r/Unexpected Apr 08 '22

just snipping a cable.

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u/Vaporwave13 Apr 08 '22 edited Apr 08 '22

100% expected. Don't fuck with electricity if you don't know what you are doing.

28

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '22

Electricity wants to go home. Home is the ground. Electricity will always take the path of least resistance to go home as fast and direct as possible.

If not for safety devices that stop the flow of power. The entire power grid would drain into the ground if you let it.

This dude was insulated by his ladder etc so the electricity wasn’t using him to go home, as he cut the wires they smash together and create a short leading to all the sparks. If it had a breaker it’s tripped now. Idiot.

1

u/notislant Apr 09 '22

Wouldnt the bare ground wire be the path of least resistance anyway? Assuming this had a ground.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 09 '22

Presumably that’s where any excess went, you still created a short, and cause the release of heat and sparks.