[rescue] Looking for IRIX and advice

[james]

On Sun, 2004-11-21 at 08:04, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
> james wrote:
> > > >the load, etc., since the dryer outlet is probably 50 Amps, and the
> > 
> > Dryer = 30A.
> > 
> > Stove = 50A or 60A.
> 
> I hope I'm wrong and things have been fixed, but when I lived in the U.S.,
> dryers had 120 volt timers and 240 volt heaters, so the outlets were
> wired hot-neutral-hot instead of the correct hot-ground-hot. 

Not changed yet. There is a new code requirement for mobile homes that
have a ground added to a dryer cord, but it isn't required for anybody
else. btw, you'd never have H-G-H, you always have either H-N-H or
H-N-H+G, where G does to chassis. Neutral bonding to chassis is falling
out of favor, and not permitted in portable devices anymore (for like
the last 20 years). There is good reason for this too, as I was nailed
once from this due to a joker reversing hot and neutral by mistake.


> Not a big difference if you have the old fashioned 240 volt split at ground
> wiring, but if you have a whole house surge protector which we did in the
> U.S., or a GFCI (which we have on the whole apartment BEFORE the main, here)
> it could make a world of difference.

Whole-house GFI is unheard-of in the states. It may be legal, but its
not done. I would find it to be a mammoth pain in the ass. I've often
tripped branch circuit GFI's, I'd be pissed if I killed my whole house
by doing that.

I want to try the new AFI's invented by General Electric (Arc Fault
Interupters). They can sense small arcs from things like loose
connections. It's very easy to start a house fire from a loose
connection arcing for a while and making things hot.