Electrical Safety

[JerryAllen]

First let me define my setup and most setups.

WALL-15/20-AMPS==LOR=CHANNEL (?)--display-item-with-1amp-fuse.

You have the ability to burn up many types of wire causing a fire if you use standard plugs/cords for any distance. Now if you move the fuse to the plugin on the LOR unit, the problem is minimized.

How do you handle this?

Jerry

[Donald Puryear]

all my supply cords are rated = OR MORE THEN THE CIRCUIT THEY ARE PLUGED IN. All my supply cords are number 12 or number 10. On cable runs from my shed to a main distro. box with independent fuses for each recp. I have one controller that operates a star on my roof, each output of that unit has its own fuse (4 amps).

You just have to use good judgement.

[Steven]

Another thought: So what if you use 16-gauge lamp cord, outside, over landscaping gravel? The worst that could happen is it gets overloaded, the insulation melts, catches fire, and shorts, blowing the 15A fuse in the LOR unit. As long as it's outside on gravel, dirt, concrete, or snow, nothing else is going to burn.

Of course, we assume you're using GFCI outlets outside, right?

[JerryAllen]

Steven wrote:

Another thought: So what if you use 16-gauge lamp cord, outside, over landscaping gravel? The worst that could happen is it gets overloaded, the insulation melts, catches fire, and shorts, blowing the 15A fuse in the LOR unit. As long as it's outside on gravel, dirt, concrete, or snow, nothing else is going to burn.

Of course, we assume you're using GFCI outlets outside, right?

Yes GFCI outdoor. Curious, will a GFCI blow due to the hot/nuetral touching each other? Looking at the specs of 16 guage wire, I am hesitant to believe that 16 guage is capable of blowing a 15 amp fuse it may continue to melt until it melted your main plugs and _then_ the fuse would blow. I will be adding 7 channels worth of ~2 amp fuses at the controller before these channels, the house is part of the lighting on these 7 channels and it is simply not feasable to have 7 cords in the 10-12 guage range capable of handling 15 amps in this particular instance.

I feel an experiment coming on... 15 amp fast blow fuse, 120 volts and a dead short in 16 guage wire will most likely blow the fuse, but I doubt ramping a triac in the same situation would blow the fuse.

Zip cord fuse holders?

Anyone?