<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 2:34 PM <<a href="mailto:bzs@theworld.com">bzs@theworld.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><br>
Ok, I'll be the curmudgeon...<br>
<br>
Is this really a problem in practice?<br>
<br>
Most people I've known who worked around electrical mains etc assumed<br>
the worst at all times and it isn't all that difficult to protect<br>
against as one works.<br>
<br>
I realize one can infinitely invoke "better safe than sorry!", "an<br>
ounce of prevention...!"<br>
<br>
<OBLIGATORY FUNNY STORY> </blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<br>
Except maybe that one guy at Harvard who came to replace what turned<br>
out to be a 100+ year old, home made, "breaker" which fed our machine<br>
room which was hidden in a narrow dark hallway winding around our<br>
machine room behind an unmarked metal, locked doorway. I had no idea<br>
it existed but we had no power so I called for help.<br>
<br>
It was just a single copper bar about the size of a small candy bar<br>
tensioned into hot clips. Probably 400A but who remembers.<br>
<br>
He removed the old one confidently enough, grabbed the new one with<br>
rubber-handled pliers and gloves and...<br>
<br>
Him: Have you ever played football?<br>
<br>
Me: Actually, yes, I have, why?<br>
<br>
Him: If something doesn't look right when I put this thing in just<br>
tackle me clear of it as hard and as fast as you can.<br>
<br>
Me: Um, ok.<br>
<br>
It all worked out fine and I wrote a memo that maybe Harvard could<br>
spring for a proper $500 breaker box?<br>
<br>
</OBLIGATORY FUNNY STORY><br>
<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>... and my "funny" story.</div><div><br></div><div>We used to live in San Jose. There was a large heat-wave, and much of SJC lost power because of A/C load, etc. Anyway, my wife and I go and camp in one of the office conference rooms for a few days because the office still has power and A/C. </div><div>Eventually PG&E claims that power is back on our street, so we drive back to San Jose and... no power. I flag down a passing PG&E truck and ask if they know when it will *really* be back. Lineman says that it is. I say it isn't. He says it is. I say it isn't. </div><div>He gets annoyed, opens up the pedestal box and sticks a meter in it, and agrees that I have no power. He then sticks the meter across the 800A fuse, and discovers that the fuse blew. </div><div>"Ah. I can fix that fer you..." he says, and goes to the back of the truck... "Doh. I'm out of 800A fuses. Um.... er.... well, here is a 6,000A fuse, that'll do..."</div><div><br></div><div>I briefly question the logic of this (presumably the lines in the ground are sized somewhere around 800-1,200A), but he says that this'll do, and he'll come back in the next few days to replace it. I lived there for another 8 or so months, and it was never replaced, but, well,... not my wires, so, um ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I guess...</div><div><br></div><div>W</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
-- <br>
-Barry Shein<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">The computing scientist’s main challenge is not to get confused by the<br>complexities of his own making. <br> -- E. W. Dijkstra</div></div></div>