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CJT

wrote:

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.

That's not from "leakage." It's from resistive heating at the junction.
The wire/plug/socket/wire combination has a higher resistance than uncut
wire.

By the way, I learned 2 things.
#1. DO NOT try to chop a cord buried under snow/ice with a shovel. I
thought I was far enough away from the cord with the shovel before
cutting one of the cords in half.

#2 The right way to do this job is on a warmer day, using a garden
hose to melt thru the ice (with cords unplugged of course).

Oh well, I needed a few shorter cords anyhow..... The chopped one is
now two shorter cords, after buying a male and a female plug !!!!

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