[BC] Re: Saving Your Own Life

[Kevin/Tieline Technology]

Phil Alexander wrote: " Always remember that ANY TIME you open a box,
you have the chance of becoming yet another proof of Kirkoff's Law with
YOU as part of the circuit. In it's simplest form, Kirkoff says that
given the chance, current will flow (equally, etc. etc.) and you don't
want to be the conductor that closes that circuit."

I certainly have to echo what Phil said.  I thought that I never took
anything for granted until something happened a while back.

While I was responsible for an AM here in Indianapolis, whenever I
needed to work on the TX, I would dutifully turn off the 2 breaker
boxes, open the back and front, take a few minutes to let the bleeder
resistors do their job, check everything with the ground stick (which I
did check periodically with an ohmmeter) and then work with one hand
whenever possible.  And I would try to have someone with me just in
case.

Imagine my surprise after about 3 years of working on this TX that I
find a THIRD breaker box hidden deep inside and down toward the ground
inside a RACK of all things!!!

I discovered this after I bought an inductor pen that lights up whenever
it's near AC without having to come into contact with AC.  I had been
waving it around the TX and down in front at the base of the TX it
lights up bright red even though I had the front open, breakers were off
and ground stick was used to check that nothing was live.  The pen had
found the live AC still going to the low voltage power supply!  Well
duh!  And I thought I had thought of everything.  

I *trusted* the previous engineer who showed me around the TX plant.  I
wonder if HE knew about the 3rd breaker.

As Cowboy said "Trust, but verify."

Kevin Webb