StudEbiker
100 kW
Bad PR for Gov't Motors if the Volt did indeed have something to do with it.
http://www.wfsb.com/news/27541598/detail.html
http://www.wfsb.com/news/27541598/detail.html
Chevy Volt involved in garage fire.
- Thread starter StudEbiker
- Start date
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=27026
Well, the guy had the other car for a few years.
I bet it had to do with charging two EVs at once on standard household wiring.
20amps is one thing, 30-40amps is another
Well, the guy had the other car for a few years.
I bet it had to do with charging two EVs at once on standard household wiring.
20amps is one thing, 30-40amps is another
REdiculous
10 kW
Only if it wasn't to code. Over 20amps should trip the breaker.
When I first got my treadmill motor I wired it up w/ a rectifier and plugged 'er in...zoooom, tripped the breaker.
Ykick
1 GW
My co-worker's one of 1st few hundred Volt buyers and told me they get a free charger professionally installed. I pointed him to this story - obviously he's concerned but he's gotta detached garage and good fire insurance.
However, if anybody knows of a smoke detector that can output a wireless signal warning he would be very grateful.
However, if anybody knows of a smoke detector that can output a wireless signal warning he would be very grateful.
TylerDurden
100 GW
Any smoke detector with contact-closures can trigger an x-10 alarm system... the x10 dialer can call a cellphone too.Ykick said:
http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=6652.0
dnmun
1 PW
i doubt if the current load in the circuit had anything to do with it. if it was a 20A circuit, code is 12G wire which i know will easily carry 50A for long duration without overheating. heat is caused when there is a bad connection in the junction box where the pigtail is twisted on.
when they say professional, that doesn't mean squat imo. electricians just twist a wire nut on the junction if there is one, with a pigtail to the duplex receptacle.
the cause has not been determined. that needs to be emphasized before people make assumptions about whether the charging or either of the vehicles were the cause to begin with. remember this is not a ford pickup with the cruise control time bomb built into the brake reservoir.
when they say professional, that doesn't mean squat imo. electricians just twist a wire nut on the junction if there is one, with a pigtail to the duplex receptacle.
the cause has not been determined. that needs to be emphasized before people make assumptions about whether the charging or either of the vehicles were the cause to begin with. remember this is not a ford pickup with the cruise control time bomb built into the brake reservoir.
Hillhater
100 TW
dnmun said:
you know, in much of the world (UK, Europe ) those wire nuts are considered "unprofessional" , and are not allowed.
grindz145
1 MW
In most of the world, the electrical grid is a huge mess, without a proper ground too... :wink:
REdiculous
10 kW
I've been zapped by the ground wire while standing on a table replacing a chandelier..fun stuff, almost fell. That circuit was supposed to be off so I dunno why it happened. It wasn't that bad so I just wired it faster to reduce the number of jolts. :lol:
dumbass
100 kW
REdiculous said:
I am guessing you ment you got zapped by the neutral not the groung? By US code it is legal to use 1 neutral for 2 positives provided the positives are opposite main legs. It's legal because the neg wire will only be carring the difference in amperage between the 2 pos loads. Therefore, if you work on a circuit that is wired i this manner and turn off only the pos leg you are working on the neg is still live.
Bob
dnmun
1 PW
Hillhater said:
i agree, i always solder the junctions then screw on the wire nuts. but i am pretty bad because i do all kinda stuff that violates code. like running 30A breakers on 12G romex with the junctions in the boxes soldered to the pigtails, and the 240V carried to each junction box so i can get two separate 120V phases in each junction box. i use the bare ground as the common and each of the two legs, black and white, to carry the 240. each box is a subjunction box with the ground on the duplex outlet tied to the bare ground in the box which is used as the common for the two outlets, and the hot side of the duplex outlet has to be separated by breaking the tab between them on the side so they are not shorted. so i can get a ton of power over a single 12G romex cable that way. i'm cheap.
dogman dan
1 PW
Always handle all wiring as though hot. You betcha the white wire is hot too. Ground can be hot too, if it's serving the purpose it's intended for, returning any shorts to ground.
Idealy, do everything one handed, or use well insulated tools in the other hand. Never never never grab one wire with one hand, and then touch the metal box, or the other wires with the other hand. You can take quite a jolt one handed, but if you grab with both, the current goes right from arm to arm through your heart. We're assuming of course, you are not standing barefoot, or holding on with a bare hand on some crappy conducting aluminum ladder for working on your house wires.
