I have not seen the show in which you are refering to. But I have logged in excess of 5000 Hours of bottom time welding. The danger is of course there, but not so much from the electricity as most would think. The biggest danger lies in the accumulation of hydrogen gas which is produced in large amounts when wet welding and has a nasty habit of igniteing when you least expect it killing all manner of life. Venting the area of work and structurs you are cutting into is the only way to avoid this. Venting in it self is a large topic and takes some longer then others to learn what to look for. Next to that I would have to say the next hazard is rigging. As you can imagine when working in 0-visibiltiy with lines running everywhere for cabels,load carrying,load positioning,stagging,securing tools and equipment etc. It turns into a tangled up mess real fast. Not knowing the right Knots and rigging practices is a killer. Having said that undrewater welding wet and dry can be relativily safe if the proper precautions are taken. As far as getting in the water with a man who only has two days of training, not this cowboy. I think that only happens in the movies. It takes most guys a week or two just to learn how to see the puddle underwater if they have no previous welding experience. It is easyer to train a welder to dive then it is to train a diver to weld. But if a person can deal with all the pressure of being a diver and the B.S. that goes with it, it can be very rewarding from being able to do things in o-vis that most can't imagine in the light of day. On top of that "chicks dig ya" at least thats what my wife says. I am going to look for that show as I am sure hollywood and reality are two different worlds.
hey makeithot, i have worked with underwater welders here in shops and the field, the professionalism that you learn from the extra hazards of being underwater translate into some of the very best work ethics and quality of character i have met. I wish more people behaved like the diver/welders i have met. it would lead to a better industry as a whole. i am sure there are some real problem people like in any industry but overall what the average welder/diver brings to the table is what the industry is losing on the whole.
we have hydrogen explode on our burn table sometimes and every once in a while it blows a part out of the carcass. i can only imagine what its like when a substantial amount goes off, have you ever been underwater when a hydrogen gas bubble has ignited?
darren
Yes I have and lucky for me I was shielded from the main force of the explosion becase of dumb luck I was behind the rudder and the gas that lite off was accumulated in the rudder trunk. I only sufferd from sore ear drums . The force of the explosion was enough though to send me 40 feet to the bottom. Needless to say it was a lesson I have not forgotten.
It takes a special breed for this kind of work. I went as far as learning to dive for inspections, and after a very short stint, decided it was not for me. Hazzards, BS, and other things I could handle, its the pitch black when something living and large bumps into you while working that did it for me. My hats off to the gentlemen that do this for a living.
I did not know that gas pockets exploding were common in the underwater parctice. Guess I' ll take the path of CWI555 and leave it to the professionals!
Hello MDG;
How did that trash container job go?
Al
Al,
I assume that you are refering to the pallet transfer stations that I posted last month in the Inspection area? I visited my customer yesterday, and they received payment on the job, and no further comment from the end user. I guess it's done and over without going to court as expected. That was one of them deals that you just want to go away before it gets really ugly! I guess that's why GMAW-S is NOT prequalified!!
A Special-Valuable-Elite Group of Tradesmen to say the least.....
Thanks for the Feedback Gentlemen....
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