Electrical Question

[phgnome]

Hi. This is not a politics-related question. I'm just trying to change the light in my kitchen and I have no one to ask.

I'm trying to change the light in my kitchen and detached the light from the ceiling. I just realized that I didn't have a pair of wire cutters. Is it a good idea to just cut the wire with scissors (they have plastic handles)?

Should I pull the fuse out for the kitchen or is it good enough that I have the switch in the off position?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Catch22Dem]

1. Shut off the breaker!!!

Find the breaker box and flip the switch that controls that light. Scissors aren't the best wire cutters either. :)

[radwriter0555]

24. "220, 221, WHATEVER IT TAKES."

Showpower's Official Tee Shirt of 1983 I believe.

Little outfit that provides them HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE diesel powered tractor trailer o' 'lectric for rock n roll shows and other stuff.

1984 was "I love the smell of diesel in the morning"

Taking appropriate lines from the movies of course.

[Robb]

25. BWAA HA HA HA!

Oh, man, but I found that funny. :)

[Rabrrrrrr]

26. LOL!

That's excellent!

I'm not actually LOLing, but I am, in fact, jiggling from laughter.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Egads,. NO!

Remove the fuse. use wire cutters.

Sounds like you are replacing the light FIXURE not the light bulb? If you don't know what you're doing, which you apparently don't, don't do this alone. Call in a friend who does know what she/he is doing, and learn from them.

But cripes, yes, pull out the fuse!!

[phgnome]

4. Thanks

I think my ex-bf was trying to kill me then. He told me I didn't need to pull out the fuse. Glad I checked.

[gristy]

3. You should kill the power to the light at your fuse box

Then you can cut it with anything you like, including your teeth. :)

[Waistdeep]

5. Pull the fuse

or flip the circuit breaker. If everything isn't wired perfectly, you could still get a shock even if the switch is in the off position. As a double check, have the light switch on, with the light burning before you flip the breaker to confirm that you flipped the right one.

[Padraig18]

6. Pull the breaker/fuse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEVER work on a 'hot' circuit! :scared:

[Don_G]

7. You Can Just Turn The Switch Off

But i recommend pulling the fuse or turning the breaker off just to make sure you're not working on the circuit if the switch gets turned on accidentally.

Sissors will work but they may not be good for much else after you cut the wire.

Also use a good grade of wire nuts (with the metal spring inside) to connect the wiring. The cheap ones will work but won't hold up to repeated heating/cooling cycles and may fall off in time.

[ProudGerman]

9. No such thing as "you can just turn the switch off"

I was an electrician, and I've seen how houses can be wired. The only safe way to do it is to kill the power.

I've changed thousands of light fixtures while the circuit is hot, but I knew what I was doing. Been lit up so many times that it doesn't bother me, but getting shocked can really scare the "un-initiated".

[Don_G]

19. Same Here

But I do recommend pulling the breaker or locking it out first and necessary if working in a damp location like a crawl space.

I've had a few friends killed too.

[BiggJawn]

22. Likewise, but even on a "dead" line, I keep one hand clear...

I've worked on "hot" circuits before, and it's not something for the tyro.
I'm experienced with everything up to 25,000VDC at 13A....

But I never worked on THAT live!

[oneighty]

17. Often times

the hot wire is run to the light box before going to the switch, especially in older wiring. She should hire an electrician.
180

[ProudGerman]

8. switch in off position is a good start

Not sure if the scissors will be able to cut it in one try. Most plyers have a wire cutting part, check your tool box/drawer. I really wouldn't use the scissors, but if they are all you got, what can you do about a fixure hanging from its wires except put it back up?

You got the switch off, good start. NEVER CUT BOTH WIRES AT THE SAME TIME. Goes boom if energized, I used to do that on purpose as an electrician, shhhhh. Also, make sure you are NOT standing on an aluminium ladder, wood and fiberglass are much better ideas. Also, get the bare copper wire as far away from the wires as possible at first, touching that and then brushing against the energized wire WILL light you up.

