DIYbanter - View Single Post - Tossing a charged Capacitor in the Bathtub

Art Todesco

On 1/27/2012 11:53 AM, wrote:
Most people know that dropping a cord or appliance that is plugged into
an outlet into a bathtub filled with water will electrocute the person
in the tub. Yet, you can drop a low voltage item such as a flashlight
with batteries in the tub and no one will be hurt. Even a set up jumper
cables connected to a car battery would not likely do anything, or might
just tingle a little (never tried this, but I've handled plenty battery
cables while standing on wet soil in wet shoes and never felt a thing).

Not that I'm planning to test this, but what would happen if a large
capacitor, charged with 200 volts or more was tossed into a filled
bathtub while someone was in the tub? (By large capacitor, I dont mean
the size, but rather, I mean a large capacity, such as 500 MF or one
Farad or more....).

I see no reason this would ever occur, but I'm just curious.

[NOTE: This could be DC or AC]. DC capacitors are used in electronics,
while the AC type are motor start capacitors.

AC will kill as it causes fibrillation. DC will cause 1 pulse. That
said, voltage levels, conductivity of the water will determine what will
happen. But probably because the 2 poles are so close and the capacitor
is not referenced to ground like the plugged in radio, as others said,
current will go between the 2 capacitor leads. You will, with DC from
the capacitor, produce hydrogen and oxygen bubbling off the 2 leads.