i've been searching the forum to see people's experiences with the various LED lights out there. I want to switch out my incandescent lights with some more colorful and energy efficient LEDs. Sorry to jump in late here, but I feel like I need to clarify a few misconceptions. For reference, I am an electrical engineer with biomed engineering background. 12V, unless you have open wounds bilaterally and are the world's unluckiest fella, is not likely to kill you. You might feel a tingle, but even that is extremely unlikely. If you don't believe me, touch the terminals of your 12-14V car battery. There is some confusion about the power delivered to the light and the power delivered to the person getting shocked. Yes, the power delivered to the light is the about the same whether or not you use 12VDC or 110VAC (LEDs rarely operate over a couple of volts). However, the power delivered to you has nothing to do with the power delivered to the light. Yourresistance is what governs the amount of current you experience. V = I Rskin --> I = V / Rskin. Penetrating below the epidermis, the average resistance is about 300 ohms (hence my comment about bilateral wounds above). At 12VDC, the current would be, at most, 40mA. Sounds small, but more than enough to do you in. At 110VAC (which is actually +/- 170V, 110VAC is RMS), your max shock is 170/300 = 570mA, almost 15 times greater current. That's more than enough to burn/fry, even in water. Wet, unbroken skin, has an average resistance of 1kOhm. So 12VDC shock current would be 12mA, about twice the GFI limit. It's enough for quite a shock, and possible damage. Definitely going to feel it. For 110VAC, it would be 170mA -> still enough to cause burns AND death. SO, moral of the story, we want our stuff properly connected, grounded, and contained/sealed. So, why 110VAC instead of 12VDC? Simple, the driving force behind most contractor decisions - it's cheaper. Higher voltage, lower current, same power, thinner wires, longer runs, smaller conduit. 12VDC *IS* safer. Ideally, we want 5-6VDC systems, which would then be in line with GFI limits around 5-6mA, or a transformer demand side GFI interrupter. Personally, I'd prefer the lowest voltage possible, would like to keep it AC, as it is more efficient (thinner wires, cheaper, etc.). Of course, none of this matters if your swimming pool has TDS = 0, and is distilled water.
Anyway, sorry for the rant!
Thanks,
Mo