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Re: Variac Safety



At 17:04 12/1/00 -0600, John Clement wrote:
Of course labs today ought to have GFCI outlets. Our newer labs
do, but our older labs do not.

An excellent solution for the older lab is to have a portable GFCI outlet.
These are easily purchased at a lumber yard or hardware store, and they
protect your life for a few dollars. Of course a polarized plug can also
be added for a few cents to prevent uncomfortable shocks you can still get
with a GFCI. As a matter of fact the portable GFCI would be a good idea
for any demo where wires may be exposed.

John M. Clement

We are predisposed to favor techno-fixes. And GFCIs are techno-fixes.
We are adjured by makers and safety institutes to test GFCIs monthly.
Why on earth could that be?
Because GFCI protection is a sometimes thing. A utility or lightning spike
can disable the solid state device that detects the 5 mA line neutral
imbalance at any time.
An open-ground fault can be a shocking event when you do test a GFCI
if you provide the alternate ground path. Don't try this one in a damp
bathroom!

Checking GFCIs for functionality is a good thing. Being alert to
wiring reversals in power sockets is another good thing.

If a wall power socket is configured with the ground receptacle
at the top, which slot is live? Which slot is neutral? Left or right?

Spoiler is below
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A 115V wall socket should be wired with live on the left, neutral on
the right if ground is on top.

















brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net> Altus OK
Eureka!