More Power To Ya

1) Both situations make it easier to overload the circuit, but the one you drew provides 11 receptacles, while the jpeg provides 12. Does that make it safer? I dunno, but it is different. 2) The jpeg shows an uninsulated metallic jbox exposed where it could be touched. A live wire inside could contact the box, energizing it. Considering this is a homebrew project already in violation of code, the box may very well not be grounded. That is unsafe. 3) As mentioned, it violates code from the outset, regardless of how it is wired. That automatically labels it unsafe, prior to any "electrical investigation". As it turns out the "electrical investigation" revealed loose screws laying in the box, making it unsafe regardless of the code. 4) Impossible to tell from the picture, but the cord from the jbox with the male plug may be substandard. 5) The assembly has not undergone any testing by a recognized testing laboratory like UL.

The electrical code avoids considerations of which bad thing is safer and which is less safe. Per the NEC, the one with the junction box is automatically unsafe, for several reasons. It is improper use of the jbox (not mounted to the building)(also, to my knowledge, the jbox is not listed for use with flexible cord); modification to the power strips and use not in accordance with manufacturers instructions; the fittings where the cord enters the jbox *appear* to be improper (can't see them clearly, so I'm not sure of that); and based on the picture, it looks like the box is lying flat on the floor - which means there is no ground screw.

In one sense it is, because it limits the total drain: the breaker in power strip 1 has to carry the full load of power strip 2 also.

In most under-desk configurations, the only devices that contribute appreciably to the load are the PC and the monitor (desktop laser printers are another story). When 5 of the 11 outlets have "wall warts" in them, each one blocking 2 outlets and drawing less than 30 watts, the total load is not a consideration. It may be a physical hazard, with someone getting their feet tangled in the rats' nest of low voltage wiring (printer, scanner, PDA, etc).

More about me:

VB3/VB6/NSBasic Palm/C/PowerBasic source code: Drivers for Pablo graphics tablet and JamCam cameras: johnecarter at@at mindspring dot.dot com. Fix the obvious to reply by email.

Mr. Know-it-all to the rescue, here! ;-)

Sounds like Mr. Navy Safety is being somewhat of a nervous nellie.

Actually, it looks to me to be functionally equivalent to having two power strips plugged into a "Y" adapter; this can also be accomplished with a duplex outlet. And their plug looks heavy-duty - it could be rated for 30 amps, as could the wire from the plug to the box - they don't say one way or another. Just because something looks crappy doesn't automatically make it unsafe.

If the internals of the box are unsafe, why didn't they show us that?

Your daisy-chain below isn't intrinsically unsafe - in fact, it might afford a slightly greater level of protection, in that if power strip

2 is loaded to spec, that's power strip 1's whole rating, so the "earliest" one in the daisy chain is more likely to pop the breaker, deenergizing the whole array. :-)

Cheers! Rich

Wats> Someone posted a followup with a URL which has pictures of some really

In article , snipped-for-privacy@bellatlantic.net mentioned...

Picky, picky, picky.. Okay, suppose the amateur electrician included a fourth wire pigtail in the green ground splice, and then connected the pigtail to the metal box.

Yeah, I know. That takes care of only one problem.

--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS?   Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted.  *All* email sent to it 
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the 
Subject: line with other stuff.  alondra101  hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers.  Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com  You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@

2

Well, you hit that nail on the head right nicely. That's exactly the way it is under most desks. I had to give one lady a few feet of split loom tubing to keep the mess of wires under control.

As for the other followup that mentioned 6 versus 4 outlets, I only did four for convenience. Some come with 4, but most of thm seem to be 6 outlet strips.

--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS?   Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted.  *All* email sent to it 
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the 
Subject: line with other stuff.  alondra101  hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers.  Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com  You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@

In article , snipped-for-privacy@aol.com mentioned...

Or burn up in the process? Seen that happen, too..

--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS?   Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted.  *All* email sent to it 
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the 
Subject: line with other stuff.  alondra101  hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers.  Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com  You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@

Whereas On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 03:36:36 GMT, Rich Grise scribbled: , I thus relpy:

That's not the poin. The point is that box was used, which in this application intrinsically unsafe.

Rather than lighting an undersized core on fire.

--
Gary J. Tait .  Email is at yahoo.com ; ID:classicsat

power

appreciably

blocking 2

consideration.

the

email.