Accidental Arc Welder
I needed to check lug size on my shunt today to complete some charging cables. I turned off shore power, and turned off batt. disconnect. While wrenching the shunt bolt off and the wrench slipped and ...
Forum Discussion
msiminoff wrote:
Yes, unfortunately the "wrench-battery-arc-welder-syndrome" is an all too common occurrence. When I was a kid I worked at a hot-rod shop and one of the other mechanics there dropped a wrench which shorted between a pos. battery terminal and the vehicle's frame. The wrench welded itself in place and glowed orange before he was able to grab another tool to knock it off. It scared the heck out him… and me too!
To prevent this I have battery disconnects and have also installed fuses directly to each of my (+) battery terminals.
As an additional (and inexpensive) preventive measure when working on my electrical system, I always wrap the handles of my open end wrenches (and/or screwdrivers) with Rescue Tape.
Glad to hear that the only damage was to your ego ;)
Cheers
-Mark
Putting that on there, now you have 3x the amount of hot contact surfaces on the positive side to bump against ground. I'd put the disconnect on the ground wire, myself, so that the whole frame and all other metal parts are not hot, if by chance you touch the positive against anything grounded.
