Phantom Power Water and Snakes

[chadgreen]

I just bought a Horizon 24x4 100' snake used. I was wondering if I have to worry about the stage box being near a decent amount of water when running phantom power.
Thanks.

[heychandler]

Stay away from water! Read this article...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in995829.shtml

[prochlea]

well - that is a little misleading. The actual reason he was electrocuted was due to water heater that wasn't grounded properly. At some point the heating elements corroded to the point that line voltage was going into the water, and since the water heater wasn't grounded, the water was live. When he touched the mic, he grounded himself.

That said - I would avoid the water, because you never know when you've got something failing - but if everything is working properly, it shouldn't be an issue. Phantom power doesn't have enough juice to kill you. Honestly - I can't see how the stage box being near water would cause any electrical problems big enough to hurt you - but I might be overlooking something. I'd be more worried about ruining the connections.

[zactommo]

Phantom power won't hurt you, but stay away from water anyway. Havening done a few TV OB's in the rain, getting water in your connectors/snake etc can be a right pain!

[heychandler]

Okay all electrical geniuses! The question was "do I put a audio snake near water?"
NO!

I hold a degree in broadcast engineering, I have worked as a touring sound engineer for over a decade and I "have seen" people get electrocuted from wet sound gear. I am fully aware that 48v will not kill you by itself.
But many people HAVE DIED from faulty audio equipment. People have been electroctued when touching improperly grounded audio equipment. I prefer to keep all electronic equipment away from water, and a audio snake is a piece of electronic equipment.

Keith Relf, The Yardbirds, killed in 1976; he was found on the floor of his home studio after getting an electric shock from touching a improperly grounded electric guitar and.

Leslie Harvey of Stone the Crows was killed in 1972, by a microphone that was not properly grounded.

We need to be careful in the advice that we give on this site. You should not post about electrical dangers if you are not qualified to speak on the subject.

[chadgreen]

Yeah the box will be under the main tent so protected from rain etc. Everything is going to be run off of a generator. I was just curious if the shell of the box became grounded due to water what might happen. Thanks.

[heychandler]

Just try and keep it from sitting in any standing water. Situations always arise like this when you are outisde. Just use caution and common sense and you should be okay.

[prochlea]

Keith Relf, The Yardbirds, killed in 1976; he was found on the floor of his home studio after getting an electric shock from touching a improperly grounded electric guitar and.

Leslie Harvey of Stone the Crows was killed in 1972, by a microphone that was not properly grounded.

I don't know anything about these particular situations - but I would put money on the fact that it was not the fault of the microphone or the guitar. It was likely a improperly grounded amplifier or something else in the chain. An electric guitar isn't really grounded, and neither is the mic. There is no way to mis-wire a microphone or guitar that will cause an electrocution, as there should never be enough juice to cause harm. If the piece of gear it is attached to is improperly grounded and failing, then yes, but it was not because the guitar or microphone was "improperly grounded."


Heres the thing though - in the OP - the question is what if the stage box of the snake gets wet. if it gets wet it has grounded itself... Explain to me how it getting wet will cause a problem. Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems like it getting wet would only be an issue if something else is failing and improperly grounded. Furthermore, if you already have the problem that will cause an electrocution, you should still get electrocuted if you touch the box while you're kneeling on the ground or something. I guess what I'm getting at is that I can't come up with a situation electrically that it would really be any worse for the stage box to be wet, just easier to ground it. If there is a situation, please explain how it would happen.

Additionally - I think your statement "Okay all electrical geniuses!" is unnecessary and somewhat rude.

[pdc]

It takes 10mA to kill a human, unless God has another reason for you to exist. A good phantom power circuit will have about 60mA of current. So yes, it CAN kill you. Will it? Who knows. Just so you know, there are lots of internet stories floating around about mics in the baptistry.

The best story has nothing to do with a mic. Some jimbob installed a can light in the bottom of the 2baptistry. Yes, it was a plain can light, used in corners on the floor, etc. The power cable was run under the tank. The water was filled, they turned on the light and ZAPPO. They felt the power of something shocking.

[heychandler]

You have completely made my point! If something else is not working right and your stage box is sitting in water, "YOU COULD GET ELECTROCUTED!". Why do you think people invented the GFI? Because water and electricity (even small amounts) DO NOT MIX!.

And regarding my statement about "Electrical Geniuses"... I don't understand why so many people on here want to try and sound so smart...when they actually have no clue what they are talking about!
People should not post if they don't know anything!

But, I apologize if your feelings were hurt... I would rather Chad be safe than sorry!

[heychandler]

I doubt it was the microphone but check this out!

CMN Player - YouTube - Reporter Bloopers - Electrocution

[tedanderson]

I was wondering if I have to worry about the stage box being near a decent amount of water when running phantom power.

Yes, simply because accidents happen and as a general rule you do not want to put your equipment in a place where something catastrophic can happen. From a safety perspective, I would have to say it's best to err on the side of caution because in situations where I have known of people to get electrocuted, it was a matter of multiple factors that went wrong that day.

Also, one of the dangers that I have experienced with getting sound equipment in/near water is that even though the cables have a rubber or PVC jacket, there are still microscopic cracks that can develop through normal usage.