Large Variac Help (fwd)

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Large Variac Help (fwd)
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 18:48:25 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	Steve Roys[SMTP:sroys-at-umaryland.edu]
Sent: 	Tuesday, January 20, 1998 4:44 AM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	RE: Large Variac Help (fwd)

On Fri, 16 Jan 1998, Tesla List wrote:

> > Just chunk a piece of copper tubing in the variac.  That's what God gave
> > us circuit breakers for.
> > 
> > Steve Roys
> Steve:
> What is your variac rated at? If it's anything less than 20A, You 
> are just begging to smoke that poor beastie.
> A 15A circut breaker actually trips at closer to 17.. so you could
> have an overcurrent condition for quite some time - causing minor
> things like the romex in your walls getting too hot, leading to
> nasty little things like fires. The type that take a long time
> to get really going.
> Not fun.
> ghod gave us fuses to make up for the inadequacy of circut breakers :)

Boy, am I behind in my posts! *grin*

I have two 30A variacs in parallel for 60A of 24 hour a day fun plugged
into a 220V, 50A circuit, and the wiring is all exposed, not behind
wallboard.

I'm not advocating throwing caution to the wind.  If you're dealing with
the power and the transformers that can really cause problems, and
probably even if you're not, proper metering is always good.  That way you
know if you're sucking 70A from your 20A breaker.

Steve