r/WTF • u/HoneyRush • Sep 12 '26

Load testing

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2.9k Upvotes

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130

u/FloridaVapes Sep 12 '26 edited Sep 12 '26

Holy shit are three phases just shorting to ground in a pot of oil? BY HAND!? This might be the worst electrical safety video I’ve ever seen, and that includes arc flashes and accidental electrocutions. Can’t imagine this job position being “permanent” in any capacity!

Edit: assuming I’m seeing it correctly without processing the video, his ammeter read 12 amps on one phase!

145

u/HoneyRush Sep 12 '26

Don't be ridiculous, it doesn't look like oil, it's probably just salty water

41

u/lacerating_aura Sep 12 '26

Yup, salt water based dummy load.

9

u/maison_deja_vu Sep 13 '26

Yeah probably load testing a generator or something. That’s why they’re measuring the current. The further in you dip the phases in the salt water, the more load is pulled from the generator 

5

u/douira Sep 13 '26

I guess it's just generating liters of chlorine and hydrogen gas?

9

u/schplat Sep 13 '26

Nowhere near liters.. 1 amp-hour produces .4l (of Cl2 gas), so at 12 amps, that'd be 4.8l/hour. Over the 16 second video? Roughly 20ml would have been produced. This assumes sea water level of salt. IIRC, the amount of H2 gas should be roughly equivalent.

And it'll also leave behind some aqueous Sodium Hydroxide (lye).

1

u/SoulWager Sep 14 '26

Given the size of those cables, I think 120A is more likely than 12A.

26

u/Viciuniversum Sep 12 '26

Fun fact: this is the method, albeit on a much smaller scale, by which Russian prisoners boil water in prison. 

25

u/thepaleindian Sep 12 '26

Also Canadian prison, and I reckon any prison where you have access to outlets.

15

u/neoben00 Sep 12 '26

Your acting like its any different in the usa

1

u/CartsOfDarkness Sep 13 '26

I assumed they were just talking from experience

17

u/RedAero Sep 12 '26

Not to ground, to each other.

17

u/brokenmike Sep 12 '26

It's conducting phase to phase, not ground.

10

u/rectal_warrior Sep 12 '26

Exactly, the water is the route of the short between the phases. They are held in place by an insulater, they aren't shorting when they're out of the water.

Funnily enough if they were using oil there would be no shorts at all, as oil is also an insulater.

Regardless it's perfectly safe, they're all wearing their safety sandles

7

u/Rockglen Sep 12 '26

Pretty sure that's water. Oil would probably ignite if it was boiling and there was an arc.

4

u/Neohexane Sep 12 '26

Yeah, this would've already turned into a massive fire if that was oil.

1

u/Opening_Cartoonist53 Sep 12 '26

It doesn't matter cuz I'm Homer Simpson⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

1

u/whiplash588 Sep 12 '26

I can think of one way this job would be permanent...

1

u/afriendincanada Sep 13 '26

What do you mean? You can do this job for the rest of your life

0

u/mrplinko Sep 12 '26

12.13 at :10 for sure.