Re: [TCML] Running a TC in snow

[sparktron01@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Mike, Adam and All

Since we are talking about the possibility of "bad things"
happening with high voltage + rain (or snow), check out
this video below at SIGNIFICANTLY higher power levels
then any of us on the list would deal with at home...
(thou I have professionally).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecnA1Ez_M6k

Snow or moisture of any kind + high voltage either
leads to flashover as video shows, or "arc tracking"
where a semiconducting path is created on surface
of insulator toward ground.  At that point it is not a
question will a flash-over occur, but WHEN.

Regards
Dave Sharpe, TCBOR/HEAS
Chesterfield, VA. USA

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Yurtle Turtle <yurtle_t@xxxxxxxxx>
> One more thing to concider. I'll bet your multimeter thinks air is a pretty good 
> insulator. My Tesla Coil thinks air is a pretty darned good conductor. Your 
> meter probably uses a 9 volt dc battery. A coil uses hundreds of thousands of 
> volts at tens to hundreds of kilohertz.
> 
> Adam
> 
> --- On Fri, 12/19/08, Mike <megavolts61@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > From: Mike <megavolts61@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: Re: [TCML] Running a TC in snow
> > To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Date: Friday, December 19, 2008, 6:56 PM
> > Hate to argue with you Dr. R,  but I just stuck my
> > multimeter into a pile of snow(got plenty of the white stuff
> > around), and with the probe less that about half inch apart,
> > I got a infinite resistance reading.  I would venture to
> > guess that as long as it is cold enough that the snow
> > doesn't melt, it would actually not make a coil run
> > significantly different than if in the same conditions
> > without it snowing.   distilled water has a fairly high
> > resistance as well...which snow would be very close to upon
> > melting...I could see it shorting the spark gap if it were
> > not enclosed somehow, but if you set your coil up outdoors
> > under a tarp until it is below freezing....I don't think
> > much would ever happen bad."
> > Mike
> > 
> > 
> > > yes, bad idea.  Snow and water do not mix well with
> > high
> > > voltage.
> > > 
> > > Dr. Resonance
> > > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >       
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> 
> 
>       
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