On 2011-10-04, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" fired this volley in
m:

Ok. Don't start whining, when some of them start smoking.

nahhhh... if necessary, disconnect them and wash them with a solvent that
will get all the grinding dust AND coolant out of them.

They're typically bakelite (for the insulators), which is insoluble in just
about everything.


Sigh. I know what the insulators are made of, and some are nylon
instead of bakelite. I was talking about OXIDIZED CONTACTS. They can
oxidize, just sitting on a shelf for years. In an environment of high
humidity and dissimilar metals, they can be in really bad shape. I've
seen them fail in an air conditioned electronics factory. Move a
workbench and discover the outlet gets too hot to touch, when you turn
on the test equipment. No extension cords allowed, per the local
inspectors so you either move the tech to another bench, or send him
home till a grunt from the contract electrical company finally shows
up. I saw it several times in four years, in North Central Florida.
Most of the failed Hubbel twist lock outlets were less than 12 years
old.

The one connector that I took apart, was not oxidized. I will check
out each of them. Those connectors can be bought for $9.95 online.

i