In ,
Jeff Thies typed:
On 1/10/2011 1:49 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST),
wrote:
On Jan 9, 9:26 pm,
wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21 pm,
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our
office. The appliance plug is also burnt as well. All
the outlets at our office is rated at 20Amps and have
fuse protection. The fuse did not trip. Anyone has a
clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am
planning to just replace the burnt outlets and the
appliance plug, but I really prefer to know what
caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the
outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some
audio devices. The input to the power conditioner shows
it is rated up to 30Amps but we actually do not have
that many devices being powered by this conditioner. So
I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the 20Amp
building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was
higher than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will
have a T- shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker
is 20 amp and the wiring is 12 ga, somebody really
screwed up.

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The
appliance obviously has a 15A plug on it, so it's not
intended for more than 15A.

It looks like an after market plug. We know little about
the power conditioner except that it is rated at 30A.
Possibly something like an RV plug was on it at one time
(and what would you plug that in to!). But I'm just
speculating...
Jeff

I'd further speculate that it's probably just a case of pulling the plug
while something with a large xfmr was drawing high current.
Or, since this looks like a non-professional job, a wire internal to
either plug or socket was touching gnd or neutral and it burnt away the
short for them.
Either way, it's not to code, is an OSHA violation and IMO wasn't
installed by anyone knowing the fire or electrical codes.

HTH,

Twayne`

In m,
Ralph Mowery typed:
wrote in message
...
We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office.
The appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets
at our office is rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection.
The fuse did not trip. Anyone has a clue why the outlet
and the plug are burnt? I am planning to just replace the
burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really prefer
to know what caused the burning in the first place. Here are 2 photos
showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

Without having a beter look , I would say that in the plug
where the wire is connected to the prong, there is a loose
or high resistance connection.
You usually get heat build up at the bad connections. If
the plug can be taken apart, see if the connection is
loose. Unless there is some reason the whole prong is not
making connection all over the plug and socket, there
probably was nothing wrong with the socket except the plug
overheated and caused the burnt spots on the socket.

Since non-residential wiring is often stranded wire, that's a very good
possibility.

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:09:07 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:


wrote:


Good possibility? It is a definite FACT. With the 30 amp rating of the
conditioner,a 20 amp plug would be a requirement. Particularly on a 20
amp circuit.

Don't assume a 30A rating requires a 30A plug. That rating is the
maximum input current, and you can absolutely change the plug to a lower
rating if the load on the conditioner is less than full load. The
circuit protection is at the panel feeding the receptacle, so if that
receptacle is on a 15A or 20A circuit it is fine. If the load is too
high the breaker will trip.
It is a 20 amp receptacle according to the OP, and the device (still
has not been established white kind of "conditioner") is rated at 30
amps.

It NEEDS a 20 amp plug. To handle up to 20 amps input current.

If it is a Ferro conditioner, that means it's good for about 15 amps
out. They are quite effective heaters.

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:49:32 -0600, "
wrote:

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), Joe wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26Â*pm, " wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21Â*pm, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.
Not obvious at all. I could put a 15 amp plug on a 2 HP table saw.

In ,
RBM typed:
"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
m...

wrote in message
...
We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our
office. The appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the
outlets at our office is rated at 20Amps and have fuse
protection. The fuse did not trip. Anyone has a clue why
the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning to just
replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I
really prefer to know what caused the burning in the
first place. Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

Without having a beter look , I would say that in the plug
where the wire is connected to the prong, there is a loose
or high resistance connection. You usually get heat build up at the bad
connections. If
the plug can be taken apart, see if the connection is
loose. Unless there is some reason the whole prong is not
making connection all over the plug and socket, there
probably was nothing wrong with the socket except the plug
overheated and caused the burnt spots on the socket.

Thats sounds like a good explanation to me. I would also
question the draw of the appliance. It burned two
receptacles and it's not a factory plug. There is a good
possibility that it should be a 20 amp plug and not 15 as
shown

The wire and connectors must be capable of carrying 80% of the load of
everything on that ckt breaker. Since it's a 15A plug/receptacle and one
piece of equipment is 30A I'd have to surmise they're using a time-delay
breaker for one, that lets them slip by without popping the brkr, but : It
is NOT to code! OSHA would have a field day with it, too. As would NFPA. I'd
be interested also in what gage wire is being used to the box and to the
other components drawing current?
Sounds like a pretty dangerous place to work to me.

