Originally Posted By: psabados This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Could be an undersized cord. A couple of questions that come to mind are, what size is the fixture? A std 48 inch or a 72 or 96 unit. What power rating, HO. VHO? Couuld be a bad transformer or starter getting ready to blow causing a high draw. The use of incorrect rated bulbs would also cause a high draw. Also, how many units on the circuit?
Originally Posted By: Steven Brewster This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Greg,
The appliance connector plugs Iv'e seen have the ground toward the cord side. See pic. If that holds true for this cord, the ground would have been removed and the plug forced into the receptacle, thus reversed polarity for the appliance.
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Heat is usually something loose, Joey may be on it or you could still have a bad contact in the receptacle. If 2 are tight the plug could be hard to pull out but the 3d could still be loose.
Originally Posted By: pdickerson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I am skeptical that the issue is an undersized cord. In order for the cord to transfer a substantial amount of heat into the plug blades and then into the receptacle and then into the box in 5 minutes, it (the cord) would have to be extremely hot. I think you would have noticed that. Also, the cord looks to be about a 16 AWG. Even 20 amps would not heat it up that much, and anything more would (hopefully) trip the breaker. I am betting on a loose neutral or hot connection at the outlet. Is it possible that the outlet is backstabbed?
Originally Posted By: wdecker This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Jeff;
Did you check this outlet and one downstream for voltage drop. I see this a lot in newer construction. Most times it is because of a loose connection or a back stab.
Around here, some of the 'electricians' do not first twist connect wires together becore putting on the wire not. They thi8ng that the twisting of the wire not will suffice to make a physical connection. Thus loose connections, thus overheating, thus voltage drop detected.
Originally Posted By: wdecker This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have made test circuits, some physically twsited and then the nut put on and some just twisted with the nut. I also used different sized nuts, different gauge wire (14 and 12 AWG) and different length runs (50, 75, 100 and 125 ft). I did the testing with the help of a friend who is a master electrician and an instructor in the loocal IBEW school.
Overall, there is less voltage drop when the splice is first physically twisted with a linesman's pliers and then the nut put on.
It is very common to see new construction around here with as much as a 15 - 19% voltage drop on 2nd floor outlets in a 4200 SF house (15 amp with 14 AWG wire). NEC calls for no more than 5% at 12 amps.
The usual cause is the 'twist with nut' technique, with punch-down attachment 2nd.
Again, I don't quote, nor am I constrained by, code. Out state mandates that we call out safety hazards.
Originally Posted By: Joey D’Adamo This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I think when a lot of people think of using nuts without pretwisting they miss a very serious part of most manufacturers directions: keep twisting until at least two twists are visible on the wire insulation itself. If you do this, the wire will be perfectly twisted inside the nut.
Installing a wirenut and screwing it on so that the connectors are still parallel and just gripped by the spring alone is never correct!