electrical converter

[fowler]

I dont know what u guys have in america/canada

but in australia we have wo basic plugs
10 amp and 15 amp
the 15 amp has a thicker earth terminal

oviously a welder is a 15 amp plug
oviously a standard house isnt equipped to run a welder so all the plugs are 10 amp

i want to buy a small 120amp inverter stick welder to finish my buggy
the usual way to combat this problem is to file down the earth pin down and it works fine

but a welder is going to need the full amp range so i need a converter

does such a thing exist?

 

[sideways]

You're a bit mixed up there mate.

The wiring behind the plug is all bigger (not just the earth) so it can flow the extra amps needed.

The earth is just there to stop you from being electrocuted if something in the appliance you're using shorts out. It has no effect on the power output of the power point. Heck, you could chop the earth off a power point and it'd still work fine, you'd probably die if something shorted out though.

The earth prong thingy is just bigger on the 15a plug to stop people potentially tripping fuses or melting the wiring by trying to flow more amps than the electrical system was ever designed for.

Wiring has a decent safety margin (duh) so there's no harm in filing down the plug and running 15a through a 10a power point.

There is no such thing as a converter from a 10a to a 15a plug, the wiring behind a 10 amp plug is designed to flow 10 amps (the thicker the wire, the more amps it will flow) so it's not physically possible magically procure an extra 5 amps (or 1200 watts) out of nothing.

If you're doing it in a shed (as opposed to running an extension cord from inside the house..... Or welding your buggy in the lounge room) you'l probably find the wiring is 15a but the power points are 10a anyway.

I've never seen any lack of performance or even tripped fuses by running a 15a tool on a 10a power point.

Just file down the plug and go for it.

 

[jamyers]

I'm not sure about the wiring rules in Australia, but in the US, 12-gauge solid copper (what most houses are wired with) is generally good for 20 amps at 120V.

 

[sideways]

I'm not sure about the wiring rules in Australia, but in the US, 12-gauge solid copper (what most houses are wired with) is generally good for 20 amps at 120V.

I've got no idea what gauge our wiring is.

I've never seen anything that hasn't coped with 15a @ 240v though.

 

[jamyers]

I've got no idea what gauge our wiring is.

I've never seen anything that hasn't coped with 15a @ 240v though.

That's right, you guys use 240V.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

I'm not sure about the wiring rules in Australia, but in the US, 12-gauge solid copper (what most houses are wired with) is generally good for 20 amps at 120V.

You sure about that? Here, all normal household circuits are rated at 15A, and wired with 14ga (14/2G, NMD90) copper. 20 amps and above does require a heavier gauge.

And I do NOT suggest altering ANY electrical device(s) to work where it wasn't designed to. You know not what you do. Either do it properly, running the appropriate wire right off the panel, or hire a QUALIFIED electrician. Fire is no joke.

 

[devino246]

You sure about that? Here, all normal household circuits are rated at 15A, and wired with 14ga (14/2G, NMD90) copper. 20 amps and above does require a heavier gauge.

And I do NOT suggest altering ANY electrical device(s) to work where it wasn't designed to. You know not what you do. Either do it properly, running the appropriate wire right off the panel, or hire a QUALIFIED electrician. Fire is no joke.

x2. A majority of household circuits in the US are wired for 15amps.

 

[fowler]

If you're doing it in a shed (as opposed to running an extension cord from inside the house..... Or welding your buggy in the lounge room

thuis time of year welding in the aircon would be ok

house mates wouldnt be so impressesed though
i dont think the tv can go louder than a grinder

no im just living in on of those bulk houseing developments where theyve pumped out 20 odd houses exactly the same and sell them dirt cheap
of couse they havnt thought about anything but living in them
depressing to live in but very cheap rent good for uni students and apprentics

ill try the home made convertor
or quote a proper electrition

EDIT
anougther daft idea
not acctually even going to try it if its right
but what if u wired 2 extension leads together and
so pos to pos neg to neg
so u have 2 male 10 amp ends and 1 15 amp female
would that jump the volts or the amps?

 

[Doc Sprocket]

ill try the home made convertor
or quote a proper electrition

EDIT
anougther daft idea
not acctually even going to try it if its right
but what if u wired 2 extension leads together and
so pos to pos neg to neg
so u have 2 male 10 amp ends and 1 15 amp female
would that jump the volts or the amps?

There is a time and place for DIY. This isn't it. Please- I beg you- do it PROPERLY!

 

[fowler]

no im not going to do the second idea
just general intrest

sorry but the grind down the pin is being tryed

iv done it many times before