BushWhacked

[greenasagourd]

Yesterday I was pruning my out of control Carolina Jessamine vine that grows on two large trellises. It makes a nice screen in my side garden that helps hide the ac units. I use an electric hedge trimmer for the bulk of it & then tidy up with hand held pruners. I was about half way done when the electric trimmer quit running & I slightly smelled smoke. I noticed right away that the extension cord had got caught in the trimmer's teeth. I unplugged it & got the cord out of the teeth. I tried a new cord, but the trimmer still wouldn't work. The trimmer was fried from the electricity that must have surged through it when the cord was cut. The exposed bare wire in the cord against the metal blade set up an electrical field. It was then I realized I was so lucky not to have been electrocuted! Thank goodness I was holding the shielded plastic parts & did not touch the metal. Yes, gardening can be very dangerous!

My 'bushwhacker' & cord were about 15 years old, so I have gotten good use from them. It's time to buy another & I will be looking for a safer set up.

[Pburgh]

That's scarey!!!! Be careful my friend. What would we do without you?

[matkin]

We are really glad that you were not hurt. Your breaker on that circuit should have tripped the split second that the wire was cut. If it did not trip, you might want to get an electrician to check out the elecrtical panel and breakers. I know this because I have cut the cord on my hedge trimmers three or four times. If you are on a gfci circuit it will even drop out if the ground wire is cut. Having all outside plug ins on a gfci circuit, or gfci plug in is the safest way to go. In a lot of places it is even code. I think they should make extension cords out of kevlar, it would save me a lot of cut cords and a trip to the basement to reset breakers.

[Frozen_Signal]

that is scary.....so glad youre OK...

and im with matkin...the breaker shoulda tripped out.....please get an electrician 2 look at that....thats dangerous!!!

[Bird Lover]

OMG! Karan what a frightening thing to happen! I used to have a row a hedges across the back of my house. The taller they got, the harder it was for me to trim them. I would drape the cord over across the back of my neck & shoulders to keep it from getting in my way. Be careful!!

[Janet Missouri]

So scary, Lauren! Thank God, you didn't touch anything other than the plastic.
But this may be a blessing in disguise.
Your circuit breaker should have flipped your power off, would definitely be a good idea to have that checked out.
I'm so happy you figured it out!

[greenasagourd]

Thank you Matkin! After reading your post, the dim light bulb went off in my brain. I checked the outlet that has a gfci built directly in it & sure enough, it was tripped. It is code here. I don't know why I didn't think of that!!! My only excuse is the outlet is hidden behind a shrub within a box so it's a little bit difficult to see. Had I seen the reset button I would have figured it out at the time. The bushwhacker works too -- and to think I almost threw it in the garbage last night that was hauled off this morning. I almost didn't write the original post, but now I'm glad I did despite sounding foolish. I feel so stupid, yet relieved.

Thank you Thumbies for your concern.

[Janet Missouri]

How many times have I forgotten about the reset button on all kinds of electrical appliances? More than I can count.
Don't feel bad, Lauren, and thank goodness for Mike -- AND that you didn't throw away your equipment!
Wonderful ending to your story.

[Pburgh]

Hey Lauren, don't feel bad. I once called an electrician to the house because I didn't realize that the gfci was tripped. He looked at me like I was a true "blonde". He turned out to be a really great guy and didn't charge me. (Probably told that blonde joke for a long time) LOL

[TLSmith]

Ehhh, forgetting about a gfci isn't as bad as the time my ex-husband was going to replace a "burned out" light bulb.... during a blackout.

During the winter we always kept a 40-watt bulb burning in the crawlspace to keep the pipes from freezing. There was enough of a gap around the crawlspace access panel so that if you were outside at night you could tell if the light was on. During a snow storm we lost power. He went to put the dogs out for a bit, came back in & started rummaging through the cupboards, obviously looking for something (flashlight in hand, of course). I asked what he was looking for & he replied, "The crawlspace light is out."
DUUUUHHHHH!! Even needing the flashlight to find a new bulb, it didn't click right away with him that ALL the light's were out.