400 watts through my arm, how dangerous?

[reefann]

Hey guys,
I was doing some monthly stuff to my tank including the addition of two new 400w Ushio bulbs. I thought I had all three of my ballasts unplugged, As it turns out I did not. Well I go to screw the bulb in and my finger got into the socket. My sisters boy friend was watching and he said I jumped a couple feet back and said some things..... I dont think I got a full hit of it all because my arm just hurt the whole way up to my high shoulder for a couple hours. My arm still feels a little weird about 5 to 6 hours later, but nothing bad, kind of like after your arm falls asleep
So to my question how bad can 400w from a m59 ballast get? Do you guys think I got a full hit? If it makes any difference I am about 5' 11" and 150LBs.
Well I am going to play some video games Good Night.
BTW glad my elbow was not in the water :lol:
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[bphelps]

Watch your arm and see if it turns purple. If it does see the DOC.!

 

[Anonymous]

If there is anything wrong with you or your body/mind, go seek medical attention.

The voltage in a ballast is a few thousand wolts when it try to make you arm to glow up like the sun.... you are one lucky person!

 

[sorenb]

Go seek medical attention.
I've had some electric shocks to my arm, but the wierd feeling only lasted about 2 hours, not 6.

-sorenb

 

[reefann]

Hey guys..... The weird feeling went away last night. I got up in the morning and was ok so I think Ill be fine.

If there is anything wrong with you or your body/mind, go seek medical attention. The voltage in a ballast is a few thousand wolts when it try to make you arm to glow up like the sun.... you are one lucky person!

Not lucky, I am all that is man....Just kidding
BUT back to my one question I figured they were high voltage and I am alive so I am thinking that I did not get a full hit of it. What do you think. And hwo would it effect my Mind, what would happen?
Thanks
JJ
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[Anonymous]

If it's still feeling funny you better get it checked out, it can burn tissue inside, easily infected too.


PS, 400v is not very high, I've been zapped by 125,000 volts, but at extreemly low amperage.

However, that ballast will push enough amps, it doesnt take much to kill if it goes through the right spot, but even if it doesnt kill it will still burn.

Guys that grab hot lines, typically loose limbs due to the burn & infection

 

[Anonymous]

FWIW you didn't get 400 watts through your arm, rather you got 110 volts at whatever current was attainable through you body. See watts equals volts times amps, or amps squared times resistance.

 

[hockeyboy]

Had you been touching the fixture with both arms, or had one arm on the fixture and one arm in the water the outcome would have been much worse.

The circuit completion would have then gone through your heart, quite possibly stopping it.

Hopefully the people with you would have known how to do CPR.

Are all of your electrical items on a GCFI plug?

mjd

 

[Hal1]

Current through the body is really more significant than voltage. The voltage that you receive is only used to overcome the resistance of your flesh/blood/bones, etc. If the voltage isn't high enough to overcome this resistance, no current will flow through you. The bodies resistance is normally quite high. However, if you wet the skin, the resistance drops dramatically. That's why most electrocutions involve water.

It only takes about 50mA's to stop a persons heart. This of course assumes that the current passes through the heart. Thus, if for example, you had your elbow grounded on a metal pipe, and stuck your hand into a tank with an electrical short, the current would enter your hand and exit your elbow. Could cause burns on your lower arm, but it wouldn't be life threatening since the electricity wouldn't make it to your heart/brain.

 

[Anonymous]

Most typical damage causes limb loss, it's due to tissue in the hands/arm burning internally.

It's very difficult to prevent infection when this happins, which is what really causes the loss of body parts.

 

[reefann]

Well thanks for all the reply's I am obviously fine at this point. From now on I will be much more careful around my halides.
Megadeath sounds like you have some experience on some very HOT wires. You a line man?
JJ
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[Anonymous]

No, but couple of my friends are, pretty scary job pays well though.

 

[Len]

I've been shocked by the capacitor of my 400W MH once. It was a good jolt and singed the tip of my finger but all things said, that was the extent of the damage. I now know to enclose my ballasts now and use insulated terminals.

 

[reefann]

No, but couple of my friends are, pretty scary job pays well though

Hey sounds like I should look in to it. Recomend it for a high school kid figuring out what kind of job I want ? Looking for a job that will one day fund a very large tank!
JJ
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