and I am watching a video on my laptop, which happens to be perched precariously on the edge of the tub. The laptop isn’t plugged into the charger. Somehow it accidentally falls into the tub. I don’t think there is enough juice to cause me any real harm. It will likely ruin the laptop, depending on how long it remains submerged, but I doubt it would result in anything more than a mild electrical shock.

But what happens if the laptop is plugged into the charger, which is turn is plugged into the wall and is fully energized?

Since the laptop end of the charger is only supplying 20 volts DC @ 3.25 amps I don’t think it could electrocute me, however I would probably feel an electrical shock of some kind. Am I right about that?

Probably not.
There’s no electrical path from the laptop to ground (the power supply is isolated). So, you would just end up with a ruined laptop. Sorry to disappoint you.

Most bathrooms have GFCI receptacles. If you have these it will “trip” when and if it shorts. Still I don’t think the output of the charger would be enough to cause any real harm to you, unless the in-line transformer fell into the tub too.

You won’t be hurt.

It takes a least 42VDC to kill a human being. 20VDC will “bite” you, but it won’t cause any lasting harm. To prevent having to replace even an inexpensive laptop however, you may want to place it on the toilet seat lid (assuming that you are in an American bathroom and watch it from there going forward.

Or buy a cheap tablet and go to town.

Naw, you wouldn’t get an electrical shock. If it fell on you at an angle, an edge might cause a red mark on your skin. Or you might slip and fall when you get up to take the laptop somewhere to dry it out. I’d start by burying it in uncooked rice. And trying to figure out what you want to replace it with.

Here’s an electric story just for you, dolphinboy.

We had some real electric wires down in a real dolphin tank during Hurricane Iwa, Honolulu, in November, 1982. There were telephone poles nearby, and the uninsulated wires were blowing against each other in the rain, creating huge showers of sparks in the air. There was a large fuse at the top on one of the poles, which glowed red each time that happened.

We called for the utility to shut down the power, which required them to send a crew out with a cherry picker to pull a huge switch, also mounted near the top of the pole. Eventually they came and did that, but of course, they were overwhelmed with calls from all over the city.

At some point, the wires blew down into the dolphin tank. I think it was just low-power telephone wires, not high-power wires; or in any case the power was off anyway. I don’t remember if that was before or after the crew came out and pulled the high-power switch. The wires floating in the tank, of course, were just some new entertaining toys for the dolphins to play with.

But the utility sent out a radio call to their field crew to come out and shut the power, which I guess the news media or someone was listening to. The story got out that our dolphins had gotten electrocuted, which I heard tell was on the local news that night.

The hurricane did substantial damage to the lab. We had to move the dolphins out for a few weeks to do a fair amount of rebuilding.

ETA: Also, at some point before the power was shut off, I went outside the main door, which required me to walk underneath those wires. The air was full of salt spray that the hurricane had kicked up, and everything was very wet. I could literally feel the electricity jangling me as I walked under those wires.

baywolf is wrong. due to the fact that DC voltage supplies a constant flow, unlike it’s close cousin AC. the probabilities that the current stored in the rectifier has potential to be either, and the fact that the hydrogen content of the selenium rectifier can vary based upon the given circumstances of semi conductors placed therin, you would most likely get the living shit knocked right out of you. but hey, give it a whirl

remember terminal velocity bitches?

wrong dip shit. the voltage is not a factor. You have been spending too much time on the internet reading. There is no SET value of voltage that can kill. It depends totally on the circumstances. Current is the REAL life stealing bandit in ANY scenario. You shouldn’t give the public info on things you don’t know about. I am a licensed electrician and speak from experience. in fact, dc has more potential to do harm than AC. This is because direct current is just that! DIRECT! as is my post

looking to get banned and loving it! what is taking so long. you guys sleeping or what?

Conduct yourself, man.

wrong again dummy! the gfci will not sense the variation between the hot and neutral as it is on the output side of the xfmr. gfci’s are designed to trip upon the detection of the unbalanced load between the hot and neutral conductor on the AC (input) side of the incoming power. Beings the dc (output) side is in the water, the gfci cannot detect ANY variation due to the fact the xfmr, the bridge rectifier, and any internal fusing wont let it. more idiots giving info to the public that is wrong, wrong, WRONG

sorry, but I am not a conductor,… but copper is. as is aluminum. guess you could say I am a resistor

how the hell would you know? did you have your multimeter in the tub with him? with probes IN HAND? shouldnt comment on things you know NOTHING about! this dude could die because of your incompetence

never was much of a conductor. consider myself more of a resistor

Hey!
We have spambots posting now!

Shocking!

/too soon?

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