[Amps] Ultimate safety for house wiring

[Bill Turner]

You have all indulged me regarding my quest for the safest way to do 
120/240 volt wiring and I appreciate that.

Looking ahead to the distant future, here is something I would like 
everyone, including the NEC, to consider: Shockproof houses.

It is well known that the human nervous system does not sense an 
electric shock if the frequency is high enough. Most of us have 
received "RF burns" at some time in our ham careers and perhaps most 
of us have marveled at the fact that even though it burns the flesh, 
it does not shock at all. The implications for eliminating death by 
electrocution are obvious.

The technology already exists for houses to be wired with relatively 
high frequency electricity. While the national electric grid should 
remain at a low for reasons of efficiency, there is no reason, other 
than cost, why houses should use such a dangerous frequency. Given 
mass production, a solid state frequency converter could be built 
into every house to change the 50/60 Hz source to a frequency not 
dangerous to humans. Perhaps something around 1 kHz would do, or even 
higher. Research would have to be done to find the optimum.

In addition to the shockproofing, other advantages exist too. For 
one, transformers in equipment could be made tiny by comparison to 
50/60 Hz versions, saving money, raw materials and reducing size and 
weight. The need for a "safety ground" would be eliminated, although 
a ground might still be needed to prevent RF burns, depending on the 
equipment, but it would no longer be a safety issue. Even this could 
be handled by going back to the two-wire polarized plug where one 
conductor is grounded. If that plug were miswired, it would be only 
an annoyance, not a hazard, and easily corrected.

I realize there would be lots of opposition to this new system, 
mostly on cost factors, but think of a house where nobody would ever 
be electrocuted. I believe someday it will come to be.

Comments welcome.

73, Bill W6WRT