----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 9:02
PM
Subject: (ET) Circuit protection
devices and wiring resistance
I have a question:
should I try harder to avoid popping the
breaker on the snowblower?
I've had my E-15(HA) for 3 years now, and I didn't
have to use the snowblower last winter as far as I recall - I used
the dozer blade and that worked out fine. But I mounted the chains and
hung the blower on Thursday night after I got home from work, because there
was about 4 or 5 inches on the ground, another 2 or 3
falling, and another 6 or 8 in store for Sunday.
I had no trouble with the Thursday storm - I wasn't
too aggressive pushing into the powder and the pile at the end of the
driveway was not too heavy. But Sunday when I headed out as
the snow changed to rain, it seemed harder to find that balance between
pushing too hard on the pedal (Alltrax / Curtis potbox) and the chute
clogging. So I guess I over heated the protection device a few times -
probably about 5 times in the course of an hour or so.
Is that bad for the system?
I'm guessing that I probably need to overhaul the
electrical connections - my machine had not been stored indoors all its life
when I got it, and even under the best of circumstances I guess the
connections increase in resistance over time. Should I replace
the heavy-gauge wiring outright? Should I measure resistance of
various segments and only replace the "problem" areas, defined
somehow? Should I disassemble the connections, use emery cloth or wire
brush, and Kopr-shield and reassemble?
Should I make an effort to calibrate the Amp-meter and
then follow the "red-line" guidance offered by the meter? I'm sure the
shunt resistance is too high, since full-speed up a medium incline on my
lawn even without the mower running pegs the meter - I know I ought to
replace at least that wire with the specified length and gauge (and measure
the resistance to verify) so the meter is right. But would staying
mostly out of the red-line zone reduce maintenance requirements over the
long-term as well?
I guess I partly know the answer - increased
resistance means lower voltage means higher current draw means higher wiring
temperatures. So ultimately I should be doing this service to
reduce the resistance. But in the short term, will the protection
device on the snowblower protect the motor sufficiently? Or should I
always do my best to avoid popping it?
thanks,
Joel
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