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Thread: Another stupid sparky question
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19th October 2014, 07:03 PM #31GOLD MEMBER
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A different task, but similar situation is working at heights.
A couple of years ago mandatory wearing of fall arrest harnesses was introduced in my workplace. To say it was met with resistance would be putting it mildly. Anyone who has worn a harness for long periods in an underground environment will tell you it sucks! Then again, so does the alternative.
Around the same time, I was elected as the HSR for my crew, or rather everyone else took a backwards step when volunteers were called for.
As part of my role, I took on the task of gaining 100% working at heights compliance on the crew. My tactic was to always wear the harness myself, even for the 30 second jobs, refuse to work with anyone not compliant and finally, I always carried a laminated copy of the Act detailing responsibilities of workers and the penalties that could be applied to individuals. They had no idea just how serious it could get. It took a few months, but ultimately 100% compliance was achieved.
When that contract finished, I moved to another workplace with several of my old workmates. We had only been there less than 3 months when there was a double fatality caused by a working at heights failure, (35M fall onto solid rock).
One of my hard cases from the old workplace came up to me and in his typical gruff voice proclaimed, "wouldn't have happened on our old crew, we always wore our harnesses." I couldn't help but smile.
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19th October 2014, 08:16 PM #32Senior Member
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19th October 2014, 08:19 PM #33
The definition of " flexible cords" realy revolves arround appliances..and as somebody quoted before runs out of puff at 4mm2.
I'll have to have a bit of a wade thru the standards to find the correct terms for heavier cables.......until a couple of years ago it was pretty common to see "orange circular" used for three phase extension cords and things like, connecting machines and wiring portable switchboards on construction sites....( hell I used to own an orrange circular 3 phase extension cord myself)....well the authorities came down on it like a tonne of bricks.......truth is it was never legal to use stranded cables in moving applications.
If the cable you have is ...orange.....stiff....and has a number of strands in each conductor you can count without taking your shoes off....it probably should not be used as a portable cable.
In sound and lighting, we regularly see three phase extension cords in the 30 & 40 amp range........the clipsal 32 or 40 amp 3 phase socket is pretty well an industry standard back stage.
The next step up the ladder is the blue 60 amp plug ( cant remember than brand) this is common in OB compounds & was broached as a standard connector by the ABC in the 80's for the commonwealth games & its stuck..pretty well.......wired up with 10mm2 flexible.....that takes a bit or rolling up
I'll have a wade thru the standards when I get the time.
cheersAny thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
Most powertools have sharp teeth.
People are made of meat.
Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.
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19th October 2014, 09:03 PM #34Senior Member
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19th October 2014, 09:16 PM #35
My (new from factory) 250amp mig came with a 2.5mm lead and a 15amp plug. I complained and they told me to rewire to 6mm twin&earth and send me a welding helmet to shut me up.
I since bought 6 meter of flexible black rubber cable in 6mm twin and earth and a clipsal 32 amp plug. the 2.5mm lead would have melted had I welded 10mm plate. The manufacturer logic? if people see the 32 amp industrial plug they wouldn't buy the machine. Yes, from the horses mouth.
As far as your adaptor, I must say that not long ago 4mm was rated for 32 amp and had been so for eons. It is now de-rated to 20 amp and you need 6mm for 32 amp.“We often contradict an opinion for no other reason
than that we do not like the tone in which it is expressed.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
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19th October 2014, 11:34 PM #36GOLD MEMBER
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21st October 2014, 07:38 PM #37Tool addict
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Nothing says success quite like excess, might as well as go the whole hog and get the extreme end of the spectrum. Quick google, first hit, they supply 20m 16mm2 63a extension cables, which are "ultra flexible" what more could you want?
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21st October 2014, 10:10 PM #38.
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21st October 2014, 10:20 PM #39Senior Member
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21st October 2014, 10:26 PM #40Senior Member
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I've been thinking about this. Supposedly my welder can auto-adapt to different input voltages. Given it has a 32A three phase plug, how else could I plug it into a house supply, other than with a patch cable like that? Sure, if I tried to pull 200A I would expect it to blow breakers but if I wanted to TIG 100A it should be fine. It's an academic question anyway, since my welding cart probably weighs a good 120kg and is hardly portable.
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22nd October 2014, 07:28 AM #41GOLD MEMBER
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I would guess that you would be expected to fit the correct plug for the application.
Don't forget that if you halve the voltage supplied, then you need double the amperage to accomplish the same task.
Multi voltage machines are generally designed to cater for different markets rather than swapping on a regular basis or the use of patch leads.
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22nd October 2014, 01:16 PM #42Intermediate Member
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Are these connections ok.
Thinking about leads and plugs on an old Jetwelder I have. I acquired it from an Instrument section workshop that was closing about 18 years ago. It had been converted to single phase use when I picked it up and as I live on a rural block with a SWER power supply I left it as it was as no chance of getting three phase power where I live.
I use it from time to time as I have other welders I use more often. It has always worked ok so I have never changed anything, also not tagged but only used here in my personal workshop.
I will now try to attach a photo, first time for me on this forum.
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26th October 2014, 06:06 PM #43
That is a 3ph extension?. which one is the lead for the welder?
I had that type of plugs on an old Lincoln welder I bought second hand and replaced it with a clipsal. If the welder was converted to single phase you can change the plug to a single phase plug. What does your powerpoint look like?“We often contradict an opinion for no other reason
than that we do not like the tone in which it is expressed.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
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27th October 2014, 07:56 AM #44Intermediate Member
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Marc, Maybe my information was not clear enough. The lead from the welder is a thick orange cable connected to the male plug sitting on top of the welder. This plugs into the female plug next to it which is connected by a short cable to the three pin 240V plug shown. When I use this welder I plug it into a 240V 15A outlet. I only separated these for the photo. This adaption was done in the workshop by one of the electrical fitters as there was not always a suitable outlet available where some welding needed to be done.
I have not changed anything but I know I could fit a single phase 15A plug directly to the welder. I don't know how the orange cable is connected as I have never looked internally at this. It works ok as is so I haven't changed anything.
Regards
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27th October 2014, 08:36 AM #45
The picture a couple of posts up looks to be a simple 130 amp stick welder.
The plug arrangement is and always was illegal...as I have posted before..a lot of this sort of stuff happened in workshops in the past.
Now if this is a simple relativly low output stick welder, it is highly unlikly to be anything other than a single phase item.
Most likelyy it has beed wired to plug into a 3 phase outlet but only use a single phase.
So the question is...is it wired to run active to neutral...thus 240 V or active to active and thus 415V.
If it runs poperly via that butcherous adaptor from a standard single phase power point....I would be fairly sure that it is a single phase 240v welder.
What should be done is, a standard 15 amp plug and flex be fitted to the unit and the butcerous and illegal cable work scrapped.
cheersAny thing with sharp teeth eats meat.
Most powertools have sharp teeth.
People are made of meat.
Abrasives can be just as dangerous as a blade.....and 10 times more painfull.
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