Fiery start to my Day...

ARFlyer

ARFlyer

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ARFlyer
I noticed this morning that my tire was low. Since I was at my parents house I thought I would use my dad's old portable compressor. The last few times of use I noticed the plug had a tendency to spark and smoke if I plugged it in to a live extension cord. So this time I thought I be "smart" and plug the extension cord into the wall last.

So I attached two extension cords and the compressor together and plugged it into the wall. Immediately the extension cord burst into flames at the location of the two cord, extension/extension, plug. :yikes: It looked like a firework sparkler with flames shooting out the sides.

What I still can't figure out is why the short occurred at the extension/extension plug and not at the compressor/extension plug. Thankfully it didn't occur at the wall outlet. :yesnod:

So this weekend I get to replace three plugs and scrub the burn mark off the driveway. :mad2:
 

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Air compressors tend to use a lot of current. Inexpensive extension cords tend to have thin wires that can't carry much current. Bad combination.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Air compressors tend to use a lot of current. Inexpensive extension cords tend to have thin wires that can't carry much current. Bad combination.
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It also doesn't help that the air compressor doesn't have a working on/off switch. So you get the startup current loading as soon as the plug makes contact.
 
ARFlyer said:
It also doesn't help that the air compressor doesn't have a working on/off switch. So you get the startup current loading as soon as the plug makes contact.
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Did you change your underwear after?
 
Treat it like an aircraft incident, what did you learn?

The answer is that if you see fire when you plug in something electric, you either throw it away, fix it, or tag it inop until you can.
 
Old Geek said:
Treat it like an aircraft incident, what did you learn?

The answer is that if you see fire when you plug in something electric, you either throw it away, fix it, or tag it inop until you can.
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That's what I'm trying to figure out. It didn't catch fire at the bad plug, but at two good plugs.
 
ARFlyer said:
That's what I'm trying to figure out. It didn't catch fire at the bad plug, but at two good plugs.
Click to expand...

Electrical wire is like a hose. It can only carry so much volume and pressure (voltage and amperage) before it breaks, or in your case cause enough resistance to produce fire. Never use an extension cord not rated for the maximum load of the equipment you are running. An air compressor motor requires a huge surge or power to get the motor running. If the extension cord is a small wire or the plugs are bad you will get lots of heat (potentially a fire).

An extension cord has resistance, all wire does. The longer the cord the less efficient the motor will run, and it won't run at full speed. This will cause heat to build up in the cord and motor shortening the life of both. You should not use extension cords with motors and high use electrical items. If you must use an extension cord make sure it is sized right. Just because it works when you plug it in doesn't mean you won't burn something up.

http://electrical.about.com/od/wiringcircuitry/a/extensioncordchart.htm

The same rules apply to sizing the wire when building an airplane. You must size and fuse the wire properly or an inflight fire is a real possibility. Best to understand what happened to your cord to avoid damaging the equipment, or burning the house down.

I'm no expert, but a little knowledge goes a long way.
 
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