Problem with minis - Lights, Lights, Lights! Read Only. No more posting. - PlanetChristmas! Forums. Read Only. We've moved to http://talk.planetchristmas.com - The Forums of PlanetChristmas have moved to http://talk.PlanetChristmas.com
I have a problem with a set of mini lights that won't blow fuses or trip a GFCI when placed in a container of water. The lights work great underwater, any ideas on why or how this is happening. Dan
OK I had to try it as well ... now why is it OK to dunk a ball of minis in water and have it not blow the circuit or the GFIB.
I am getting out my meters to see why.. I suspect that same current and voltage is going out and in the Hot and nuetral anybody dare me to ground myself and put my hand in the bucket?
I feel like the ghost busters,
A little shakey plugging in a string of minis that are in a bucket of water ... BUT very cool when you see it stay lit and no breakers trip.
Last edited on Wednesday February 22nd, 2006 08:22 pm by blearning
Bill's exactly right. There's no reason a GFCI would trip, nor a circuit breaker. Here's why:
GFCI: It measures that the current leaving the hot prong is balanced with the current reentering the neutral prong. In this case, water could be causing a current to leak -- but the only path out of that plastic box is back through the neutral. Even if some power leaked out of the 'intended' circuit, by the time it hits the GFCI, it's all balanced again. Now, try that with a metal pan that's been grounded, and methinks you'll trip that GFCI pronto.
Circuit Breaker -- only trips in the case of a) an overload or b) a direct short (which is essentially an extreme overload). Water isn't a good-enough conductor to cause a direct short, and nothing is causing an overload, so no breaker trips.
The reason GFCI's trip outside in wet conditions is that we don't light up insulated plastic boxes we light up trees and bushes and other things that have paths to another electrical ground (e.g. the ground itself).
Tim, Have applied a ground into the water and will only trip every so often. Checked GFCI works ok. Took bulb out of set and put into the water applied ground tripped GFCI. Dan
dandeshaies wrote: Tim, Have applied a ground into the water and will only trip every so often. Checked GFCI works ok. Took bulb out of set and put into the water applied ground tripped GFCI. Dan
This is just a guess, but I'm thinking with the completed circuit (all bulbs intact) that electricity would rather take the easier path (through the rest of the bulbs) than through a questioinable conductor (water). With the bulb out, you eliminate that path, so a trippin- it goes...
But then I'm just speculating.
Or maybe you have really pure water. Pure (distilled) water doesn't conduct electricity -- it's all the impurities in it that do.
So this wont work, for eliminating the significant other ....
BTW just to shed some light on the Subject (punn intended) this isn't the brightest (punn intended again) thing to be doing.
I used a Plastic bucket just to be on the safe side
reminds me of when I tried to bath the kitties for some reason, after the first attempt which was lets say .... disastorous ...... for me, I dressed for the part, looked like one of the kids dressed up in the dead of winter, but I was still worse off then the cat, the cat wasn't even a little damp. Cat's don't need GFI protection, they smell water and they are like a tazmanian devil getting away.
Last edited on Thursday February 23rd, 2006 03:48 pm by blearning
My question is, what are you doing putting lights in water and plugging them in? Or is there some kind of special way you're doing it? If so, how are you unplugging them?
Cool experiment, but I'd be too chicken to try it out myself. I'll take my chances outside in the rain with the actual GF whachamacallit thingy do.
____________________ OK, take hands four from the top of the set and pass it on down to the bottom of the hall. Get ready to dance!
Can't stop laughing, That is exactly what I said as I plugged them in
ROTFLMAOKTKOTDOTC (roling on the floor laughing my a** off knocking the keyboard onto the cat)
as I plugged them in I said to self "Self this is a Stupid Idea are you sure you want to do this" Self answered back the way only self can answer in a situation like this "Dan did it"
Last edited on Thursday February 23rd, 2006 05:47 am by blearning
dandeshaies wrote: Tim, Normal tap water with all the minerals. Dan
In general tap water doesn't conduct well. Try putting some soap in the water. (The results should be clean.) I bet it will trip pretty quick.
This is a really good science principle. Ya gotta have a ground to trip a GFCI. So if when the lights are placed, there is no ground, there will be not GFCI activation!!!
I have read posts and posts about the troubles with GFCI, yet I have yet to have one go off. A lot of this is just keeping the wire off the ground.
we light up trees and bushes and other things that have paths to another electrical ground (e.g. the ground itself).
