Quote Originally Posted by ServiceXp View Post
1) Don't pay any attention to any (voltage) values measured with the unit unplugged, it's just a waste of time and is of no value.
2) Used as your base line (empty socket). So values above that is where your attention needs to be focused on.
3) It will do both. The GFCI will monitor the current between Line and Nueteral, if there is any imbalance it will fault and break the circuit to the machine. I suspect (if you truly have a component leaking voltage) your printer will just trip the GFCI when used.



Forget about the base value, there are a lot of reason that number will be higher and lower at any given time. You are more interested in using that value as your base. I would think, (if it is truly static electricity) after you shunt to earth (discharge the static build up) you would not get repeated shocks. I don't know your setup, but generally static doesn't build up to those levels given the surface area of the filament and tubes. You are much more likely to build up on your body just walking to the machine on carpet. Not only that, I don't think you would be measuring AC voltage with your meter to ground when the unit is running if this was a static issue.




Depending on type (AC vs DC), you can most certainly feel current to ground with much lower voltages. It just depends on how well you are grounded and the current involved. I've had the piss shocked out me with 12vac before. (HVAC/R HA Tech.) As you know, voltage is almost irrelevant in terms of fatalities. The body type, and area of body being effected with the amount of amperage plays a much greater roll in life or death.

You are going to be confusing this guy. This needs sorting with it unplugged.

Current cannot flow without voltage and under normal conditions you need at least 50 volts for it to flow through a human. The most important thing regarding mortality rate is the path the current flow takes not the current. 2 ma through the heart will easily stop it dead but finger to finger on the same hand 3kv will be little more than a tingle and around 2ma will flow .

Death from electrocution is almost always where the current path goes through the heart. If you die from a non-through the heart shock then it is a terrible death that doesn't happen for days after the accident. Death occurs because the muscles are cooked and you will wake up feeling fine, over a few days your body begins to ache and you become unable to move. Fairly quickly after that you will die because your blood has congealed.

This is why they teach you to keep one hand in your pocket when messing with live cables. It is very unliklely that current will pass through the heart if you do not have the voltage across your chest.