HTH,

Twayne`

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:49:32 -0600, "
wrote:

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), Joe wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26Â*pm, " wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21Â*pm, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.
The OP said it was a 20 amp outlet - it is only a 15. I had not seen
the pictures before.

In ter.com,
Pete C. typed:
wrote:


Good possibility? It is a definite FACT. With the 30 amp
rating of the conditioner,a 20 amp plug would be a
requirement. Particularly on a 20 amp circuit.

Don't assume a 30A rating requires a 30A plug. That rating
is the maximum input current, and you can absolutely change
the plug to a lower rating if the load on the conditioner
is less than full load. The circuit protection is at the
panel feeding the receptacle, so if that receptacle is on a
15A or 20A circuit it is fine. If the load is too high the
breaker will trip.

That's such a screwed up fiasco from what I've seen/read, that it has to
have a 30A fuse and likewise be wired for "stopped rotor" & whatever
applies. We have no idea really what the situation is, wire gauge, voltage
during draw and resulting damage to inductive parts (motors, relays coils,
etc.).
What they need to do is get a real electrician in there to install things
correctly; they've made way too many bad choices. And then of course have it
inspected. It would not pass inspection right now.

HTH,

Twayne`

On 1/10/2011 4:00 PM, Twayne wrote:
In m,
Ralph typed:
wrote in message
...
We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office.
The appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets
at our office is rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection.
The fuse did not trip. Anyone has a clue why the outlet
and the plug are burnt? I am planning to just replace the
burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really prefer
to know what caused the burning in the first place. Here are 2 photos
showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

Without having a beter look , I would say that in the plug
where the wire is connected to the prong, there is a loose
or high resistance connection.
You usually get heat build up at the bad connections. If
the plug can be taken apart, see if the connection is
loose. Unless there is some reason the whole prong is not
making connection all over the plug and socket, there
probably was nothing wrong with the socket except the plug
overheated and caused the burnt spots on the socket.

Since non-residential wiring is often stranded wire, that's a very good
possibility.


I'm confused what you are referring to, but curious. What plug is
wired with solid?

Jeff

wrote:

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:09:07 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:


wrote:


Good possibility? It is a definite FACT. With the 30 amp rating of the
conditioner,a 20 amp plug would be a requirement. Particularly on a 20
amp circuit.

Don't assume a 30A rating requires a 30A plug. That rating is the
maximum input current, and you can absolutely change the plug to a lower
rating if the load on the conditioner is less than full load. The
circuit protection is at the panel feeding the receptacle, so if that
receptacle is on a 15A or 20A circuit it is fine. If the load is too
high the breaker will trip.
It is a 20 amp receptacle according to the OP, and the device (still
has not been established white kind of "conditioner") is rated at 30
amps.

It NEEDS a 20 amp plug. To handle up to 20 amps input current.

If it is a Ferro conditioner, that means it's good for about 15 amps
out. They are quite effective heaters.

15A and 20A plugs / receptacles have the same size contacts. There is no
difference in the actual current handling capacity between the two.

"Twayne" wrote in
:

In ter.com,
Pete C. typed:
wrote:


Good possibility? It is a definite FACT. With the 30 amp
rating of the conditioner,a 20 amp plug would be a
requirement. Particularly on a 20 amp circuit.

Don't assume a 30A rating requires a 30A plug. That rating
is the maximum input current, and you can absolutely change
the plug to a lower rating if the load on the conditioner
is less than full load. The circuit protection is at the
panel feeding the receptacle, so if that receptacle is on a
15A or 20A circuit it is fine. If the load is too high the
breaker will trip.

That's such a screwed up fiasco from what I've seen/read, that it has
to have a 30A fuse and likewise be wired for "stopped rotor" &
whatever applies. We have no idea really what the situation is, wire
gauge, voltage during draw and resulting damage to inductive parts
(motors, relays coils, etc.).
What they need to do is get a real electrician in there to install
things
correctly; they've made way too many bad choices. And then of course
have it inspected. It would not pass inspection right now.

HTH,

Twayne`




Fiddlesticks. There's nothing wrong. It's all just to let the user know
the black part on the plug goes in the black part of the outlet.

