----- 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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