About Us

[email protected]

On Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:53:10 -0600, 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.

The capacitor would be shorted and unless it actually touched the
person in a tub, no harm would be done.

As for AC and DC, they ALL charge with DC, and DC only.

Tony Miklos[_2_]

On 1/28/2012 5:14 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:40:50 -0500, wrote:

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

The capacitor would be shorted and unless it actually touched the
person in a tub, no harm would be done.

As for AC and DC, they ALL charge with DC, and DC only.

As much as I worked on electronics as a kid, I never know if an AC cap
(motor starting cap) would hold a charge. If nothing else, this thread
answered that it dont.

Well you got some bad info.

Ralph Mowery

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:40:50 -0500, wrote:

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

The capacitor would be shorted and unless it actually touched the
person in a tub, no harm would be done.

As for AC and DC, they ALL charge with DC, and DC only.

As much as I worked on electronics as a kid, I never know if an AC cap
(motor starting cap) would hold a charge. If nothing else, this thread
answered that it dont.

While you might say they charge with DC only, a capacitor will charge on an
AC circuit. It depends on where in the cycle the capacitor is removed. It
can be charged anywhere from 0 to the maximum peak line voltage. It is
being charged and discharged 120 times a second for standard house current
in the USA. Half the time one plate will be positive with respect to the
other and half it will be negative.

When saying AC or DC capacitors, that is very misleading. The polarized and
nonpolarized is more correct.

Connect and disconnect a motor starting capacitor enough times and it will
have a charge stored in it during one of the times.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Tossing a charged Capacitor in the Bathtub	HeyBub[_3_]	Home Repair	5	January 30th 12 11:00 AM
Tossing a charged Capacitor in the Bathtub	Tony Miklos[_2_]	Home Repair	11	January 28th 12 04:06 PM
Tossing a charged Capacitor in the Bathtub	Stormin Mormon[_7_]	Home Repair	11	January 28th 12 08:51 AM
Tossing a charged Capacitor in the Bathtub	Bill[_9_]	Home Repair	1	January 28th 12 03:47 AM
Tossing a charged Capacitor in the Bathtub	Dean Hoffman[_9_]	Home Repair	0	January 28th 12 02:40 AM

Menu

About Us