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pugmill plug question

updated sat 8 jan 05

 

Carole Fox on tue 4 jan 05


Okay, here goes. (I will try to limit my use of the words thingy and
thingamajig!)

The old plug was made in Thailand and had the following embossed on it:
KDK-F 10A 250V. The prongs were all flat and were in the configuration
that follows. Top row: / \, bottom row: I

The new plug says Hubbell HBL5466C 20A 250V. The configuration is top
row: U, bottom row: I --- (Meant to be a solid line, of course!) The wall
socket looks like a solid U shaped hole on top, the bottom is a straight
vertical line on the left and a T resting on its side on the left.

I know they are both 250 volts, but I don't understand the rest. I will try
to call Bailey's tomorrow, but I am afraid that my warranty might be voided
now.

The new
Carole Fox
Silver Fox Pottery
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Girrell"
> How much current (amperage) does the pugmill draw and what voltage is it
> wired for? If you tell us that, we can tell you what the plug should look
> like to work with that machine. Alternatively, what is the rating of the
> breaker that supplies the pugmill (you'll still have to tell us the
> voltage
> though)? There are very specific prong configurations for various
> combinations of current and voltage.

Carole Fox on tue 4 jan 05


Hi all-
I bought a Venco de-airing pugmill and when my contractor was here, I asked
him to put in two receptacles for it. The slanted prongs of the plug did not
match anything he could purchase for me. The contractor said they were
unavailable in the US. Before I knew it, he had changed the plugs. He said
that three different electricians said the replacements matched the plugs he
removed and it was ok to do this.

I, knowing nothing about it, am a little nervous about it still. Do you
think I have anything to worry about?
Carole Fox
Silver Fox Pottery
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net

Bruce Girrell on tue 4 jan 05


Carole,

How much current (amperage) does the pugmill draw and what voltage is it
wired for? If you tell us that, we can tell you what the plug should look
like to work with that machine. Alternatively, what is the rating of the
breaker that supplies the pugmill (you'll still have to tell us the voltage
though)? There are very specific prong configurations for various
combinations of current and voltage.

Bruce Girrell



> I bought a Venco de-airing pugmill and when my contractor was
> here, I asked
> him to put in two receptacles for it. The slanted prongs of the
> plug did not
> match anything he could purchase for me. The contractor said they were
> unavailable in the US. Before I knew it, he had changed the plugs. He said
> that three different electricians said the replacements matched
> the plugs he
> removed and it was ok to do this.
>
> I, knowing nothing about it, am a little nervous about it still. Do you
> think I have anything to worry about?
> Carole Fox
> Silver Fox Pottery
> Elkton, MD
> thesilverfox@dol.net

Pat Logue on tue 4 jan 05


Hi Carol
Nothing to worry about. My electrician managed to find one recepticle
that matched, and replaced the other.
I also know someone who did his own. It looks a little scary but has
been working a long time.
I really can't understand at this point, why Venco doesnt adapt to
this market though.
Pat


On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 10:19:39 -0500, Carole Fox wrote:
> Hi all-
> I bought a Venco de-airing pugmill and when my contractor was here, I asked
> him to put in two receptacles for it. The slanted prongs of the plug did not
> match anything he could purchase for me. The contractor said they were
> unavailable in the US. Before I knew it, he had changed the plugs. He said
> that three different electricians said the replacements matched the plugs he
> removed and it was ok to do this.
>
> I, knowing nothing about it, am a little nervous about it still. Do you
> think I have anything to worry about?
> Carole Fox
> Silver Fox Pottery
> Elkton, MD
> thesilverfox@dol.net
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>

Carl Finch on tue 4 jan 05


At 10:19 AM 1/4/2005 -0500, Carole Fox wrote:
>Hi all-
>I bought a Venco de-airing pugmill and when my contractor was here, I asked
>him to put in two receptacles for it. The slanted prongs of the plug did=
not
>match anything he could purchase for me. The contractor said they were
>unavailable in the US. Before I knew it, he had changed the plugs. He said
>that three different electricians said the replacements matched the plugs=
he
>removed and it was ok to do this.

So apparently your "contractor" is not an "electrical contractor," else=20
he'd not have had to ask three electricians, hmm?

I have no idea what sort of power your pugmill requires (model number,=20
voltage, amperage?), nor onto what sort of circuit your contractor=20
installed his receptacle (voltage, wire gauge, circuit breaker rating).

