TIP:Electrical cords

[harvey]

I've tried a number of methods of portable 110v power for "field" service.
The methods have included home-made and commercial outlet strips, power
cord reels (with and w/o built-in "trouble" lights [wonder where that
expression originated], auto/manual wind), and so on.

Although still in pursuit of the ideal configuration, I keep returning to
the following, simple setup:

===========
(1) 14/3, 50 foot drop cord. Yellow is nice, but orange is universal ugly
color;
(1) 3-way, orange color, plastic molded cube tap w/3rd wire (ground) leg;
(1) 2-to-3 wire, orange, plastic molded outlet (or plug) adapter;
[Note: 3rd wire connector has tab _instead_ of pigtail]
(2) strips of 2-sided Velcro (as in recent pianotech thread).
===========

This color-coordinated combination is quite inexpensive to assemble, and
always travels together as a unit, to save time and prevent scrounging for
a particular component on-site. The order of plugging the components
together doesn't matter, and therein lies the beauty (and simplicity) of
it. You can:

- have a HD cord capable of handling the portable equipment we typically use;
- provide 3rd (ground) wire protection when working around concrete/damp
surfaces;
- usually have sufficient "reach" when working in the driveway/car port/garage;
- plug in 3 different power devices;
- deal with outlets in older homes with two wire outlets;
- leave existing customer owned devices with power, if required.
- not be required to use cord reels, as the components are quite compact;
- have custom lengths, with unused portion coiled out of harm's way, and
re-wrapped to w/Vecro if you prefer.

Normally one would plug the extension cord into the client's wall outlet,
and plug a tool into the single socket on the other end. No rocket science
here. Plugging the 3-way cube tap is the obvious next step. However,
consider this variation... 

[Example]
Last week I was working in a very nice but older home. The piano had not
been serviced in forty years (the client actually admitted it). Although
there was lighting in the room, I could not see inside the piano, even to
tune (and obviously pitch raise). Beside the piano was a power receptacle,
with 2-wire receptacles and both sockets "occupied". My current (110v
version) of a tuning/inspection lamp is a medium-wattage halogen work lamp,
with a 3-way plug and a 6~8-inch cord (that's how they cut down on costs,
but I like it this way).

- I retrieved the lamp and extension cord 'package' from the van;
[Note: yes, someone gets to pay for trips to the van -- it's in there
somewhere]
- Unplugged one of the in-use receptacles;
- Plugged 2-to-3 wire adaptor in socket;
- Plugged 3-way cube tap into adaptor (inside - didn't connect grounding tab);
- Plugged customer-owned appliance into one socket of 3-way tap;
- Plugged extension cord into another socket of 3-way tap;
- Plugged service lamp into another socket of 3-way tap;
- Had one socket left over!

[Caveats/other thoughts]
* A 2-to-3 wire adaptor does _not_ assure a grounded circuit.
* Side-cutters are _not_ the proper work-around to 3-wire grounded devices.
* It is always recommended to completely extend an extension cord before use.
* For the one time out of a hundred that 50 feet is not enough (you only
need two more feet), borrow the client's ugly orange extension cord (the
one that has been hacked by the hedge trimmer and spliced together).
However, this is not a universally accepted practice. (You should also have
your own vacuum cleaner, for example).

When I gather the components, I plan to assemble a reasonably small, add-on
ground fault interrupter for this setup. Although GFI's are available in
portable configurations, they are prohibitively expensive and overly bulky.

Sorry for the long-winded explanation, but felt it was necessary to show
variations of the obvious.


Jim Harvey, RPT
Greenwood, SC
harvey@greenwood.net
________________________
 -- someone who's been in the field too long.