110V and 220V AC in a quarry

[telmnstr]

Okay, this is odd.

AC power and water do not mix generally.

Supposed I had some equipment I wanted to run on the surface of a quarry.

If I used AC power cable that was rated for water use, AND I had proper setup for ground fault protection against the AC power, would this bring the safety level up good enough?

Basically I would build "boats" for the equipment that sit on the surface and run the power cable back to shore.

[ScubaToys Larry]

I'm not sure what "good enough" is for safety?!

I guess it depends on how good your boat is... but depending on what you are running, it seems like it might be easier - and less dangerous to run a small generator in the boat for the gear.

The other option, I have a little invention I made that picks up paintballs in my indoor paintball field. It is this gizmo built onto a golf cart that uses a big shop vac and sucks up the paintballs. I power that with 2 golf cart batteries and an inverter.

Here's a link to some pictures of it - and there's even a video there if you're really bored: http://gatsplat.com/new.asp#gobbler

Anyway, that runs a 6 HP shop vac for about 45 minutes on a full charge of 2 batteries.

Hopefully there will be some electricians on the board who will know a lot more than me.... which won't take a heck of a lot!

I just know electricity and water scare the bejibbies out of me!

[telmnstr]

Ah yes, power inverters. My goal is running lights that draw quite a bit of power, so I think it would require quite a few batteries for a short run time. Also, depending on the lights... some of them need 220vac @ 7 amps, which is quite a bit of power.

I dropped an email to the quarry to see if they have any interest in the project idea... we will see!

I just checked out the photos of the golf cart... that is a pretty slick paint ball facility!

[RoadRacer1978]

Cool idea Larry. You are quite the inventor.

[JahJahwarrior]

Don't know if you'll have any problem with it, but I know that some boats get "eaten up" becuase they are hooked up to shore power. I honestly don't understand how that works (I used to, but I just woke up, and when you just get up, nothing makes sense) but being on shore power that's not...eh, isolated? or something like that will cause rapid corrosion of anything metal. like, your inboard/outboard motor will look like swiss cheese.

But it might not be an issue at all, and your "Boats" for your gear might be wooden or fibreglass, I don't know.

[RoadRacer1978]

I think this might be what JahJAhwarrior was talking about.

http://www.ledgardbridge-boatcompany...ic_action.html

[telmnstr]

Originally Posted by RoadRacer1978

I think this might be what JahJAhwarrior was talking about.

http://www.ledgardbridge-boatcompany...ic_action.html

Fascinating! I just read up on it. The isolator is two diodes in series each way, so there is a 1.2 volt drop in each direction. But if any AC short were to occur, then the higher than 1.2 volt power would make it across the diodes.

In my particular application, I would need to build custom boats that have plexiglass windows for the lights to face downwards into the water.

There is also data cables that have to connect between the lights to pass control information.

I'll see if the quarry is interested... this will be a first if they go for it.

[JahJahwarrior]

Are you doing this diving at night? Otherwise, you are going to have to pull a TONNE of power and a huge chunk of change out of your wallet to get a light that will penetrate further than sunlight. That's why most people bring lights down with them. What is wrong with a dual 50 watt HID video setup like Halcyon sells? Halcyon also sells a 200 watt HMI. What are you doing that needs so much light, and why are you leaving your lights at the surface?

And yes, the link was exactly what I was talking about. It won't be an issue if you are talking a few hours of use, really. Make sure you use GFCI's everywhere Also, if you have lines in the water, attach flourescent tape to them or osmething, like the caution tape, to make them visible in the water. Just tie some around it every 5 feet or so, perhaps.

[telmnstr]

Originally Posted by JahJahwarrior

Are you doing this diving at night? Otherwise, you are going to have to pull a TONNE of power and a huge chunk of change out of your wallet to get a light that will penetrate further than sunlight. That's why most people bring lights down with them. What is wrong with a dual 50 watt HID video setup like Halcyon sells? Halcyon also sells a 200 watt HMI. What are you doing that needs so much light, and why are you leaving your lights at the surface?

And yes, the link was exactly what I was talking about. It won't be an issue if you are talking a few hours of use, really. Make sure you use GFCI's everywhere Also, if you have lines in the water, attach flourescent tape to them or osmething, like the caution tape, to make them visible in the water. Just tie some around it every 5 feet or so, perhaps.

This would be at night, and over 30' or so of water. The lights I have in mind use 1200 watt metal halide lamps... I have no idea if they would really penetrate 30' of water. I'm still playing with this idea.

They .... also have the ability to cycle through a wide range of colors, of course some of them would get eaten quicker by the water than others. And they have X/Y movement, patterns, etc.

Larger versions of these two small lights I have at home:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj3jcEkbwE8

:-)

[RoadRacer1978]

So from what I saw on the video it looks like you are wanting to put on an underwater light show. That sounds like a cool idea. Might be a cool thing to do for a night dive, kinda like the special nights at the bowling alley with the black lights or strobes. Seems like a lot of work and money though. Hopefully you can get the quarry to front some of that money.

Weeki Wachi spring has an underwater sound system so you can listen to music while you dive. Combine the light show and you'll have a regular music concert undewater.

Careful not to lose your regulator while headbanging.lol