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Re: [TCML] DANGER Ground wire question (Need a straight answer)



I'm newer to the list and not a regular poster but if I recall correctly you said you were thinking of running the coil down the side of the apartment building and concerned about the neighbor touching it. You need to think legally and practically. 
 
1) I agree with the earlier posts. If its hot or potentially hot, you shouldn't be touching it. Likewise you ought not to put the wire where some unknowning bystander could touch it. After all, would you really want some kid walking by and touching the wire and getting zapped?
 
2) If the ground is hot, you could be creating a hazard which beyond physical harm to the unknowning may buy you a lawsuit if someone gets hurt. And that law suit will cost you far more than your coil or 10 coils.
 
3) If you're creating a hazard, real or imagined, your neighbor might create problems by complaining to your landlord. Some landlord tenant laws give landlords the right to terminate leases when the tenant creates a hazard in the premises (drugs, crime, etc.) There's no reason to think that would not apply to electrical hazards.
 
4) Bottom line is you want to coil safely and not be interrupted by your neighbor's real or imagined fears of death by electrocution, your landlord interfering with you, or carrying the burden of hurting someone along the way because maybe the ground wasn't done correctly. Why take a chance? Even on the list there's not unaninmous agreement about the danger from the posts I've seen. When you have doubt, there is no doubt. Not just a cliche from Robert DeNiro but actually good avice.
 
The short answer - Is it dangerous? Yes. 
 
 
Derek
____________ 
 
 
It depends on power of the coil,frequency,and lenght of
the ground wire.Usually I connect ground wire of my small
coil to a cold water pipe.Frequency of coil is about 340 kHz
and ground wire lenght about 10 ft.
Nothing happens as I touch the pipe or the wire (as expected).
But I wouldn't take chance with 10 kw coils!

Dex  
--- drake89@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

From: Drake Schutt <drake89@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [TCML] DANGER Ground wire question (Need a straight answer)
Date: Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:03:35 -0600

I still don't think it would be prudent to recomend people to touch the
secondary ground wire- during operation I'm assuming.  What will happen?
Probably either nothing, or electrocution- two things NOT WORTH PURSUING.

I would advise against this, even though I have no idea what would happen.

On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 7:49 PM, Aron Koscho <kc5uto@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> No, it is not dangerous. If the coils ground wire goes from the base of the
> secondary straight to a ground rod it is fine to touch, it could even be
> bare (like most ground wires for radio). I am assuming the wire is at least
> 12ga, less than 100' long, and properly terminated.
>
> Aron
> www.hvguy.com
>




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