But... here is a web site that illustrates the NEMA (Natnl. Electrical=20
Mfgrs. Assoc.?) plug/receptacle configurations, along with the voltage and=
=20
power ratings:

http://www.passandseymour.com/pdf/T008.pdf

If you are in a residential area, your voltage will almost certainly
be 120v or 240v (shown as 125v and 250v on that chart).
And the "3=D8" means 3-phase, an industrial power which you don't=
have.

(I found this and other sites with the Google search: NEMA receptacle=20
configuration)

Surely the manual that came with your mill spells out its power=
requirements.

>I, knowing nothing about it, am a little nervous about it still. Do you
>think I have anything to worry about?

What you need to know is simply this: your circuit breaker (or fuse),=20
house wiring, receptacle, and plug ALL must meet Venco's requirements for=20
that mill--what voltage and how many amps!

--Carl
in Medford, Oregon=20

Edwards on tue 4 jan 05


Carole: Hmmm.. I have had to have Venco's receptacles matched at several
locations using different electricans. There was never any problem
finding the right receptacle. Maybe you need an electrician rather
than a contractor. My oh My.
~Craig
________________
Craig Edwards, New London MN
e-mail craigedwards@charter.net
http://photobucket.com/albums/v11/credwards/
Illegitimis non carborundum


Carole Fox wrote:

> Hi all-
> I bought a Venco de-airing pugmill and when my contractor was here, I
> asked
> him to put in two receptacles for it. The slanted prongs of the plug
> did not
> match anything he could purchase for me. The contractor said they were
> unavailable in the US. Before I knew it, he had changed the plugs. He
> said
> that three different electricians said the replacements matched the
> plugs he
> removed and it was ok to do this.
>
> I, knowing nothing about it, am a little nervous about it still. Do you
> think I have anything to worry about?
> Carole Fox
> Silver Fox Pottery
> Elkton, MD
> thesilverfox@dol.net
>

Rod Wuetherick on wed 5 jan 05


As long as you are supplying the volts and amps that your pug need it makes
not a difference what plug you have. As long as the plug is capable of
carrying the amps. Some plugs have two horizontal line fins, some have one,
etc. Obviously they are meant to denote a specific configuration. That being
said they are just saying ,"I'm a 240 Volt 30 amp plug." The plug can say
all it wants what matters is what is delivered from the box. This would
irritate a pedagogical electrician because perhaps you are not using the
"just right" plug.

As far as I know Venco pugmills sold in the US and Canada are 2 phase
(240Volt) I forget how many amps mine is.

Anyways if you use a multimeter and see you are getting 2 phase power and
the breaker is of the amperage that you need, the wire is the proper gauge
for the run from the box to the pug. I say who cares what plug you are
using. With the caveat that it isn't a regular household 120Volt 15, 20 amp
plug - that could be a problem ;) As long as the plug is such that you
cannot mistakenly (or someone else) plug a regular appliance in I would say
you are fine.

By the way - I'm not a electrician but being a potter for over 10 years I am
damn near now.

Peace,
Rod


-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of Carl Finch
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 12:32 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: pugmill plug question


At 10:19 AM 1/4/2005 -0500, Carole Fox wrote:
>Hi all-
>I bought a Venco de-airing pugmill and when my contractor was here, I asked
>him to put in two receptacles for it. The slanted prongs of the plug did
not
>match anything he could purchase for me. The contractor said they were
>unavailable in the US. Before I knew it, he had changed the plugs. He said
>that three different electricians said the replacements matched the plugs
he
>removed and it was ok to do this.

So apparently your "contractor" is not an "electrical contractor," else
he'd not have had to ask three electricians, hmm?

I have no idea what sort of power your pugmill requires (model number,
voltage, amperage?), nor onto what sort of circuit your contractor
installed his receptacle (voltage, wire gauge, circuit breaker rating).

But... here is a web site that illustrates the NEMA (Natnl. Electrical
Mfgrs. Assoc.?) plug/receptacle configurations, along with the voltage and
power ratings:

http://www.passandseymour.com/pdf/T008.pdf

If you are in a residential area, your voltage will almost certainly
be 120v or 240v (shown as 125v and 250v on that chart).
And the "3Ø" means 3-phase, an industrial power which you don't have.

