# Have You ever Felt 110 volts ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486 "2011-12-17T01:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/21 "2011-12-17T04:09:11Z")
I’m terrified of electricity and try to avoid playing with it, so I’ve so far avoided shocking myself. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/22 "2011-12-17T04:16:19Z")
My HS physics teacher explained to us that it was amps to watch out for, not necessarily volts. So he “shocked” us with huge amounts of volts, and we could barely feel a tingle. He used hardly any amps. As for household current, yeah, I’ve been briefly shocked. It sucks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/23 "2011-12-17T04:43:16Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > North America and Japan use 110v, the rest of the world uses 220-240v. So you really should have included that in the poll. > > I didn’t answer because I haven’t been zapped with 110, but I **have** zapped myself with 240. It, uh, gets your attention, that’s for sure. If you’ve been zapped by 220 volts, then you’ve beem zapped by 110 twice at the same time. But you are right. I wish I had expanded the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/24 "2011-12-17T04:43:49Z")
Peed on the electric fence. Peed blood for a week. Household 110 - too many times to count. Household 220 - twice too many times. Household 110 with step-up transformer that threw me across the room - just the once. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/25 "2011-12-17T04:52:30Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Peed on the electric fence. Peed blood for a week. > > Household 110 - too many times to count. > > Household 220 - twice too many times. > > Household 110 with step-up transformer that threw me across the room - just the once. We have a winner 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/26 "2011-12-17T04:56:12Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Nearly electrocuted myself when I was about 8. I decided to vacuum the car while standing barefoot in a puddle of water. The last thing I remember before I lost consciousness was my dad running towards me from the garage. Then I had a dream that he was holding the vacuum to my mouth, which turned out to be him giving me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. honourable mention 🙂 I mean you nearly died if not for your dad. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/27 "2011-12-17T04:56:52Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > North America and Japan use 110v, the rest of the world uses 220-240v. So you really should have included that in the poll. > > I didn’t answer because I haven’t been zapped with 110, but I **have** zapped myself with 240. It, uh, gets your attention, that’s for sure. North American residences (usually) get 240 VAC split single phase into the panel; inside the panel it’s divided into two “branches”. from each branch to neutral it’s ~110/120 VAC, and across both branches it’s ~220/240VAC which is what supplies electric ranges and clothes dryers. BTW, Japan uses 100 VAC. I have some (bulky) step-down transformers at work for some old Japanese audio equipment which have power supplies requiring 100 VAC input. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/28 "2011-12-17T05:19:46Z")
I worked at an arcade in the 80’s and I needed to change fuses every now and then on the machines. Like the dumbass that I was I forgot once or twice to unplug the machine first. I have been hit with both 110 and 220v power. The 110 stung a little, the 220 had a hell of a kick. So much that I could barely feel my arm for about an hour or so. Don’t try this at home. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/29 "2011-12-17T05:26:55Z")
My pet mouse’s (Susie) cage was near a cord and she nibbled through the plastic just enough to zap me when I went to unplug it. It’s an amazing feeling only being able to think and not move. The electric fence hurt more but was less disturbing. I learned to assume every fence was electrified. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/30 "2011-12-17T06:45:35Z")
I’m not sure how many volts are in a light switch, but I felt that a couple times as a kid. The switchplate on our bathroom light broke and it took a few days to replace it, and I just flipped up the switch without thinking about it. Got a nasty jolt up my whole arm, but it didn’t hurt exactly. It felt like a weird fast vibration and then my arm twitched for a minute, then it was fine. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/31 "2011-12-17T06:51:11Z")
when people touch the electrical mains, 100/110/120/220/240 V, and feel anything from a tingle to something less than dying it was because they didn’t form a good path through vital parts to an earth ground. in most cases that was just pure luck. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/32 "2011-12-17T07:12:14Z")
