DC Tools underwater?

[Extemporaneous]

Don't know if this is the right place for this but.....
Sometime way back (different life perhaps) I had heard of someone using a 12v drill underwater.
I know this is vague but I don't remember.
That said, the other night at a Sailing function another sailor mentioned it. So I thought I'd put it out there in the hopes of finding someone with first hand experience. Also for some of the technical guys, how does this work (assuming it does).
I
s it a DC phenomenon? What are the dangers of electrocution?

Anyone?

Extemp.

[Ram]

What are the dangers of electrocution

NONE -on 12volts dc

I once dropped a ele drill in a 5 gallon bucket of water , and to my suprize it keep running- so I let it run for a min or two, then let it dry out for a few days- later started using it like nothing had happened- maybe a 12 volt will work under water? I think the battery is the weakess link- and I think its not gonnna last long after hitting the salt water

[Chief Engineer]

Somebody is pulling your leg

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

Somebody is pulling your leg

Originally Posted by Ram

What are the dangers of electrocution

NONE -on 12volts dc

I once dropped a ele drill in a 5 gallon bucket of water , and to my suprize it keep running- so I let it run for a min or two, then let it dry out for a few days- later started using it like nothing had happened- maybe a 12 volt will work under water? I think the battery is the weakess link- and I think its not gonnna last long after hitting the salt water

Ram..............
Are you pulling my Leg??????

To be clear, no one said that it was good for the equipment or that it would last very long. But it may come in handy if one needed to dive under the boat and screw a piece of plywood over a hole! Oh ya, and then buy a new cordless drill. Who cares at that point.

Extemp.

[Extemporaneous]

Maybe I'll get my mother in law to try it.

[Dave the Canuck]

Originally Posted by Extemporaneous

Maybe I'll get my mother in law to try it.

If she balks, I have one you could use.

[Extemporaneous]

Had my wife read this and she thought it was hilarious.............
Until she figured out who Extemporaneous was.

Extemp.

[DeepFrz]

I read an article in one of the mags. a few years back about a couple who's yacht sprang a leak along a crack in the hull. They used DC power tools with lots of water spraying all over the place to screw down a piece of plywood with lots of caulk spread on it. They had to drill through the plywood and then screw in wood screws to hold the plywood down. That would have been about as good as being underwater, I think. They didn't say if the tools were ruined in the experience or not, but they saved their boat.

[Chief Engineer]

www.rentaltoolsonline/category-s/83.htm

or you try using one in a sink

the unit needs to be completely sealed

btw air tools DO work underwater.......

you have to flush them out real good and oil them immediately after use.

[Celestialsailor]

I can't see how any electrical tool could be used in salt water. Whether A.C. or D.C., salt water contucts electricity. It would short out the tool.

[Talbot]

One of the junkyard build TV programmes was on an underwater vehicle needing to negotiate a course. IIRC they used Gel batteries to get over the water into battery problem, and they used car starter motors to drive a propellor. No problems, but may well have been fresh water - dont know what would be the additional problems in salt due to it's increased conductivity.

The tool would work, but I suspect it would be a throw away block of rust soon after.

[Extemporaneous]

A little more support for the possibility.

"When faced with a flooded bilge situation, VRLA batteries will continue to operate submerged up to a 30-foot depth."

See page 2/23 of the link.
http://www.llelectronics.com/docs/aw...eBatteries.pdf

It's pretty low on the priority list, but if I get a chance I will buy a cheap chargeable drill and try it. I need to know.

Extemp.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Extemporaneous

A little more support for the possibility.

"When faced with a flooded bilge situation, VRLA batteries will continue to operate submerged up to a 30-foot depth."

See page 2/23 of the link.
http://www.llelectronics.com/docs/aw...eBatteries.pdf

It's pretty low on the priority list, but if I get a chance I will buy a cheap chargeable drill and try it. I need to know.

Extemp.

In salt water? I cannot see how a DC battery of any kind would defy physics.

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

In salt water? I cannot see how a DC battery of any kind would defy physics.

The Internet SAID it. It's MUST BE TRUE!!!

[Lancerbye]

If the connections were sealed, the motor was sealed and the battery was sealed to prevent water getting to the contacts it should work. It does not need air. Tape over the air holes which in a universal motor are opened to the brushes. coat with some sealant, same with the baterry and you have a submersable drill.