Welder Extension Cord

[Short Game]

I was an electronics tech in the navy. We twidgits used to look down on what we called, "the three wire techs." I no longer do. There is a solid body of knowledge required to manage those three or four wires. Three phase motor theory really makes my head hurt. I surely ain't no Tesla.

I had to leave electronics behind as I have very poor short term memory (always did). I was lysdexic and a poor reader. No way could I keep up with the march of technical obsolescence. I'm more suited to wrenches than oscilloscopes.

 

[grsthegreat]

I was an electronics tech in the navy. We twidgits used to look down on what we called, "the three wire techs." I no longer do. There is a solid body of knowledge required to manage those three or four wires. Three phase motor theory really makes my head hurt. I surely ain't no Tesla.

I just did some work for an ex submarine electrician about a month ago. He was really in a quandry about why this pumphouse wasnt working. We had inadvertantly unhooked the neutral feed wire but still had a reading of 120 in his panel. He was confused that the ground showed a completed circuit.

Id be just as lost on a sub.

 

[Short Game]

... lost on a sub.

Those words give me the shivers. To many close calls. :laughing:

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A friend of mine backed his pickup over the temporary service to my neighbor's house. (You know the story, the temp mobile home service, put in to build the place, that is 25 years old.) Anyway, it snagged on his back bumper when he drove out and though it was knocked down, it looked to be intact. In reality, the neutral lead had pulled free inside the panel. Power was partly out inside the house. We tried some of the lights and they were on but dim. Then we switched on a light circuit that was on the other leg, and without the neutral, the lights on one leg competed a circuit through the other leg, putting everything that was turned on onto 240V because the two legs, without the neutral, became a series circuit across the whole service. Funny things can happen with just three wires.

 

[grsthegreat]

Those words give me the shivers. To many close calls. :laughing:

================================

A friend of mine backed his pickup over the temporary service to my neighbor's house. (You know the story, the temp mobile home service, put in to build the place, that is 25 years old.) Anyway, it snagged on his back bumper when he drove out and though it was knocked down, it looked to be intact. In reality, the neutral lead had pulled free inside the panel. Power was partly out inside the house. We tried some of the lights and they were on but dim. Then we switched on a light circuit that was on the other leg, and without the neutral, the lights on one leg competed a circuit through the other leg, putting everything that was turned on onto 240V because the two legs, without the neutral, became a series circuit across the whole service. Funny things can happen with just three wires.

OH YES.... i love that when it happens. Ive been in houses wired with some call an Edison Circuit (where 2 hot legs share a common neutral) and the neutral is lost. All th elight bulbs on the affected circuits look like the surface of the sun ...they are sooo bright.

You would think that they would blow out....but most keep shining. Now if you happen to plug a skill saw into that outlet.......holy moly.

 

[Short Game]

Now if you happen to plug a skill saw into that outlet.......holy moly.

The only thing lost was the AM/FM tuner-amp, as it was left turned on. And you are right about the bright lights.

 

[crazyal]

OH YES.... i love that when it happens. Ive been in houses wired with some call an Edison Circuit (where 2 hot legs share a common neutral) and the neutral is lost. All th elight bulbs on the affected circuits look like the surface of the sun ...they are sooo bright.

You would think that they would blow out....but most keep shining. Now if you happen to plug a skill saw into that outlet.......holy moly.

A co-worker decided he was going to use a Edison circuit in his mother-in-law apartment. He didn't understand them well enough and the first hint he got it wrong was when one after another new CF bulbs kept burning out when he would screw them in. He figured he got a bad batch and just kept trying one after another. I just told him you can't share a neutral wire no matter what (easier and safer than trying to educate him how to do it correctly). Of course this is also the guy who wired up his barn and dropped a cow to his knees as he went to get a drink out of the water tank.

 

[grsthegreat]

A co-worker decided he was going to use a Edison circuit in his mother-in-law apartment. He didn't understand them well enough and the first hint he got it wrong was when one after another new CF bulbs kept burning out when he would screw them in. He figured he got a bad batch and just kept trying one after another. I just told him you can't share a neutral wire no matter what (easier and safer than trying to educate him how to do it correctly). Of course this is also the guy who wired up his barn and dropped a cow to his knees as he went to get a drink out of the water tank.

Yeiks... one of those

 

[ToolBoxTavern]

Well I've done some welding and pushed the extension cord pretty good. At first I thought it was getting hot. It was warm to the touch, but I could hold on to it and I was worried, but the ends were dead in the sun. Later when they was in the shade I really cranked it up and ran some long beads and it was just fine. You would of thought there was a fan blowing on it.