Noob Dilemma

[Charlie8311]

I recently completed this project.. or my version of this project.. and now I am nervous to plug it in and fire it up..

My Heap

While getting help making this project everyone has said how dangerous it is.. now I am getting paranoid and nervous. Since this was my first wiring job I wonder how well I did it.

Not only that but I wonder about the safety of the project in general and my old houses wiring.. which is a bit suspect anyway..

What's the worst case scenario when I start it up? Are there any warning signs? Will I start a fire in my walls if I screwed this up?

 

[Andy1845c]

Worst case would be if you get an electrical shock from it. Provided all wiring is insulated properly, and you used a ground on the outlet, that won't happen.

If you dead-shorted somthing, it will blow a fuse or trip a breaker if those are working properly and sized properly. If you have doubts about this, find an outlet that you can verify is wired correctly and protected with a circuit breaker.

350 watts is not alot of power. At 120V thats only 2.9 amps. Most vacuums and toasters use more power then that.

There really are no warning signs of a dead short. Things will happen faster then you can think or react.

What size wire did you use for everything?

I don't see anything particually dagerous about it from an electrical stand point.

If your in doubt of your work, double and triple check all your connections.

 

[Charlie8311]

Thanks for the response, Andy.

The wiring size looks comparable to the wiring on the dimmer.

One thing different from the picture I showed is that I used a momentary foot switch from Harbor Freight rather than making my own.

I also split the outlet.. so that one would be dimmed and one would be a normal outlet. So I am kind of leery about that aspect.. if I did that right.. I split the power wire one to the dimmer and one to the normal plug in the electrical box.

So if something was really screwed I would know immediately right? But it's also possible something could come loose moving around later and all hell breaks loose..

Everyone being nervous has made me nervous I think..

 

[Charlie8311]

I think I saw someone mention putting a fuse on this project.. would that get rid of all my potential worries?

If some wire came loose in the electrical box later on would a fuse protect it from causing a fire?

 

[Andy1845c]

Withouot some pictures or drawings of how you have it wired, none of us can really comment on it it is right or not.

If somthing is really wrong it going to either not work at all or trip whatever breaker or fuse the outlet you plugged it into is on.

If the wire you used is too small, it could overheat and melt or catch fire. If you know what size or gauge it is you can post here or look up the amperage it is rated for.

 

[Andy1845c]

I think I saw someone mention putting a fuse on this project.. would that get rid of all my potential worries?

If some wire came loose in the electrical box later on would a fuse protect it from causing a fire?

A fuse is a good idea on any project.

What electrical box are you referring to? The one on your house or on your project?

On your project, yes, if a wire somehow came loose and shorted directly to ground, the fuse would blow and prevert melted wires or a fire.

You need to size the fuse properly though. If you use a 30 Amp fuse your wires will probably melt before the fuse blows.

What exactly are you going to plug into this? The same heat hgun pictured on the site you posted?

 

[Charlie8311]

Yes, the same heat embossing heat gun.

The electrical box I am referring to is the box with the outlet and the dimmer.. a gang box?

Here is another tutorial I used with this project..

The Crock-O-Stat

I used one foot of cord with three wires in it to go from the momentary foot switch to the electrical box. I "built" this extension cord that goes from the momentary foot switch to the gang box. so I had a cable and added a 3 prong plug.

And I used a wire I cut out of another 3 prong extension cord to go from the hot connection to the dimmer to the to the non-dimmed outlet/plug.


I will likely also be plugging a crock pot into the dimmed switch.. rather than the heat gun.. and a wood burner which will be used for carving wax..

And I left one switch undimmed for other possible uses. Though I wanted to ask what limitations it might have..

 

[Andy1845c]

If you used an extension cord for wire, it should be just fine for the heatgun.

What is your location? Or what is line voltage where you live? At 120v, a 5 amp fuse should be fine for the heatgun. The limitations of it will depend on the amp draw of whatever you plug into it.

Is your gang box steel or plastic? If it is steel, make sure it is bonded to the earth ground in your cord. This will help protect you from an electrical shock, provided it is plugged into a grounded outlet.

 

[Charlie8311]

I live in San Diego. And the gang box is plastic.

Where could I put the fuse? Would it be possible to put it on the male end of the plug going out from the this project? So that would be on the end of the momentary foot switch..

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[Andy1845c]

I live in San Diego. And the gang box is plastic.

Where could I put the fuse? Would it be possible to put it on the male end of the plug going out from the this project? So that would be on the end of the momentary foot switch..

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

The fuse needs to go inline with the hot wire of your power cord.

Power cord - Fuse - Rest of project.

Everything after the fuse protected, nothing before it is.

 

[Charlie8311]

OK. Thanks a bunch Andy.

I will Google fuses. There has to be some good tutorials on that.

 

[Andy1845c]

OK. Thanks a bunch Andy.

I will Google fuses. There has to be some good tutorials on that.

Google is always good. But fuses are pretty simple for a project like this.

Does the whole project plug into the foot switch? If I understand your project correctly, the fuse should go on the hot wire of the cord that goes from the foot switch into the gang box. As soon as the wire gets inside the box, splice in the fuse. Find a fuse rated for atleast 120v and 5 or 10 amps and a holder to go with it.

Not to confuse you, but a circuit breaker couold also be used. Like this one:
Jameco Electronics Passive Components: GC ELECTRONICS: 35-2105-BU

 

[Charlie8311]

I have a little model of my project..

**broken link removed**

**broken link removed**

That thin black line represents the extension cable I made that goes to the electrical gang box.

That breaker would be cool. Could I put that in the middle of that extension cord? Between the foot switch and the gang box?

 

[Andy1845c]

The breaker will need to be enclosed on somthing. It would be best to put it in your gang box and drill a hole for the botton to poke through.

 

[Charlie8311]

I am worried about having enough room in the gang box.. if I can enclose it somehow would it be just as good putting it in the middle of that black line?

 

[Charlie8311]

I was going to make a bottom like this.. maybe I could put a little box between the 2 bottoms.. on the edge

**broken link removed**

 

[Charlie8311]

The gang box in the actual project I made is like the gray one in the crock pot tutorial.

So it's really cramped in there. I could get a new gang box but then I would have to mess with the wiring in there again.

 

[Andy1845c]

I dosn't really matter where you put it as long as its close as possible to the point where power comes in, and all the connections are covered so no one gets a shock.

 

[Mikebits]

Looks like you found the foot switch HFT is a candy store is it not?

 

[Charlie8311]

Thanka again Andy.

Hey Mike. Yeah, Harbor Freight is great.. I had to wear blinders. And I still bought a bunch of stuff I hadn't planned on.

Do you guys know if they sell breakers that small at a place like home depot or do you have to get one at Radio Shack or something?