I picked up a “Double Cooler” today, a drink cooler with internal and external compartments for the purpose of having two separate drinks in one cooler.
I had an idea: How would if affect the hourly background radiation reading on the Haak SMG2? Average background reading in my house is usually 0.12uSv/hr to 0.14uSv/hr. If I put water in the outer section and the bottom of the inner section, could the hourly reading on the Haak come out lower?
I measured the difference between the inside and outside compartments so that we’ll know approximately how much water there is; just a hair under 2.5 inches.
Next, I filled the outer section most of the way up with water, and the inner section about 5 inches with water. (Eww, don’t drink that!)
Now it’s time to drop the Haak in. I put it in a tupperware container and taped the hell out of it, then I tied 550-cord off and taped it to the tupperware so that I will be able to retrieve the Haak without getting it wet.
And now we wait! Now, going into this experiment, I don’t expect to see a noticeable difference. I will leave the Haak in overnight, and if it comes out with a reading of 0.09uSv/hr or lower, I will consider it mildly shielded (as I have never seen background that low in this house). However, don’t take that as the defining answer as to whether water is good for shielding; it most certainly is, in large enough quantities (swimming pool size, for example). I’m only using 2.5 inches for a quick home experiment. I will post the results tomorrow. Enjoy!
Mikl Moose 