Marine Batteries - Danger or Electrocution?

[DownWest]

I briefly worked with a crop dusting outfit and flew with them often. Certainly different! Crossing bits of Scotland at 100ft in patchy vis. The only aircraft that have some elements of crash survival built in, like the cockpit area frame tubes have a slight outward curve. In extremis, likely to collapse outwards rather than in... Every pilot I knew had bent at least one a/c.
On AC, I used to weld in a Norfolk barn, bit humid in the winter.. putting a rod into the clip tended to get a tingle as the secondary was about 50v. Never quite dropped the habit of putting the rod in the mask and picking it out with the clip.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Correct, it's only AC (Alternating Current) that kills.
But a 12v DC system could still be unsafe, from acid spillage, short circuit etc

Little practical differnce between danger from AC and DC. One theory says DC convulses you onto wire once and you cant let go hence more dangerous, the other says AC convulses you reapeatedly onto the wire hence more dangerous. 240V AC has about 330V peak so peak current breifly higher than 240V DC.


12V wont kill by shock unless you some how insert the wires inside your body near heart but can still cause nasty burns from short circuits. Wires need to be protected, and the battery need to be the sealed type as acid spillage while trying to extricate oneself from upturned craft would be very unpleasant

 

[anoccasionalyachtsman]

Just by the by I got the pacemaker info, and it surprised me, 400-1,000 V DC. They think in terms of total Joules, limiting to low hundreds.