Snip Snip...

Today i was working on my trailer wiring, as some of my lights aren't working on it. I found some that had been damaged so was in the middle of fixing wires. I had to cut some to be able to repair them, as i was doing so, i had a memory of when i was younger.

Working in the garage, i was setting up some lights and switches to be used in the garage. I wanted a fixed light that i could flick on and off when i needed and wanted it to be "real professional". I found an old extension cord and ran it from the laundry out into the shed. I ran it through support beams out of the way and it was looking good. I found my light i wanted to install, the standard light socket you find in most houses, so i wanted to hard wire it into the extension lead.

My next step was to position the light in its place to give it the best light for the whole garage. Having, found the position, it was looking good. Next step was to cut the extension lead and to wire it into the light. So i find my pliers and snip the extension lead. Zzzzzzz. Sparks fly as i cut into the wire. Smoke sizzles from the pliers. I stand there shocked at what i just did. I had just cut into a live power lead. How did i do such a thing. I had plugged it into the power point to test it out and believing i had turned it off and unplugged it, believed it was safe to cut. Boy was i wrong.

I still stood there shocked having not believed what i just did, when my sister comes outside, "Aaron, the television isn't working". Yes, thank you the person who invented electricity safety kill switches. If it hadn't short circuited, i would have been definitely zapped. I learnt a wonderful lesson that day, double check things especially when playing with dangerous objects. I haven't really attacked any electrical wires since that day. Cutting the trailers wires today brang back this one moment in my life.

As for my light, i did finish it off, and it served its purpose for a few days, until i stopped using the garage. I still have the pliers that i used to cut them, they have a nice little chip in the metal from where the electricity fried it to remind me of the stupidity of that day.