(I found this and other sites with the Google search: NEMA receptacle
configuration)

Surely the manual that came with your mill spells out its power
requirements.

>I, knowing nothing about it, am a little nervous about it still. Do you
>think I have anything to worry about?

What you need to know is simply this: your circuit breaker (or fuse),
house wiring, receptacle, and plug ALL must meet Venco's requirements for
that mill--what voltage and how many amps!

--Carl
in Medford, Oregon

____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org

You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/

Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.

Bruce Girrell on wed 5 jan 05


Carole Fox wrote:

> The old plug was made in Thailand and had the following embossed on it:
> KDK-F 10A 250V.

> The new plug says Hubbell HBL5466C 20A 250V.


The plug and receptacle will handle the load of the pugmill, assuming that
the original one was sized properly. But now, since the outlet is rated at
20 amps, the wiring should be sized to provide that current. This outlet
should be wired with number 12 copper wire and should be protected with a 20
amp breaker. Think about if you sold your house and someone, not knowing the
history of all of this, looked at the receptacle, recognized it as a 20 amp
outlet and ...

If the wiring is number 14, then you have a problem. You should downsize the
outlet and plug to the 15 amp version which has the U on top and --- ---
(two horizontal blades) on the bottom. The circuit should then be protected
with a 15 amp breaker.

It can be argued that if the circuit is number 14 wire and it is protected
with a 15 amp breaker then there is no problem. But since the outlet is
capable of having a higher current draw appliance plugged into it, then it
is fairly safe to assume that sometime in the future someone will do exactly
that ... having already replaced the breaker with a higher current version.

Bruce "If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways
can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it" Girrell

see http://www.infosatellite.com/news/2002/03/p130302murphy.html

Note also Hanlon's Razor which, if applied to postings in on-line news
groups, would eliminate most of the hurt feelings that occur from time to
time

Ivor and Olive Lewis on thu 6 jan 05


Dear Rod Wutherick,
I think the problem here is the nature of codes of practice. Recently
I purchased an electronic device. It was supplied with four power
cables, all rated at 240V, each for a different code of practice.
Australian terminals have the live and neutral sloping and the Earth
vertical. Another had round terminals, one had live and neutral in a
horizontal line with the earth vertical. The electronic stores sell
conversion sets for travellers who use motor driven toilet
accessories. They are common in countries that cater for a tourist
trade.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
S. Australia.

Carole Fox on fri 7 jan 05


Thanks, Carl. I will never knew there were so many different kinds of plugs.

And you can be sure that next time I need electrical work done, I'll hire an
electrician!
Carole Fox
Silver Fox Pottery
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Finch"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 3:32 PM
Subject: Re: pugmill plug question


At 10:19 AM 1/4/2005 -0500, Carole Fox wrote:
>Hi all-
>I bought a Venco de-airing pugmill and when my contractor was here, I asked
>him to put in two receptacles for it. The slanted prongs of the plug did
>not
>match anything he could purchase for me. The contractor said they were
>unavailable in the US. Before I knew it, he had changed the plugs. He said
>that three different electricians said the replacements matched the plugs
>he
>removed and it was ok to do this.

So apparently your "contractor" is not an "electrical contractor," else
he'd not have had to ask three electricians, hmm?

I have no idea what sort of power your pugmill requires (model number,
voltage, amperage?), nor onto what sort of circuit your contractor
installed his receptacle (voltage, wire gauge, circuit breaker rating).

But... here is a web site that illustrates the NEMA (Natnl. Electrical
Mfgrs. Assoc.?) plug/receptacle configurations, along with the voltage and
power ratings:

http://www.passandseymour.com/pdf/T008.pdf

If you are in a residential area, your voltage will almost certainly
be 120v or 240v (shown as 125v and 250v on that chart).
And the "3Ø" means 3-phase, an industrial power which you don't have.

(I found this and other sites with the Google search: NEMA receptacle
configuration)

Surely the manual that came with your mill spells out its power
requirements.

>I, knowing nothing about it, am a little nervous about it still. Do you
>think I have anything to worry about?

What you need to know is simply this: your circuit breaker (or fuse),
house wiring, receptacle, and plug ALL must meet Venco's requirements for
that mill--what voltage and how many amps!

--Carl
in Medford, Oregon

______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org

You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/

Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.