Fitting and bulb full of water, light still working!

[DNS1]

Had a call from a family member today saything they'd had a flood and the elecs had tripped.

Dropped by and reset the RCD. It held, so I assumed whatever had got wet had dried out.

Started pulling a few boards up and everything seemed ok, damp plaster but nothing too bad...

Went into the downstairs loo to see if there was any sign of damp in the light fitting. I removed the globe over the bulb and got VERY wet! Was full to the brim with water, but the light was working fine!

Immediately isolated and started investigating, found the actual bulb (old GLS) itself had water in it...

Just goes to show how even in this day and age of highly reliable MCBs and RCD protection on everything, electrical kit can still end up submerged and not trip out!

 

[Knobhead]

On normal "tick over" 1475°C. @ .8MW
1650° on super heat @ 2.2MW. I've cranked it up to 2.6MW, it didn't like it.

 

[DNS1]

Whoa! What sort of diameter cable was needed for that?!

Wouldn't like to think what the electricity bill was like!

 

[Guitarist]

Hope a few of the plumbers who think that plastic needs bonding "because it has water in it" are reading this.

 

[Stroppy]

Its true about water not being as conductive as we think it is: last year I had to do some PATing in a hotel, and on finding kettles with water in I thought "great! That will be nice and conductive to test the earth continuity." But most of the time the resistance was enormous until the probe was pressed into the metal plate.

 

[Guitarist]

Its true about water not being as conductive as we think it is: last year I had to do some PATing in a hotel, and on finding kettles with water in I thought "great! That will be nice and conductive to test the earth continuity." But most of the time the resistance was enormous until the probe was pressed into the metal plate.

You could always dissolve some salt in them next time

 

[Knobhead]

Whoa! What sort of diameter cable was needed for that?!

Wouldn't like to think what the electricity bill was like!

If I told you just two 400mm singles would you believe me? They can carry the current as they are cooled by the water being pumped through.
PS it’s 660V SINGLE PHASE!

 

[Engineer54]

Its true about water not being as conductive as we think it is: last year I had to do some PATing in a hotel, and on finding kettles with water in I thought "great! That will be nice and conductive to test the earth continuity." But most of the time the resistance was enormous until the probe was pressed into the metal plate.

All depends on where the water has been sourced, as to how conductive it will be!! Very hard water areas especially when sourced directly from wells and the like, can be far more conductive than you may think!! It's mainly due to the amount of salts and chlorides dissolved in the water that make it conductive, ...or not!! lol!!

 

[grantr37]

If I told you just two 400mm singles would you believe me? They can carry the current as they are cooled by the water being pumped through.
PS it’s 660V SINGLE PHASE!

just plug it in over there.......to that....aherm......that ahum cuh cuh...pylon....

 

[Knobhead]

It took three of us to manhandle each of the "power hoses" in to place.

The one thing I haven't got a picture of is the transformer, two 3/8 X 8" bars sprouting out of the top of it for the secondary connections.