You worry too much! knob and tube wiring is much different, there isn't really a hot or neutral side. A single wire runs from point-to-point with branches soldered in at points where expedient so in some sense the entire circuit is always hot unless a switch breaks the circuit. Fortunately, knob and tube isn't grounded so short of standing in a grounded sink full of water, removing a broken bulb with the switch turned off is probably safer than with a properly grounded two conductor circuit.
Knob and tube wiring actually is much safer provided you don't go adding to it. Once a circuit is broken with a switch there simply is no way for electricity to flow through the circuit. The simple thing that needs to be remembered about electricity is that it needs a loop. break that loop and there is no way for it to energize anything. It is possible to create an alternative loop like from the hot to ground or from one circuit to another but that takes work in a case like this. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lenny McHugh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 12:13 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan](hot or neutral) Fuses and light bulbs > Well for my two cents: The hot wire in new homes is broken at the switch. > However old homes that have old knob and post wiring are usually not wired > that way. When I purchased this home which is a little over a 100 years > old > the old wiring was reversed. When the home was wired it was thought that > was best to have the neutral lines broken at the switch. > An electrician friend when working in older homes always removes the fuse > or > trips the breaker prior to working on a circuit. I have an ac detector > that > lets me know if there is any current in a line. It gives an audible sound. > I would trip the circuit before toying with that light. > Lenny > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Engebretson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 11:15 PM > Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Fuses and light bulbs > > > The faucet analogy doesn't make sense to me. A pipe feeding the faucet > either > has pressure or it doesn't. > > Light bulbs, on the other hand, have two wires leading to their plugs. > One > hot > and one neutral. I've always heard that the neutral is the wire that is > broken > when a switch is thrown. > > Either way, if the electrician wired it so the neutral is the wire that is > broken when the switch is thrown, then the hot would still be active. If > the > hot and anything grounded touched, there would be sparks, right? > > Thanks, > David > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On > Behalf Of Jay Williams > Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 7:42 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Fuses and light bulbs > > > Nothing will happen if the switch is off! It disconnects the hot side so > what's there to spark? Remember, the switch comes *before the light bulb > so > anything you do at the location of the bult is safe. Think of the fawcet > on > your washbasin. If you turn off the valve that's before the fawcet on the > intake pipe, than you can remove the fawcet and no water will gush. If > there's no valve right there, than you would turn off the valve for the > whole mains. Same here, if the only way to turn off these lights is to > throw > the main switch, than that's what you'd have to do. > Jay > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Engebretson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 6:07 PM > Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Fuses and light bulbs > > >> Oh boy, sounds scary. If I touch the outside at the same time as the > inside, >> will it spark and possibly blow a fuse? >> >> Thanks, >> David >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On >> Behalf Of Bill Gallik >> Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 6:02 PM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Fuses and light bulbs >> >> >> Take an electrical needle nose pliers and just latch onto the inside of > the >> broken bulb. Electrical needle nose pliers have rubber handles to > insulate >> you from electrical shock. And if you want to play it real safe stand on > a >> wooden chair or step ladder when you do this. >> ---------------- >> Bill Gallik >> E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> >> >> >> To listen to the show archives go to link >> http://acbradio.org/handyman.html >> or >> ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ >> >> The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. >> http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday >> >> The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. >> http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml >> >> Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List >> Members At The Following address: >> http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ >> >> Visit the new archives page at the following address >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >> For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list >> just send a blank message to: >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/699 - Release Date: 2/23/2007 > 1:26 >> PM >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this outgoing message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/699 - Release Date: 2/23/2007 > 1:26 >> PM >> >> >> >> >> >> To listen to the show archives go to link >> http://acbradio.org/handyman.html >> or >> ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ >> >> The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. >> http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday >> >> The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. >> http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml >> >> Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List Members At The Following address: >> http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ >> >> Visit the new archives page at the following address >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >> For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> >> > > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List > Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ > > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list > just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/699 - Release Date: 2/23/2007 > 1:26 > PM > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/699 - Release Date: 2/23/2007 > 1:26 > PM > > > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ > > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list > just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml > > Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various > List Members At The Following address: > http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ > > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.412 / Virus Database: 268.18.3/699 - Release Date: 23/02/2007 > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/0It09A/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/86xolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
