Got a call or two and three and more while taking a nap after work yesterday. I was dog tired in already working long hours this week and even on Monday staying up until 3:30AM in wiring up some upgraded lamp stringers.
So I answered them in kind as they called after normal working hours as normal. Yesterday later that night also I got a call from a tour later that night that said their Big Light lamps were going bad in a big way and they needed four more by the next morning half a continent away on the East coast. Called about to the West Coast to find some lamps available to ship without results, instead I had to drive to the airport and put some lamps on a plane.
None the less there was another install that captures the mind and interest with two separate questions I fielded while trying to sleep. Forgot what the other caller that night was asking about...
First call was about the performance of a standard building’s circuit breaker by the as it were ME of the install. If I have 21 amps load will the circuit breaker blow right away or later? This in him observing the circuit breaker blowing given a after insall calculated load on it.
So what’s the answer to this question?
Second question like an hour later was about why the re-distribuited loading on the breaker had some of the Altman CDM arc-source PAR lamps going off at random? This by the production manager as opposed to the ME for the show - both new to such things.
I know the operation they were doing, even made some oak 3/4"x12" stakes with tapped rear for 1/2-13 bolts for them to fit into overly long screws sticking out of the fixture floor bases. Really cool these stakes at the bottom of 12" floor bases that just kind of threaded on. Earlier in the day I bought them some Edison outlet covers that are plastic covers for an open Edison outlet so as to ease in taping up the cube tapped extension/fixture cords going into three ways for an outdoor application. Intent for the show was to just run out a bunch of 150w CDM PAR fixtures by way of using 15' jumpers between fixtures, cube taps to link them together and plug them in with outdoor timers to the house outlets.
That concept got modified when they as per earlier did the math in how many amps they were drawing but still was sufficient to at times plug as I’m told in a 150' run of cable end to end, nine fixtures in this way of cable to the first, cube tap and 15' jumper to the next fixture.
Asked her to meter out the voltage to the last fixture in this line of lights connected by cube taps. She read 94 volts.
What’s the cause of this? What was the corrective action to this problem I recommended and why would the arc lamps not react well to this voltage in a going on and off type of way? Also, would this noted thing be to all fixtures or just the ending fixtures in the chain of lights?
So two main questions:
First: What’s the effects of 21 amps on a 20 Amp building breaker?
Second: 94 volts... why does it make the lights go blinkie by way of arc source lamps under that voltage, what corrective actions to take and what is the cause?
This amongst other curious things about such phone calls during my nap raised.
Plus bonus questions, if you have a T-shaped cube tap as opposed to a cube of one, a cube tap where when tapping connectors to it so as to keep out the water it will be effective, do you need to put such things inside plastic? Other than putting this tapped connection inside plastic, what other things might be an idea to do for any connection points out in the weather? There is one thing specifically I’m looking for.
Next was the question of if outdoor outlet with flip up cover, do I need to cover the outlet in plastic or is the flip up cover within the NEC recommendations for such a use and safe?
Finally, given cables with plugs installed on them primarily as opposed to molded plug cables, is it safe to other than cover them given water can get in thru the rear of the plug - or is it safe and is as per a hint to the above there a NEC rule about how to do this, what to do and what’s necessary?
So I answered them in kind as they called after normal working hours as normal. Yesterday later that night also I got a call from a tour later that night that said their Big Light lamps were going bad in a big way and they needed four more by the next morning half a continent away on the East coast. Called about to the West Coast to find some lamps available to ship without results, instead I had to drive to the airport and put some lamps on a plane.
None the less there was another install that captures the mind and interest with two separate questions I fielded while trying to sleep. Forgot what the other caller that night was asking about...
First call was about the performance of a standard building’s circuit breaker by the as it were ME of the install. If I have 21 amps load will the circuit breaker blow right away or later? This in him observing the circuit breaker blowing given a after insall calculated load on it.
So what’s the answer to this question?
Second question like an hour later was about why the re-distribuited loading on the breaker had some of the Altman CDM arc-source PAR lamps going off at random? This by the production manager as opposed to the ME for the show - both new to such things.
I know the operation they were doing, even made some oak 3/4"x12" stakes with tapped rear for 1/2-13 bolts for them to fit into overly long screws sticking out of the fixture floor bases. Really cool these stakes at the bottom of 12" floor bases that just kind of threaded on. Earlier in the day I bought them some Edison outlet covers that are plastic covers for an open Edison outlet so as to ease in taping up the cube tapped extension/fixture cords going into three ways for an outdoor application. Intent for the show was to just run out a bunch of 150w CDM PAR fixtures by way of using 15' jumpers between fixtures, cube taps to link them together and plug them in with outdoor timers to the house outlets.
That concept got modified when they as per earlier did the math in how many amps they were drawing but still was sufficient to at times plug as I’m told in a 150' run of cable end to end, nine fixtures in this way of cable to the first, cube tap and 15' jumper to the next fixture.
Asked her to meter out the voltage to the last fixture in this line of lights connected by cube taps. She read 94 volts.
What’s the cause of this? What was the corrective action to this problem I recommended and why would the arc lamps not react well to this voltage in a going on and off type of way? Also, would this noted thing be to all fixtures or just the ending fixtures in the chain of lights?
So two main questions:
First: What’s the effects of 21 amps on a 20 Amp building breaker?
Second: 94 volts... why does it make the lights go blinkie by way of arc source lamps under that voltage, what corrective actions to take and what is the cause?
This amongst other curious things about such phone calls during my nap raised.
Plus bonus questions, if you have a T-shaped cube tap as opposed to a cube of one, a cube tap where when tapping connectors to it so as to keep out the water it will be effective, do you need to put such things inside plastic? Other than putting this tapped connection inside plastic, what other things might be an idea to do for any connection points out in the weather? There is one thing specifically I’m looking for.
Next was the question of if outdoor outlet with flip up cover, do I need to cover the outlet in plastic or is the flip up cover within the NEC recommendations for such a use and safe?
Finally, given cables with plugs installed on them primarily as opposed to molded plug cables, is it safe to other than cover them given water can get in thru the rear of the plug - or is it safe and is as per a hint to the above there a NEC rule about how to do this, what to do and what’s necessary?
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