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Posts Tagged ‘Strange’

I have a strange plug

January 31st, 2010

I just got a 100 amp welder and the plug is very odd looking. It is a 220V 100 amp arc welder. the plug is three prong and rounded and would not fit into any other 220V outlet I have seen. The prongs are not flat have a round to them.

Google “NEMA electrical plugs” and find a picture that matches yours. You find sites such as this one: http://www.twacomm.com/catalog/dept_id_963.htm

Then post back with the alphanumeric designation.

Note that, unlike most 120V circuits, 240V circuits are not interchangeable and are designed one by one to serve a specific appliance.

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How do you remove plastic coupling nut and washer from braided metal connector?

January 24th, 2010

I’ve just put in a new Fluidmaster flush valve in the toilet and I keep getting a leak at the seal under the tank.

Since the Fluidmaster box includes a new plastic coupling nut and washer, I’m thinking that the leak might be caused by the old braided metal connector washer being worn out.

Please forgive such an elementary question… But I can’t figure out how to remove the old plastic coupling nut and washer from braided metal connector. Since the plastic nut just swivels around on the end I can’t detect any threads and I’m afraid to just force it off. I also tried just prying the cone washer out with a screwdriver but it won’t budge.

You can’t remove the components of the hose. Replacing the hose is the best solution. Do you have the nut holding the Fluidmaster tight enough, and did you use the cone washer inside the tank before you installed the unit?

I replaced the old rigid metal connector with a braided metal one a couple of years ago, so I thought maybe that it was only the washer inside the coupling that is worn out.

Right now, there is a bit of water in the tank, and the seal between the new fill valve and the tank is not leaking. It’s only when I connect the braided connector to the tank do I get droplets of water leaking out.

It’s strange how the Fluidmaster box would contain a new plastic connector coupling and what looks like a small cone-shaped washer to fit into it if a person can’t change one or the other. Are their ones you can change but I have one that can’t be?

That cone is for a different application, not for the braid. If the braid washer is bad, it won’t be long before it gives way and floods. Change out the braid hose. $6 insurance policy.

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GFI Breaker for Pool Required?

October 2nd, 2009

We just moved to Florida. I am replacing a bad 1 HP pool pump. It’s 220 Vac. I thought it was strange the the breaker in the 200A panel was NOT a GFI. The pool was installed in 1990 and the pump nameplate indicates that it is a 1990 model. The 220 dual breaker in the panel feeds a fuseless disconnect nect to the pump and it has a timer in series.
Do I need to put a GFI in the main panel or should I install one at the pump. Up North, in Massachusetts, GFIs were mandatory on pool pumps.

Hardwired pumps require no gfci protection, but that changed in the 2008 NEC, but your install does meet code. You can always change the breaker if you feel it does not meet your safety standard.

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