LED strips underwater

[camilozk]

Hi!

there are some videos in youtube (link below) of people putting led strips underwater to prove that there is no drastic problem in doing so. also, somebody told me some days ago, using 12v led bulbs, that they have actually had this bulbs in containers full of water for several days and this was also not a problem.

why is this not a problem, and would it be different in the case of a digital led strip? (ws2811 or similar?)

 

[Audioguru]

Several days is nothing. Several months will cause severe corrosion especially if the water is not distilled.
Tap water has all kinds of nasty things in it.

 

[camilozk]

applies also for digital strips?

 

[MidNor]

Led atrips are usually heavily isulatein especially the ones i took out of roof tubes.
Thats propably why they opperate under water.
As long as you can prevent a short it will work.
Please be careful they may pull a lot of current

 

[Audioguru]

Water corrodes many metals.
If the LED strip has exposed metal that can corrode, then corrosion will ruin it.

 

[camilozk]

my main question is, why there is no short circuit

 

[Externet]

What do you call 'short circuit' ?

 

[Audioguru]

Pure water is an insulator. Tap water conducts a little. Salt water conducts more but is far from a short circuit.

 

[Audioguru]

I think a few thousand volts on high surface area probes in salt water is pretty close to a short circuit.

 

[camilozk]

so, what I infer is that water is not conductive enough to short circuit low voltage´s systems, is that right?

 

[Audioguru]

so, what I infer is that water is not conductive enough to short circuit low voltage´s systems, is that right?

Correct. You can simply measure the resistance of water with a multimeter. The area of the probes and distance apart affects the resistance.

 

[camilozk]

thanks again!