Interesting electricity question

[akshatp]

My wife wants to take a long bath in the hot tub. We have a table sort of thingie that goes across the top for books, candles, wine, etc. She wants to use the laptop while in there, and asked what would happen if it fell in?

Besides obvioulsy ruining the laptop, I am specifically asking about electrocution.

If the laptop was plugged in (being charged) and fell in, would she get electrocuted?

What if it was running on battery?

 

[Cattlegod]

if it was running on the battery - no. if it was plugged in and the AC-DC converter did not fall in, then no.

edit - i would be more worried about wet hands having water drip in the laptop and ruining it.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod
if it was running on the battery - no. if it was plugged in and the AC-DC converter did not fall in, then no.

OK.. So I should make sure the AC-DC converter falls in. Thanks!



LOL j/k Ill let her use it with just the battery just in case. Too bad there is no good way to test this theory

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod
if it was running on the battery - no. if it was plugged in and the AC-DC converter did not fall in, then no.

edit - i would be more worried about wet hands having water drip in the laptop and ruining it.

She is watching "Day Break" on abc.com, so she won't be actively using it. Any mouse movements are being done with the bluetooth mouse, so at the very worst she will ruin a $15 mouse.

 

[Demo24]

you could get her a toughbook so its water resistant.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: DEMO24
you could get her a toughbook so its water resistant.

I dont think this will be a recurring thing.. She just wants to finish watching her show and would rather soak in the tub instead of sitting on the bed.

She is in there now. BEfore anyone asks, no pics.

 

[Deleted member 4644]

I think this is a recipe for disaster. At best, the lappy gets ruined, at worst, she fries. I wouldn't let my wife do it.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: LordSegan
I think this is a recipe for disaster. At best, the lappy gets ruined, at worst, she fries. I wouldn't let my wife do it.

I dont think the battery has enough power in it to stir up that much electricity in the tub to kill someone.

It would suck if the lappy fell in, but we need a new one anyway. T22 thinkpad, worth maybe $200 at the very best. No data to be lost.

 

[Sukhoi]

Don't have it fall in while the water is flowing or there is a source to ground for sure...

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Don't have it fall in while the water is flowing or there is a source to ground for sure...

Ahh didnt think of that... Good point but she is already in there now, and the tub is full. The laptop is in a pretty secure location where I am 99% certain it cannot fall in.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Who else is waiting for the "OMG GUESS WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO MY WIFE" thread?

 

[Cattlegod]

Originally posted by: akshatp

Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Don't have it fall in while the water is flowing or there is a source to ground for sure...

Ahh didnt think of that... Good point but she is already in there now, and the tub is full. The laptop is in a pretty secure location where I am 99% certain it cannot fall in.

it won't matter. the voltage from the battery is so low it will never travel from the battery and through the water.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Who else is waiting for the "OMG GUESS WHAT JUST HAPPENED TO MY WIFE" thread?

<--- Raises hand


LOL

 

[Sukhoi]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod

Originally posted by: akshatp

Originally posted by: Sukhoi
Don't have it fall in while the water is flowing or there is a source to ground for sure...

Ahh didnt think of that... Good point but she is already in there now, and the tub is full. The laptop is in a pretty secure location where I am 99% certain it cannot fall in.

it won't matter. the voltage from the battery is so low it will never travel from the battery and through the water.

I'm not saying it's very likely something bad would happen at all, but we are dealing with a ~20V source here.

 

[SagaLore]

Don't even RISK damage to either your wife or the laptop. Usually when I'm in the bath, I'm either cleaning myself or just laying back and relaxing.

If she starts asking what will happen if she drops the webcam in... then I'd be a little suspicious why thats in there.

What you could do is have a stand for the laptop in the corner of the bathroom, and get her a remote control mouse they typically used for presentations.

 

[So]

How about taking a quick bath and then curling up on a couch with the laptop. SRSLY, who cannot be away from the web for that long.

 

[akshatp]

Originally posted by: So
How about taking a quick bath and then curling up on a couch with the laptop. SRSLY, who cannot be away from the web for that long.

Not surfing the web. She was in the middle of a 2 hour tv show, and wanted to watch it while in the tub.

I am now considering purchasing a ~32" LCD for the master bathroom.