Idealy, do everything one handed, or use well insulated tools in the other hand. Never never never grab one wire with one hand, and then touch the metal box, or the other wires with the other hand. You can take quite a jolt one handed, but if you grab with both, the current goes right from arm to arm through your heart. We're assuming of course, you are not standing barefoot, or holding on with a bare hand on some crappy conducting aluminum ladder for working on your house wires.
dnmun
1 PW
if you ever have a circuit where your ground is hot, you need to stop and fix the ground. no way you should go forward if the ground is hot, something is very wrong.
the white wire is common or ground in a 120V circuit. it should never show voltage. current to a light or any switched device should be carried out to the light from the switch on the black wire, not the white wire, and the return from the light should be on the common or white and it should be attached to the common or white inside the junction box.
never use white for the power unless it is in a 240V circuit and is the other phase.
the white wire is common or ground in a 120V circuit. it should never show voltage. current to a light or any switched device should be carried out to the light from the switch on the black wire, not the white wire, and the return from the light should be on the common or white and it should be attached to the common or white inside the junction box.
never use white for the power unless it is in a 240V circuit and is the other phase.
REdiculous
10 kW
I'm not an electrician so whether it's called neutral or ground doesn't matter to me. The point was that the light was off so there shouldn't have been anything on the neutral/ground wire, yet somehow it bit me anyway. :x
dnmun
1 PW
you don't have to be an electrician. i just encapsulated the specific requirements of the code.
bare ground conductor is always ground. white is ground and called common in a 120V circuit. black is always hot.
if there was a voltage on the bare ground wire then it is disconnected from the service ground in your circuit breaker box and current is leaking on to it from another source.
if the white wire is hot, then someone has incorrectly used a white wire for a hot wire in a 120V circuit. this is what causes inspectors to ask you to rebuild the work. that is what they look for.
bare ground conductor is always ground. white is ground and called common in a 120V circuit. black is always hot.
if there was a voltage on the bare ground wire then it is disconnected from the service ground in your circuit breaker box and current is leaking on to it from another source.
if the white wire is hot, then someone has incorrectly used a white wire for a hot wire in a 120V circuit. this is what causes inspectors to ask you to rebuild the work. that is what they look for.
dogman dan
1 PW
Exactly. My comment, was meant to say, don't bet your life that ground is not hot. Don't bet your life that neutral is not hot. I've seen both hot, plenty of times in my 30 years in construction. Electricians tend to be the smartest trade on the job, but that doesn't mean they never make a mistake.
So don't ever assume anythig except all wires of any color are hot, even when you just shut off the switch yourself.
So don't ever assume anythig except all wires of any color are hot, even when you just shut off the switch yourself.
Gordo
100 kW
My grandfather taught me many things and two of them were;
1. Never worry about a loaded gun, it is always the "empty gun" that causes accidents.
2. Never worry about a hot wire, it's the neutral one which will kill you.
1. Never worry about a loaded gun, it is always the "empty gun" that causes accidents.
2. Never worry about a hot wire, it's the neutral one which will kill you.
dumbass
100 kW
dnmun said:
Wow, I hate to disagree with you but.....I must. You are 100% correct the ground (green wire) should never carry any current. However, the neutral (white wire) is actually a return leg to the electric companies trasformer. And in a 120v connection is required to complete the circuit. As I stated in my last post above under normal conditions you can remove the white wire with complete safety. However, I would not recommend this because it is 100% legal to use what is called a shared neutral. This is when 2 positive legs on different phases use 1 neutral. Lets say 1 positive phase is running a light at 1a and the other is running 2 lights at 2a. The shared neutral will actually be carring 1a back to the trasformer at 120v. Therefore, if you turn off one of the positive breakers and then disconnect the shared neutral you may actually see a spark from the neutral as it is remove. And you will most certainly get a shock if you touch it. That is why you should never assume the neutral is not live. But at the same time you should not get all excited if it is. You just need to locate the other breaker and turn it off as well. Under normal conditions a shared neutral is use with 2 breaker next to each other or ideally on a twin tied breaker.
And BTW, the white wire is never a ground. I agree it is a little confusing and may seem like it is but it's not. And you better not try to use it as one.
Bob
