I expect a certain amount of hydrogen and oxygen would have been bubbling up from that outlet. They may notice when they get the power bill.
Like others have said, if the water is very pure, the current would not have been enough to trip the breaker.
-P.
My bet is it was shorting through the water, but not enough to trip the breaker. It would have been interesting to check the amp draw on the circuit. I few years ago I was helping a friend do some construction. We had a couple extension cords run and it rained. The one cord ended up with the end laying in a water puddle. When I noticed it in the water, the water was bubbling at the cord end, but it did not trip the 20 amp breaker on the circuit. So it was definitely drawing some power. Greg
Electrolysis from an AC source?
I'll have to give that some thought. Every bubble from either conductor would alternate between hydrogen and oxygen. Good one, Peter, now I'll be thinking about that... you know.. a bitf like a song that won't go away...a whistled tune...like Andy Griffith's Mayberry RFD
Absolutely.
Just check any boat at the yacht club that has a shore power system grounded to the water instead of back to the service entrance.
Those installations EAT anodes.
Ever hear of "ground loops"?
Lew
Lew
Right. It all dissolved in last week's rain. Freshly applied fertilizer, however, is a different matter.
Yes of course. But how does the rectfication occur so that you're left with an anode/oxygen only bubbles? Are you talking about cathodic protection of propellor/shafts and even a steel hull? The good ol' galvanic sacrifice?
Just trying to learn something here.....
Rectification?
That is exactly what I'm talking about.
It is the basic reason you NEVER want to go swimming in a marina.
Most marinas that provide shore power will have stray currents in the water and they can kill you.
Lew
Hmmm... an early version of the DuPont lure?
Don't immediately see any reason why not.
During the specific half cycle between each zero crossing, the voltage/current is time varying DC.
If there is no time delay between the current beginning to flow and electrolysis beginning, or if such a threshold does exist and it's less than 1/120 sec, then H2O molecules should be split into hydrogen and oxygen during each half cycle.
If there is no mechanism to recombine the hydrogen generated during one half cycle with the oxygen generated during the previous and/or next half cycle, the bubbles from each electrode should contain a mix of hydrogen and oxygen. Possibly separate bubbles, possibly a gas mixture in each bubble, but in either case, not a worthwhile separation technique without calling on Maxwell's Demon to direct traffic.
Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA
As in "Better Living Thru Chemistry"?
If you have evr been an old time welding shop, you would find a metal pony barrel with a tight fitting lid containing carbide.
Some carbide, some water and you get acetelene gas formed.
Pretty basic stuff.
Lew
There is not enough surface area of the contacts and the water is not conductive enough to trip the breaker. Depending on how long it was under water with the power applied, i'd bet there is pretty heavy corrosion of the contacts. John
Yup, I'll buy that. *in my best Maxwell Smart voice* "the ol' cathode/ anode switch at 60 Hz"
| Yup, I'll buy that. *in my best Maxwell Smart voice* "the ol' | cathode/ anode switch at 60 Hz"
Agent 99 would probably suggest that it's really the more recent "cathode/anode switch at 120 Hz" :-)
-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
And she'd be right. That Smart was such a dufus. A little 'correction' from Agent 99 never felt too too bad, I bet.
But now, Smart & 99 are having a difference of opinion. For half the cycle, the voltage is positive, the other have it is negative.... switching only once per cycle. (Taking my shoe off and calling the Chief.)
| (Taking my shoe off and calling the Chief.)
ROFL so hard it Hz!
Give it up, Max - one switch from positive to negative plus one switch from negative to positive is two switches per cycle.
Check with Emma Peel - she'll set you straight.
-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
The cycle starts of at 0 degrees and rotates to a max positive at 90 degrees then positive diminishes to 0 at 180 degrees. Then at 270 degrees max negative diminishing to 0 at 360 degrees. Or, as the Chief says; "One positive lump. followd by a negative hump, polarity changes once."
I want to write more, but Emma is trying to strap me to the bedposts.
Poor me....
Is that leather strap , thigh boots and spiky heels
Mississippi River water can conduct electricity. Go to about the 2:30 minute mark in this video...
The same type of system is used by fisheries to stun fish so they can count them.
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