Extra-Low voltage DC underwater cable (Ed.)

[thenewestdude]

Hello! Its my first time posting - I'm really hoping for some advice!

I have a hue outdoor 'lily' set up and I'm needing some advice. It runs 24v and this is the power supply: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Hu...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583451686947191&psc=1

I need to extend my set up across to the other side of the garden (which is at the other end of a freshwater stream) - I have no option but to put a cable through the stream.

My plan for doing this is to use armoured cable for the section under the water (about 8 metres). There is a circuit breaker that the hue supply plugs into.

My questions / worries are:

Is 24dc safe to run under water?
Is 100w a safe power of supply or too high? Is there a 'safe limit' of wattage for this?
Is the armoured cable sufficient to protect the cable?

None should be in the water, but occasionally animals might fall / dive in and I'd obviously want to be entirely safe in case someone falls into the stream!

Thanks in advance for any help / advice

 

[JohnW2]

Welcome to the forum!

Is 24dc safe to run under water?

Any voltage can be run under water if the cable is appropriate for the purpose. There are cables under our pavements and roads,which will often get 'waterlogged' carrying thousands of volts.

Is 100w a safe power of supply or too high? Is there a 'safe limit' of wattage for this?

'safe' for what? 100W at 24V is not all that much. The power of the supply does not really affect how safe it is to run the cable under water.

Is the armoured cable sufficient to protect the cable?

Yes. Steel Wire Armoured cable (SWA) is very widely used buried in soil, where it will often be surround by water.

Kind Regards, John

 

[FrodoOne]

I have a hue outdoor 'lily' set up and I'm needing some advice. It runs 24v and this is the power supply: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Hue-Outdoor-Power-Supply/dp/B0CSJ8PFJL/ref=asc_df_B0CSJ8PFJL?tag=bingshoppinga-

The "hue outdoor "Lilly"" may be any of these
(https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=hue+ou...hue+outdoor+lily,kitchen,334&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 )
but
we do not know !

Is 100w a safe power of supply or too high? Is there a 'safe limit' of wattage for this?

As JohnW2 wrote:-

'safe' for what? 100W at 24V is not all that much. The power of the supply does not really affect how safe it is to run the cable under water.

The "Current available" from a 100 Watt, 24 Volt supply is just under 4.2 Amps.
The "Current used" will depend on the requirements of the "load(s)".

The basic "luminaire" in the above "kits" appears to be rated at 8 Watts.
At 24 V, this is 1/3 A.

Hence, one could "operate" up to 12 such "luminaires" on that "Power Supply".

As stated in "About this item"

• You can add the wattage of each light until the power supply's maximum value of 100 watts is reached.

 

[thenewestdude]

Thank you, I was meaning if 100w adds additional safety considerations I may not have considered?

 

[JohnW2]

Thank you, I was meaning if 100w adds additional safety considerations I may not have considered?

No. As has been said, the power-supplying capability opf the power supply is of no relevance - all that the cable knows (and 'cares') about' is the actual current flowing through it, and that depends only on the load. ...

... so, for example, a load that drew 24W would result in exactly the same current (about 1A from a 24 V supply) flowing through the cableif it were being supplied by a 20 W, 100 W or 10,000 W power supply - and that current is all that would #matter' to the cable.