Re: Public display of a Coil....HELLLPP !!

[Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>]

Hi Scot,

	He are my thoughts on this...

At 08:51 PM 7/14/00 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi All......
>
>I have been approached by a person who would like me to display my coil in a
>Haunted house setting this coming Holloween.

This is fairly common.

>
>It sounds simple enuf but there are some safety factors and RED TAPE that the
>Insurance Company wants taken care of first...

Neat!  That shows they care and they are willing to work these issues out.

>
>First off ...  there was mentioned that the coil should be  U.L. approved
hmmm
>right  I dont have 10,000$ to do that...

There are a wild number of safety organizations these days of which UL is
one.  I indirectly deal with them all and there is no fundamental reason
why a Tesla coil could not get any of these approvals.  It may be
classified as a noisy electric chair or something but all these places
specialize in approving anything and making it as safe as reasonably
possible in the process (modern electric chairs have gotten approvals, but
for the operator's benefit :-)).  An approved Tesla coil would be
significantly redesigned from what we are used to and this would mainly
involve enclosing, grounding, and protection against faults.  However, you
will simply not have the time or money to get such work done before October
so don't worry much about all that.

What you should do is insure that the circuits and components in the system
are well built with proper components in a very safe way.  Interlocks,
safety switches and all that should insure that the thing simply will not
hurt anyone.  Do what you can and "help" the insurance company understand
what all is involved.  In the end, they will either say yes or no...
Consulting the OSHA guidelines about high voltage equipment, authorized
personal, and distances would really help.

>
>Is there some clause or legal loophole that allows a Coil to be displayed at a
>public event in which all the certifications and such need not be necasary or
>minimal????

There ain't no certifications! ;-)  The local fire department will want
your coil not to burn the place down and they will be all over your fire
starter.  There are minimal codes perhaps for carnivals and shows about
electrical safety but I think that will get covered in the permit for the
house but that all depends in how much "law" there is in your area.  Best
to ask around and see what your situation is.  There will be no exceptions
to the laws and regulations.  They are designed to protect the public while
allowing as much "fun" stuff to go on as possible.  There is no clause that
will say "your device cannot cause death and destruction - with the
exception of a Tesla coil" :-))

>
>The setting for the coil will be on a cement slab with proper grounding
for the
>secondary, also the perimeter of the slab will be fenced off so no one will be
>able to be within 20 feet of the longest streamers. All electrical devices
that
>control the coil will be maintained within a small building with access to
only
>qualified personel.

Excellent!  That is what "they" will all want to hear.

You may consider have an independent "expert" that the insurance company,
city, and local law likes evaluate the thing as a second opinion.  But that
will cost money.

>
>Also brought up was the possiblity of pacemakers being affected by the
activity
>of the Coil...
>Is there definate proof that coils do cause pacemakers to malfunction???

There are a number of reasonably reported incidents where pacemakers have
been affected by Tesla coils.  The fancy highly computerized and
defibrillator types seem to be more prone to the effects.  However, these
pacemakers can also be set off by a number of other electrical devices.
People with these devices have been warned about powerful electrical
devices and you should have a sign directed to them in the area to warn
them this is one of those things the doctors warned them against.  No one
has been killed or anything but the defibrillator types have been false
triggered adding a "real jolt" to the show for the wearer.  A well worded
warning sign to pacemaker wearers should be all that is needed but the
insurance company can probably guide you with this.

Hope this sheds a little light on this long and difficult subject.

Cheers,

	Terry

>
>If any of you Professional Coil displayers have some answers / help / ideas to
>help me through this delemma, I would very much appreciate hearing from you...
>
>Thanks
>
>Scot D
>
>