Re: Apartment coilers beware!

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Charles Brush" <cfbrush-at-interport-dot-net> 

><SNIP>
>
>Really hilarious! I'd say mattress springs are pretty good inductors. I'm not
>sure of house wiring in the walls, however. Well along these lines:
>
>I had an unconnected 120V circuit in my workshop, and I had left the two
>(hot) romex wires hanging out of the electrical box to be connected later.
>When I ran my 4.5" coil system at about 900VA, I kept noticing a bright,
>ultraviolet spark off to my right every now and then. I thought it was a
>reflection from the spark gap in the window or something - but lo and behold,
>I found that the romex ends were arcing a good 1.5" to each other. Great
>example of induced voltage in 120V wiring. Very real. Be careful.
><SNIP>
>
>Justin Hays
>KC5PNP
>Email: pyrotrons-at-aol-dot-com
>Webpage: www.hvguy-dot-com


Hi Justin & everyone,

A similar thing happened to me, except with a live circuit.  In the 
barn where I run my pole pig powered system, there is a light fixture 
on one of the roof beams not too far from the coil.  I always switch 
that light off when operating the coil, but one time while the coil 
was running I noticed a sudden "pop" and small explosion in the light 
switch on the wall.  Seems enough HV was induced in the wire going up 
to the light fixture that it arced over the switch, and with it the 
120v line which is what did the damage.  Now I just kill the breaker 
to that light when the coil is operating.  I've also had cheap line 
filters (i.e. power strip type) on the 120v feed to the rotary gap 
fry and smoke when the extension cord to the motor acted like an 
antenna in the same manner.  Tesla coils can do some interesting and 
unexpected things!   A fire extinguisher is certainly a good thing to 
have on hand just in case.

Zap!

Charles Brush
http://www.VoltNet-dot-com