On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:21:49 -0500, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:12:10 -0600, Steve IA
wrote:

ransley wrote:

...

Get a clamp on amp meter that goes to 0,01 amp, not found a stores but
electric supply houses, a 35$ Greenlee is good. Clamp on each circut
on your panel to check consumption and compare it to what is plugged
in by their watt ratings, then check with everything off, then
unplugged. You might find a direct short to ground.

Can two extension cords, plugged together and covered with ice and snow
cause a direct short without breaking the circuit breaker?

Thanks
Steve

I'm a farmer and every winter I have these livestock tank heaters
connected by extension cords. I often plug 2 cords together. This
year we had a bad ice storm come early. I normally try to lift the
cords out and on top of the snow, and also usually tape a plastic bag
around the plugs. This year bad weather came early and the ice/slush
froze and all cords are buried. Where they plug together, I recently
found holes melted in the snow. Obviously there is some leakage.
Yet, these are all plugged into GFI outlets. I highly doubt this
would amount to much loss though.


What you are seeing with the plugs is probably just a loose or bad
connection. It may not even be worth worring about. If it was much loss
to the ground , the GFI would trip. It only takes a few miliamps of leakage
to trip the GFI. Not enough to be noticiable on the electric bill, Maybe
a dime a month.




I agree, and I am not really worrying about it. The only reason I
wanted to move the one cord was because in between the most severe
weather I added another closer outlet on the outside of the barn wall,
thus cutting the cord distance from 70ft. to 25ft. It was just a
matter of tapping off an indoor GFI on the inside of that wall and
putting an outdoor box opposite it.

What you said is mostly just that there is always a little liquid
going to get between any plug that is not covered or sealed. I swear
that cords tend to separate themselves too. I make them tight, but
there seems to always be a 1/32 inch gap later on. I tend to think
condensation expands them apart.

I did manage to cover a few of them by wrapping them with a plastic
bag. Not perfect but it all helps. As far as I recall, all but one
are wrapped now. The bad weather got us so fast this tear I never got
things put together as well as I wanted. I just cope with it and hope
spring comes soon. I hate winter.

Take care