Thread: Got The Thicknesser !!!

sounds like a real buzz anthonyd...


ok bad joke, so what the other guy said with the caravan lead , would that be ok.

can i buy a lead with 10amp on one end and 15 on the other with power safty in the middle, or something like that anyway...i'm only renting so would rather have sometthing portable...

It would be foolish for me as a electronics professional to condone using a 15A device in 10A sockets. Even though the live pins are the same it must be assumed that the 15A sockets are using beefed up wiring and probably are hooked up to 15A circuit breakers.

That said, I myself plug 15A devices into 10A plugs at home. I am happy doing this because I know that said 15A device is not being run for long durations and when it is being used I am also not running a lot of other devices off of the same 10A circuit. If however you plan on running a large piece of machinery for extended durations or plan to run for than one simultaneously then it is definitly recommended that you get your shed rewired for 15A.

anthonyd please stick to elecTRONICS
why is it every turtle around will use pushsticks,jigs,dustys,goggles etc but wants to ****** around with electrics
after spending $$$$ on your machines why skimp on your familys safety ??
rather live without a finger than 240 up the date !!!!
15A plug has got a large earth pin so you can't plug it into a 10A rated circuit.
higer current draw = more heat which can't be dissipated over a smaller cross sectional area
if in doubt speak to your local firey

PLEASE THINK ABOUT IT

Lola,

Look at a 15A plug and think about what you just said. A 15A plug has a larger EARTH pin only. The earth pin is for earth leakage and does not drain any current during normal operation. Now the other two pins that do the current handling are exactly the same size as that of a 10A plug. So by your own admition of cross sectional area a 10A plug and a 15A plug will have the same maximum current handling capacity!

As I said in my previous post I am sure the wiring behind the plug will be a different guage, but the plug itself is in now way any more capable of sourcing more current.

And I would be very interested to see what a local firey knows about electricity!

electrical standards in oz specify 2.5mm guage for 15A. I know this as I just wired me shed. why use smaller guage - too much vlotage drop trip ccts and all that sheeit.... mahy as well do it safely - your both right.

so , i omly need one plug for 15amp, where would i buy this plug and does it get wired directly to the main box, which is actually only a metre away...i rent where i am so i would install the new plug myself(have some experience), and then ask an electrician to check what i have done and wire it to the mains...ZED you just wired your shed so you should have some info on this...cheers

Local fireys know about burnt houses caused by the old "she'll be right" attitude to 15 Amps running off 10 Amp outlets.

Sorry for shouting, but its an important point.

If you "gotta" do it (15 Amp off 10 Amp), you are creating a pretty big risk.
It might never cause a fire, but what happens if?
Insurance wont pay and if you have kids, insurance might be the last of your worries.

Originally Posted by Clinton1

If you "gotta" do it (15 Amp off 10 Amp), you are creating a pretty big risk.
It might never cause a fire, but what happens if?

Yes it a a risk, but remember that just because a piece of machinery has a 15A plug does not mean it draws 15A. Chances are it is drawing much less than 10A even. Check on your machinery and it iwll probbaly have a current rating on the motor casing.

If you are going to run a 15A tool off ot 10A outlets then do what I do. I use a 4 way plug with a 10A circuit breaker built in (they are like $10 at bunnings). THis way if my tool drains more than 10A it trips the circuit breaker.

Viola - a safe way of ensuring you dont drain more than the 10A your outlet is rated to.

Originally Posted by la Huerta

so , i omly need one plug for 15amp, where would i buy this plug and does it get wired directly to the main box, which is actually only a metre away...i rent where i am so i would install the new plug myself(have some experience), and then ask an electrician to check what i have done and wire it to the mains...ZED you just wired your shed so you should have some info on this...cheers

At the risk of being a saftey wowser :

get a dedicated cct, make sure its 2.5mm and you're laughing. if you use a 10A cct you aint covered by insurance if it blows and the house fries (either burns down or destroys the wiring) you want to risk that for a rental house ? if you do you're mad. (sorry). if you run a 15a element off a 10A cct it should be the only thing running or you'll trip the cct unless you dont have a mondernised board in which case you'll blow the fuse.

the plugs are available at bunnies. so are the wall sockets, as is the cabling and all the paraphenalia you'll need - somewhere like HPM direct or one of the electrical wholesalers are probably the best cheapest option. the distance from the plug to the mains board is largely irrelevant - its the current not the distance.

someone said that a 15A machine probably wont draw 15A and yes thats probably correct but the surge current when the machine starts will probably peak higher than 15A (Its gotta overcome inertia to get the motor running) and this may trip the cct, you may think I'll just put a bigger breaker in but if you do you become THE designer and liable for the damage. You really should check with your landlord before doing this though as its not safe.

its probably easier to just buy your own house or move to somewhere where there is a 15A cct already installed. perhaps ask the landord for permission to wire his shed and wear the cost yourself (cheap if you do the grunt work...)

cheers

Originally Posted by Zed

someone said that a 15A machine probably wont draw 15A and yes thats probably correct but the surge current when the machine starts will probably peak higher than 15A (Its gotta overcome inertia to get the motor running) and this may trip the cct, you may think I'll just put a bigger breaker in but if you do you become THE designer and liable for the damage. You really should check with your landlord before doing this though as its not safe.

That was me who said that, but just to calrify I did not suggest putting a bigger circuit breaker in. What I did was was to get a strip plug with a 10Amp circuit breaker and use your machine on that. Then if you are drawing too much current the circuit breaker on the strip plug will blow. If you are finding this is a problem then consider upgrading your wiring. Going the strip plug route is nice and cheap ($10 for a strip plug) and will tell you if you need to upgrade your shed or not!

a sttrip plug ? that's the portable one with 4 plugs and a overload switch on thye end right...i have one of those and yes it does the job, when i use some heavy machines ( although there only 10amp) and it starts to work to hard , the plug will trip, so i guess if a 10 amp machine does this then a 15amp won't be any different, the last thing i want is to be thicknessing and the plug trips half way through , that would be a pain in the butt, so first thing i will do is chat with the landlord , he a pretty good bloke and i'm sure ( i hope)will help me ...if he does'nt , then he better run!

Originally Posted by stuart_lees

Check out my threads on the GMC thicknesser, and the associated mods (think they are all on the website, URL below, under "other equipment, mods & upgrades")

I'm interested in any mods for the GMC
How do I find the site mentioned above please?

Thanks