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This was on the charging lead of a patient lifting hoist. It wasn't charging! The original moulded plug had been ripped off and this was fitted by the handyman.:confused:Little Things Done Well 20190131_110859 - EletriciansForums.net
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And here's another one, same care home a few months later. Little Things Done Well 20190801_095425 - EletriciansForums.net
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Went to check a bed at another care home, wasn't working......Little Things Done Well 20190807_144945 - EletriciansForums.net
 
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I was once on a small domestic site where
A builder supplied the decorators with a 240v real lead of which the plug top had no top.
The painter plugged it straight in getting a wicked shock , then his mate tried to unplug it while it was still live getting himself a wicked bolt...

I kid you not , this is absolutely true

Soon as I saw what had happened I cut the plug top straight off

...And that's why your pliers have a handy wire stripping notch in the cutters.

Isolated power, unplugged THEN cut the plug top off.


re, the OP photo.... that neutral wire is way too long. Should be roughly halfway between the length of the earth and live.
 
I was once on a small domestic site where
A builder supplied the decorators with a 240v real lead of which the plug top had no top.
The painter plugged it straight in getting a wicked shock , then his mate tried to unplug it while it was still live getting himself a wicked bolt...

I kid you not , this is absolutely true

Soon as I saw what had happened I cut the plug top straight off
I bet they stripped the flex back and were using it again on bare wires in no time.
 
Local snooker club had an extension lead with a plugtop on both ends and the hoover had a trailing socket on the end of the lead :)
 
I've seen an extension lead like that before. A old farmer had one for his generator for when the power went out.
He would plug one end into the genny, the other into a socket in his house, thus giving him power.
 
Yes, using a widowmaker for a genny is commonplace, but as an extension - not very. Though years ago I spotted one running the till in the local chemist - no-one seemed at all bothered when I mentioned it.
 
Yes, using a widowmaker for a genny is commonplace, but as an extension - not very.
Hopefully not "commonplace", although indeed you do see them from time to time.
Most people are completely ignorant of the dangers of their widowmaker leads, but equally most will listen and learn if you take the time out to explain.
I think it's because the 13A plugtop is a familiar everyday item whereas the 16A ceeform isn't, that they don't immediately see anything wrong with the example I've pictured here, but if you suggest two 13A plugtops cabled together, the appreciation of danger usually registers with a layman.

Little Things Done Well 005.JPG - EletriciansForums.net
 
The "nastier" type of widowmaker is the 2 x 13A plugtops to 1 x 32A ceeform, typically used by "free party" (rave) sound system people to power their oversized bass-heavy PA systems in venues with only 13A outlets.
Aside from the widowmaker aspect, they are of course oblivious to the fact that one day they'll connect the two 13A plugtops to two separate phases. :eek:
 
At my last place, one of our customers had more than their share of power cuts - most of them planned and pre-notified. One day, I took a phone call from them to ask about using a widowmaker - though they didn't know what it's called until I told them and explained why.
The reason they asked was because their neighbour rented electric mini diggers and a 'kin big diesel genny for running them whete there wasn't a suitable supply available. The neighbour was used to just knocking off the main switch and using a widowmaker with big red plugs on it. They'd suggested our customer could share the genny and use a widowmaker as well.
Apart from safety, our customer didn't have any 3 phase sockets, and their circuits were spread across 3 phases. I persuaded them to have an inlet and changeover switch installed - which was done in a rush as a scheduled power cut was only 3 days away.

On the day, it didn't go quite to plan. Therecwere "wiring errors" and the genny tripped - plus their cables had no neutral wire even though they used 5 pin plugs o_O
I was tempted to RIDDOR both the use of a widowmaker and the mismatch between cables and connectors. In the end I had to keep quiet or it would have caused problems with our customer.
I think the neighbour did install their own inlet & switch setup after I explained why widiwnakers are called that - it's not just having a plug with live pins.
 

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