Then again, kinda looks like Mr Bill with a black eye. Can't ya just hear
that ground pin sayin' "Ohhhhh Noooooo!".

That's one way to look at it. Think of all the jobs which
rely on your house burning down. Hmm. Maybe I'll replace the
burnt sockets, and send them a sympathy letter.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Tony Miklos" wrote in message
...
On 1/10/2011 9:13 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Those two outlets look like some drunk gave em a wicked
black eye. Just one man's opinion, but I don't think
that's
"OK" to have around. I would not leave those outlets in my
office wall.


Oh come on now, we need to stimulate the economy! Use the
old outlets
until the place burns down.

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:15:24 -0500, Jeff Thies wrote:

On 1/10/2011 1:49 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26 pm, wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21 pm,
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.

It looks like an after market plug. We know little about the power
conditioner except that it is rated at 30A. Possibly something like an
RV plug was on it at one time (and what would you plug that in to!). But
I'm just speculating...

Then why would a 20A plug be any better?

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:16:45 -0500, wrote:

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:49:32 -0600, "
wrote:

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), Joe wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26*pm, " wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21*pm, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.
The OP said it was a 20 amp outlet - it is only a 15. I had not seen
the pictures before.

Right, it's a 15A outlet and a 15A plug. No foul there.

On 1/10/2011 5:40 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:15:24 -0500, Jeff wrote:

On 1/10/2011 1:49 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26 pm, wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21 pm,
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.

It looks like an after market plug. We know little about the power
conditioner except that it is rated at 30A. Possibly something like an
RV plug was on it at one time (and what would you plug that in to!). But
I'm just speculating...

Then why would a 20A plug be any better?

I never mentioned 20, it's a 15A plug on it, and I'm just speculating
that someone put a 15A plug on because they didn't have a 30A socket for
the 30A plug. I don't know, the OP will have to clear this up, or not...

Jeff

HE HAS A 20A FUSED CIRCUIT ENERGIZING TWO DEVICES THAT ARE RATED AT
15A, AND THE FREAKING LOAD, SOME SORT OF AUDIO SAMPLER IS RATED AT
30A.
WHAT IS THERE LEFT OUT TO FIGURE WHAT WENT WRONG???

SHEESH!!! WHAT A BASKET CASE!

PATECUM

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:43:24 -0500, Jeff Thies wrote:

On 1/10/2011 5:40 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:15:24 -0500, Jeff wrote:

On 1/10/2011 1:49 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26 pm, wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21 pm,
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.

It looks like an after market plug. We know little about the power
conditioner except that it is rated at 30A. Possibly something like an
RV plug was on it at one time (and what would you plug that in to!). But
I'm just speculating...

Then why would a 20A plug be any better?

I never mentioned 20, it's a 15A plug on it, and I'm just speculating
that someone put a 15A plug on because they didn't have a 30A socket for
the 30A plug. I don't know, the OP will have to clear this up, or not...

You were answering a thread discussing changing from a 15A outlet to a 20A
outlet. If it's supposed to be a 30, a 20 isn't going to help. It won't help
anyway. That's not the problem.

On Jan 10, 10:27*pm, "
wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:43:24 -0500, Jeff Thies wrote:
On 1/10/2011 5:40 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:15:24 -0500, Jeff *wrote:

On 1/10/2011 1:49 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), * wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26 pm, * wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21 pm,
wrote:

* wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

* * * ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? *The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.

It looks like an after market plug. We know little about the power
conditioner except that it is rated at 30A. Possibly something like an
RV plug was on it at one time (and what would you plug that in to!). But
I'm just speculating...

Then why would a 20A plug be any better?

* I never mentioned 20, it's a 15A plug on it, and I'm just speculating
that someone put a 15A plug on because they didn't have a 30A socket for
the 30A plug. I don't know, the OP will have to clear this up, or not...

You were answering a thread discussing changing from a 15A outlet to a 20A
outlet. *If it's supposed to be a 30, a 20 isn't going to help. *It won't help
anyway. *That's not the problem.

YOU NUMBSKULL JUST SHUT THE **** UP ALREADY..THIS IS DONE.
AND USE GLOVES OR SOMETHING TO HOLD THAT GLASS PIPE, YOU LOOK
HORRENDOUS.

