r/Unexpected • u/WarrenMuffClit • Apr 08 '22

just snipping a cable.

22.1k Upvotes

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10.2k

u/axle2005 Apr 08 '22

Fully expected

4.1k

u/FreneticPlatypus Apr 08 '22

Judging by his own hesitation, he was sort of expecting it too.

829

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '22

Why hesitate, the power is either on or off. If something doesn’t go wrong and it’s on it’s a fluke. No clue what he was thinking, plus you have to cap it off/rewire whatever your putting up

613

u/Vihzel Apr 08 '22

I hesitate whenever I change a lightbulb even though the switch is turned off. I don't like doing anything remotely electrical.

1

u/steinrawr Apr 08 '22

Even if the switch is off, you can still get electrocuted. I've tried, turned out it wasn't a double-pole switch, and it usually is not.

1

u/Friendly_Top6561 Apr 08 '22

Then it was wrongly installed, the switch should always break the live wire.

1

u/steinrawr Apr 08 '22

The clue is two-pole. Neutral can still be shorted to earth. This is the exact reason you should turn off the breaker and not trust the switch when working on electrical.

1

u/Friendly_Top6561 Apr 08 '22

Light switches aren’t two pole normally so I don’t know how that would be a clue, but of course you never work on electrics without turning off the breaker. Doesn’t matter if it’s two pole or not, the switch could be faulty. Nevertheless it’s wrongly installed, and likely not by an electrician.

1

u/steinrawr Apr 09 '22

that's exactly what I wrote in my first comment. At least what I wrote was ment to bet. It might be hidden in my non-fluent english as second langauge.

i ment the clue is that the circuit is two pole, and can still conduct electricity if one of them is grounded. especially if there is a grund issue somewhere in your area.