RE: [TCML] Running a TC in snow

["Phil Tuck" <follies@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello.
I recently watched a TV program where power maintenance workers were
cleaning insulators on  HV lines using a helicopter and a high pressure
water cannon blasting distilled water. The commentator stressed the
importance of the water being absolutely pure. I suppose otherwise it would
form a bridge no doubt between adjacent lines. So yes distilled water is
non-conductive: something I never knew until seeing that program. 
So if the snow was formed from pure water, which is very unlikely, it may be
an insulator.

As for testing that theory, I used to work in telecommunications and a line
could look great on a multi-meter but on a 5000 volt 'megger' it was a
different story. These would even pick up damp on an insulated surface, that
was invisible to an ordinary meter and to the human eye. 
So if someone with a megger fancies taking a stroll in the
snow...............

I think of a Tesla coil to be a BIG 'megger', because all the snow on your
body parts, wet feet, hands and head, all mixed with body salts, is most
likely a great conductor. If you start slipping and sliding around,
streamers and skin effects aside, the HV of the primary will certainly warm
up your cold hands and feet for you - far better than any cup of coffee
would (or tea in the UK!).

Phil



-----Original Message-----
From: Mike [mailto:megavolts61@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: 20 December 2008 00:57
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Running a TC in snow

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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