PATECUM

On Jan 10, 11:44*am, Chip C wrote:

Nowhere that this kind of outlet is used is it legal for a non-
electrician to replace outlets or plugs in an office or workplace.
Have an electrician come in and replace both.

If you don't believe me, ask your insurance agent. Better him than the
adjuster who comes in after something burns down.

I presume the reason you -- er, "someone" -- put an aftermarket plug
on the cord is because the equipment came with a 30A plug, probably a
twistlock. You may think that you've loaded it lightly enough that it
won't draw more than 15A, but you may be wrong. Have the sparky quote
on a proper 30A circuit installation while he's there.

If you do put it all back together in a 15A config, get yourself a
Kill-A-Watt or other current monitor and find out what you're really
drawing. If it's more than 12A continuous, you should not be on a 15A
circuit. Some offices are wired all 12-gauge even on 15A circuits; if
that's the case, depending on length and local regs, your electrician
may be able to swap in a 20A breaker and T-slot receptacle.

Chip C
Toronto


Maybe that is true in Canada Chip, but here in much of the US
it is perfectly OK for maintenance technicians to repair or replace
installed electrical devices (outlets, switches and fixtures) with
identically rated devices without an electrical license...

Now whether or not the maintenance technician is good at doing
that sort of work is an entirely different subject, but it is
allowed...

~~ Evan

On Jan 11, 12:48*am, Evan wrote:
On Jan 10, 11:44*am, Chip C wrote:







Nowhere that this kind of outlet is used is it legal for a non-
electrician to replace outlets or plugs in an office or workplace.
Have an electrician come in and replace both.

If you don't believe me, ask your insurance agent. Better him than the
adjuster who comes in after something burns down.

I presume the reason you -- er, "someone" -- put an aftermarket plug
on the cord is because the equipment came with a 30A plug, probably a
twistlock. You may think that you've loaded it lightly enough that it
won't draw more than 15A, but you may be wrong. Have the sparky quote
on a proper 30A circuit installation while he's there.

If you do put it all back together in a 15A config, get yourself a
Kill-A-Watt or other current monitor and find out what you're really
drawing. If it's more than 12A continuous, you should not be on a 15A
circuit. Some offices are wired all 12-gauge even on 15A circuits; if
that's the case, depending on length and local regs, your electrician
may be able to swap in a 20A breaker and T-slot receptacle.

Chip C
Toronto

Maybe that is true in Canada Chip, but here in much of the US
it is perfectly OK for maintenance technicians to repair or replace
installed electrical devices (outlets, switches and fixtures) with
identically rated devices without an electrical license...

Now whether or not the maintenance technician is good at doing
that sort of work is an entirely different subject, but it is
allowed...

~~ Evan

True, an no inspector will come as dreamed about up the thread, unless
a clear code violation is reported, as is using a regular outlet
within specifications near a water source, where a GFI is required to
protect lives.
Patecum

On 1/10/2011 10:27 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:43:24 -0500, Jeff wrote:

On 1/10/2011 5:40 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:15:24 -0500, Jeff wrote:

On 1/10/2011 1:49 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26 pm, wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21 pm,
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.

It looks like an after market plug. We know little about the power
conditioner except that it is rated at 30A. Possibly something like an
RV plug was on it at one time (and what would you plug that in to!). But
I'm just speculating...

Then why would a 20A plug be any better?

I never mentioned 20, it's a 15A plug on it, and I'm just speculating
that someone put a 15A plug on because they didn't have a 30A socket for
the 30A plug. I don't know, the OP will have to clear this up, or not...

You were answering a thread discussing changing from a 15A outlet to a 20A
outlet.

I read this as the OP thought he had a 20A but it is only 15. I didn't
see anything in this thread that mentioned changing to a 20A plug, or
socket. You are reading something I don't see.

If it's supposed to be a 30, a 20 isn't going to help. It won't help
anyway. That's not the problem.

I agree. It's likely a plug problem and it is unknown what complications
there are.

At any rate, the OP is gone, and the threads are wandering into
abstract oblivion. So, what else is new?


Jeff

On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:48:25 -0800 (PST), Evan
wrote:

On Jan 10, 11:44Â*am, Chip C wrote:

Nowhere that this kind of outlet is used is it legal for a non-
electrician to replace outlets or plugs in an office or workplace.
Have an electrician come in and replace both.

