Anyone here an electrician?
6 replies
brandon27subscriberOPSo this weekend in the snow storm I had an electrical issue...
My snow blower is equipped with an electric starter so I can plug it in to start it, rather than pulling the cord. The back of the unit has the male end of a plug; I of course plug an extension cord into it, then into my wall in the garage. The snow blower itself has a standard 3 prong grounded outlet.
I started it this weekend, unplugged it and the damn ground pin snapped off the unit and was stuck in the extension cord. I've called the retailer... of course I'm 2 months out of warranty. To replace it, I'd need to buy a whole new starter unit, that's $375 plus labor... damn snow blower is only worth $900 :lol:
So my question is, can I just yank the ground pin from my extension cord and keep using it? I assume since the snow blower can often be wet the ground was there for a reason... It still starts just fine without it, but I assume I'm at risk there?
Secondly, if I bought a portable GFI... Plugged that into my electrical outlet in the garage, plugged my extension cord into it, then into the snow blower... does that reduce/eliminate the risk of the missing ground connection on the snow blower itself, because of the GFI connected at the wall?
1972 Miami Dolphins-The ONLY undefeated team in NFL history!!!
There's a Pats fan here... @1849 ....he claims to be a master electrician....lol
brandon27subscriber"danmarino wrote:
There's a Pats fan here... @1849 ....he claims to be a master electrician....lol
I actually saw that yesterday after posting this and PM'd him; and he was very helpful, so I believe that.
1972 Miami Dolphins-The ONLY undefeated team in NFL history!!!
KeyFinforum_veteran"brandon27 wrote:
I actually saw that yesterday after posting this and PM'd him; and he was very helpful, so I believe that.
What was the answer? Can you use it as-is or not? I know next to nothing about electricity and found it a really interesting question....I'd like to know.
Winning football games at any level comes down to winning in the trenches.
brandon27subscriberHere's his response to me:
Hey Brandon
Happy to help
The ground is a backup to the neutral. In the meter the ground and neutral are tied together. No you dont need the ground for the machine to charge and operate. The ground is needed for the GFI to work though. Its job is to be a backup to the circuit breaker (more sensitive ) and turn off should it sense voltage to ground (you getting shocked).
The ground on the machine coming from the cord is used to ground the frame of the machine when charging. It is possible, when plugged in, the frame of the machine - if wiring is damaged - could become energized and shock you if you touch it. Highly unlikely but possible. The other option is to cut the cord end off and buy a replacement at home depot ($10)
Regards
1972 Miami Dolphins-The ONLY undefeated team in NFL history!!!
KeyFinforum_veteranMakes total sense- just cut the cord and splice in a new one. Fast and easy fix!
Winning football games at any level comes down to winning in the trenches.
brandon27subscriber"KeyFin wrote:
Makes total sense- just cut the cord and splice in a new one. Fast and easy fix!
Yeah, but the way the starter of the unit is made, there unfortunately isn't a cord I can easily cut and replace like that. :(
1972 Miami Dolphins-The ONLY undefeated team in NFL history!!!
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