On second thought, do pull the fuse. You have no idea what kind of load is on that circuit, and having the load go through you on the neutral is a really, really bad thing. Much worse than getting energized while grounded. Trust me, it hurts bad.

[Catch22Dem]

10. Hey Proud

Taken a few jolts have ya? I was an avionics repair tech in the USAF. I took a few myself. Shit hurts!

[ProudGerman]

13. A few?

Hell, I could stick a fork in a socket right now and continue holding a conversation. But you were getting bit by DC, right? DC has sharper teeth.

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. Yes, listen to ProudGerman!

I connected myself to a 480 three-phase once with a screwdriver. Holy hell, did that hurt.

I, too, have lit myself up working on live circuits in the home (hey, I was an electrical engineer, we're like immune, right?).

I even zapped myself once replacing a flourescent light - not the fuxture, just the bulb. Stupidly (and accidentally) put my finger across the prongs. That was painful. Didn't drop the bulb, though! Which was good, ebcuase it would have landed in a grocery store tub of frozen fish.

[Catch22Dem]

12. sumbitch that hadta hurt!

"I connected myself to a 480 three-phase once with a screwdriver. Holy hell, did that hurt."

How'd you not die??? I did the same thing about 10 yrs ago, but I was only holding the plastic handle, but CHRIST did it make a spark! Sounded like a little explosion too. Was called "sparky" until I changed duty stations! LOL

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. Thankfully, I was also holding the plastic handle

of the screwdriver.

My arm was numb for about a half an hour.

I was screwing around in the electrical box of an electric heating element for a factory oven for baking car seat cushions. You know, the ones with the 600 amp fuses?

I will always remember that pain. Not the worst pain I've ever experienced, but it was enough.

[ProudGerman]

15. 480 eh?

My first question is how far did you fly?

Second question is a statement, electrical engineer....figures. no malice intended.

I was never actually hit by it, but I was in the same room when a 600 volt, three phase trnasformer blew its innards all over the inside of its cabinet. Very, very bright flash. It was a day and a half before I could hear normal conversation levels. Literally almost crapped myself.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. heh heh -

Second question is a statement, electrical engineer....figures. no malice intended.

No offense taken. Always preferred (and still prefer) to have an actual trained electrician do stuff like that. My specialty was and is computers and digital logic, not really the industrial stuff. Not even home wiring. I can put in a light fixture, or replace a light switch, but I'd never tackle anything else. I havea lot of cousins, who barely made it through high school, who all know how to do house wiring and do it well. I wouldn't live in a house that I wired. I'll set up the network and run the cables for it and the integrated stereo audio/video system and the security system and tie it all into a main computer running everything, but I won't run a single power line.

Thank God, I don't think I flew at all, or only a feeet if I did. I really have no idea what I did, or what happened immediately afterward, but I remember the arm pain and saying to myself, "Shit, must plugged myself in."

And of course, I was alone for the little adventure in sticking a screwdriver into a live heating element.

[Catch22Dem]

18. DAMN!!

Mine was a 400Hz Buss bar. Connected all of our test stations to it. Of course they have breaker boxes which can be moved to various points on the bar. I was taking off one of those panels so I could hang a breaker box there. Anyway, I actually melted the tip of our BFS (big fucking screwdriver) so I hid it up in the rafters and filled out a lost tool report. They remodeled that old shop a few years ago. I wonder if they found that sucker. Makes me laugh just thinking about it!!!

[phgnome]

20. Mission Accomplished

Hey, thanks, people! It was easier than I thought and I did pull the fuse out. Damn fine job, if I do say so myself! :)

[Rabrrrrrr]

21. Congrats!

Well done, and enjoy the new light!

post a pic if you can.

[Robb]

23. Well done!

As a son and grandson of plumbers, I'm always amazed how much of the simpler "trade" work people can do with just a little bit of info.... you know, assuming they don't suddenly decide they know everything!

In other words, don't plumb your own gas line unless my dad is standing overhead the first time, waiting for you to screw up. ;)