If you don't believe me, ask your insurance agent. Better him than the
adjuster who comes in after something burns down.

I presume the reason you -- er, "someone" -- put an aftermarket plug
on the cord is because the equipment came with a 30A plug, probably a
twistlock. You may think that you've loaded it lightly enough that it
won't draw more than 15A, but you may be wrong. Have the sparky quote
on a proper 30A circuit installation while he's there.

If you do put it all back together in a 15A config, get yourself a
Kill-A-Watt or other current monitor and find out what you're really
drawing. If it's more than 12A continuous, you should not be on a 15A
circuit. Some offices are wired all 12-gauge even on 15A circuits; if
that's the case, depending on length and local regs, your electrician
may be able to swap in a 20A breaker and T-slot receptacle.

Chip C
Toronto


Maybe that is true in Canada Chip, but here in much of the US
it is perfectly OK for maintenance technicians to repair or replace
installed electrical devices (outlets, switches and fixtures) with
identically rated devices without an electrical license...

Now whether or not the maintenance technician is good at doing
that sort of work is an entirely different subject, but it is
allowed...

~~ Evan

It's always been allowed here too (Canada)

On Jan 11, 1:30*am, The Ghost in The Machine
wrote:

True, an no inspector will come as dreamed about up the thread, unless
a clear code violation is reported, *as is using a regular outlet
within specifications near a water source, where a GFI is required to
protect lives.
Patecum


Often most code violations are discovered after some emergency
event happens (fire, flood, etc.) which requires the facility/building
in question undergo some form of inspection from the various
inspectors (fire safety, plumbing/gas, electrical/wiring, building)
prior to allowing it to be occupied again...

~~ Evan

On Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:04:43 -0500, Jeff Thies wrote:

On 1/10/2011 10:27 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:43:24 -0500, Jeff wrote:

On 1/10/2011 5:40 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:15:24 -0500, Jeff wrote:

On 1/10/2011 1:49 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:39:57 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Jan 9, 9:26 pm, wrote:
On Jan 9, 7:21 pm,
wrote:





wrote in message

...

We recently had one burnt electrical outlet at our office. The
appliance plug is also burnt as well. All the outlets at our office is
rated at 20Amps and have fuse protection. The fuse did not trip.
Anyone has a clue why the outlet and the plug are burnt? I am planning
to just replace the burnt outlets and the appliance plug, but I really
prefer to know what caused the burning in the first place.

Here are 2 photos showing the plug and the outlet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341105173/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54230006@N07/5341718398/

Thanks

What types of devices to those plugs belong to? Not the outlets. The plugs.

It is connected to a power conditioner which powers some audio
devices. The input to the power conditioner shows it is rated up to
30Amps but we actually do not have that many devices being powered by
this conditioner. So I doubt it is drawing the full 30Amps. Also the
20Amp building fuse would have tripped if the power drain was higher
than 20Amps.

Your outlets are 15 amp, not 20. The correct outlet will have a T-
shape plug hole on the hot side. If the breaker is 20 amp and the
wiring is 12 ga, somebody really screwed up.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Why do you believe that he needs 20A outlets? The appliance obviously has a
15A plug on it, so it's not intended for more than 15A.

It looks like an after market plug. We know little about the power
conditioner except that it is rated at 30A. Possibly something like an
RV plug was on it at one time (and what would you plug that in to!). But
I'm just speculating...

Then why would a 20A plug be any better?

I never mentioned 20, it's a 15A plug on it, and I'm just speculating
that someone put a 15A plug on because they didn't have a 30A socket for
the 30A plug. I don't know, the OP will have to clear this up, or not...

You were answering a thread discussing changing from a 15A outlet to a 20A
outlet.

I read this as the OP thought he had a 20A but it is only 15. I didn't
see anything in this thread that mentioned changing to a 20A plug, or
socket. You are reading something I don't see.

Did you actually read the post I replied to? It's still up there (look for
the '^' string, above).

If it's supposed to be a 30, a 20 isn't going to help. It won't help
anyway. That's not the problem.

I agree. It's likely a plug problem and it is unknown what complications
there are.

At any rate, the OP is gone, and the threads are wandering into
abstract oblivion. So, what else is new?

Not much.