Yes, deliberately. When I was six or seven in the US, all my friends at school had had a shock and I wanted one too, so I stuck one of my mother’s knitting needles in the hole. Hand flew away of its own accord and there was a dull feeling of WTF in my arm and body that I will never forget. Didn’t do that again. When we were little my evil uncle made all us cousins hold hands - seven of us - then he held hands with the nearest end of the chain and grabbed an electric fence. It was fucking hilarious. It was battery-run though and I don’t know what voltage. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/33 "2011-12-17T07:26:18Z")
When I was a little kid I stepped on an extension cord that had a cut in the insulation. It sucked. It sucked _so_ bad. When I was old enough to know better I touched the prongs of a plug I was trying to pull out of the wall. It sucked too but not as bad as stepping on the extension cord. There’s another thread going right now about tasting a 9-volt battery, I think everybody should try that once, but I wouldn’t recommend 120v to anybody, much less 220v. Thank God I learned at an early age not to do what Larry Mudd did. God bless you [Ren & Stimpy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csnCmsfimZA&feature=related). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/34 "2011-12-17T09:43:28Z")
Yes - 240v (UK) mains electricity on several occasions in my life - felt like being grabbed by an enormous, vicious bee. Electric sheep fence felt like being kicked hard in the hand. I’ve also accidentally touched the HT connection to a spark plug (on a lawmower where the method of stopping the engine was to bend a metal strip down onto the top of the spark plug) - that was like being hit with a mallet. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/35 "2011-12-17T10:49:20Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Yes, I used to deliberately shock myself on electric fences a lot as a kid (we lived in an area with lots of livestock) and would to see how much voltage I could take. I’ve also shocked myself playing with outlets but I don’t know what the voltage was. More recently I’ve had fun with a TENS unit and a taser. > > I don’t find the sensation of an electrical shock unpleasant or painful (of course I’ve never had one which caused burns, etc). It feels cool and is exhilarating. Your last name wouldn’t happen to be Addams? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/36 "2011-12-17T11:08:41Z")
I used to work as an electronics technician, back in the days when valves were used. Managed to get bitten a number of times from anode caps, 600V DC - sort of wakes you up. I’ve also been nibbled by EHT insulation testers, these put out very large voltages but there is very little power, still don’t recommend the experience. I only got a 40KV appetiser, but there was a 60KV setting available. ---
**Author:** ![studmuffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@studmuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/studmuffin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/37 "2011-12-17T11:28:08Z")
I claim the prize [alongside anyone else who is familiar with old car engines] taking the sparkplug connector off while the engine is running can lead to 40 000 -100 000 volts running up your arm. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/38 "2011-12-17T11:33:25Z")
> [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](#): > > My HS physics teacher explained to us that it was amps to watch out for, not necessarily volts. You need both. You can grab both poles of a car battery and feel nothing (as long as you don’t have open, gushing wounds on your hands), despite it being capable of hundreds of amps. On the other hand, the little static shocks you get on winter days are tens of thousands of volts, but close to zero current, and so aren’t dangerous. Dry skin has a pretty high resistance. So for electricity to be dangerous, you need enough voltage that a reasonably high current is possible, and of course a high enough source current to support that. Of course it also depends on where you get shocked. 10 kV @ 100 A across your fingers on the same hand will blow off your hand, but probably won’t kill you. Also, things are different if the skin is broken. We’re basically bags of salt water, and salt water is quite conductive. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/39 "2011-12-17T11:42:26Z")
When I was a farm kid we’d have contests to see who could hold onto an electric fence wire the longest. I was never the winner. My little brother, like **rhubarbarin** , claimed to enjoy the sensation. 110 many times. 220 once, when I stupidly tried fixing something on the dryer without unplugging it first. My hand buzzed for hours afterwards. Not pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486/40 "2011-12-17T11:45:28Z")
Well, since I’m in Australia it was 240 volts. Worst part was that it was a rental property and I was attempting to repair an external light just to save the fuss of getting the property manager’s approved electrician in to fix it. I thought I had taken the proper precautions, but clearly not. Needless to say that once I said, “Oh bother!” (or words to that effect) I left it to the trained dude. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-felt-110-volts/606486.md?page=3)