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Author Topic: Misting Tent near Air-Co units  (Read 12108 times)

Mike Sokol

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Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« on: June 16, 2017, 05:43:52 PM »

My wife is a manager at a catering company, and she's worried about an upcoming gig this weekend where they're putting a misting tent right next to the building's outside air conditioner units. Yes, the big pad mounted kind. She's worried because 30 years ago a kid in her neighborhood was electrocuted from a puddle on the ground caused by a little wading pool next to the same sort of pad mounted air conditioning unit. She's worried about the same possibility from a misting tent which will certainly have a big puddle of water on the ground contacting the air-co gear.

I told her if the air-co units were properly bonded to ground then it should be safe. But if something went wrong with the EGC, then a gradient voltage could spread across the puddle and can cause shock or electrocution from a dozen feet away from the air-co units. Putting water features such as portable swimming pools and misting tents next to electrical gear seems like a very bad idea to me.

Have you guys had this situation happen at a festival? Were you able to convince the managers to move the tents, of did your suggestions just fall on deaf ears? I'm going to give my wife an NCVT and show her how to use it. That's the least I can do since I'm on another gig 30 miles away.

Scott Hofmann

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2017, 07:19:48 PM »

My wife is a manager at a catering company, and she's worried about an upcoming gig this weekend where they're putting a misting tent right next to the building's outside air conditioner units.

So it's a catering company your wife works for that is putting up the misting tent and she is, in a way, responsible for it? If not, and she goes around with a NCVT checking things, does that act make her somewhat responsible?
Just trying to understand if a person who has a concern can suddenly become a "responsible party" should something bad happen. I understand that anyone can be sued for anything at any time.
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Mike Sokol

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2017, 08:30:12 PM »

So it's a catering company your wife works for that is putting up the misting tent and she is, in a way, responsible for it? If not, and she goes around with a NCVT checking things, does that act make her somewhat responsible?
Just trying to understand if a person who has a concern can suddenly become a "responsible party" should something bad happen. I understand that anyone can be sued for anything at any time.

The company she works for is providing catering at a fire hall for their event, and the fire hall is putting up the misting tent. As a manager she reads all the advance info, such as where tents go, where the beer goes, etc...

So that's a good question. If she does nothing and feigns ignorance and someone gets hurt or killed, she's not responsible or liable since she didn't KNOW. But if she whips out a NCVT and finds a hot-chassis and tells someone, is she now responsible for any injuries simply because she KNOWS?

What about me? A simple Google search on my name shows that I know all sorts of things about shock hazards. And if you Google RV Electrical Safety, me and my articles are the top 8 out of 10 on the first page. So if I walk away from an obvous hazard and don't tell anyone, am I liable? If I use a NCVT to demonstrate a shock hazard would I liable if I DIDN'T stop it. Where exactly is the line?

Jean-Pierre Coetzee

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2017, 07:45:54 AM »

From what I remember in rigging if someone on the crews feels something is unsafe it should be changed or someone should explain why it is safe, couldn't we try to implement something similar for electrical power at events?
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John Roberts {JR}

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2017, 08:27:21 AM »

when in doubt do what's right.... Give your wife a NCVT for father's day.

JR
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Keith Broughton

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2017, 09:11:38 AM »

Advise the misting tent be moved.
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Stephen Swaffer

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2017, 10:05:06 PM »

What happens around these AC units next time it rains?  Do we need to give every AC unit a wide berth in ecery rainstorm?

Not minimizing being careful-just saying a little water is a normal condition for these units.
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Steve Swaffer

Keith Broughton

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #7 on: June 18, 2017, 08:18:45 AM »



Not minimizing being careful-just saying a little water is a normal condition for these units.
True, but a group of people hanging around them in w wet mist isn't a "normal condition"
Why take any risk when the tent could be relocated?
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Mike Sokol

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #8 on: June 18, 2017, 10:49:05 AM »

True, but a group of people hanging around them in w wet mist isn't a "normal condition"
Why take any risk when the tent could be relocated?

This isn't a normal walkway. And yes, there will be a bunch of kids in bare feet running through the wet grass right next to the air conditioners. Would you put a kid's wading pool next to something that has electric power. I wouldn't do it.

Scott Holtzman

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2017, 03:15:59 PM »

This isn't a normal walkway. And yes, there will be a bunch of kids in bare feet running through the wet grass right next to the air conditioners. Would you put a kid's wading pool next to something that has electric power. I wouldn't do it.

Water and electricity are a deadly combination.

This happened last night, young lives cut short.

http://fox8.com/2017/06/17/19-year-old-dies-from-electrical-current-in-water-at-put-in-bay-marina/

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Scott AKA "Skyking" Holtzman

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Re: Misting Tent near Air-Co units
« Reply #9 on: June 18, 2017, 03:15:59 PM »


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