Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums > AC Power and Grounding
Could this happen in a properly wired outlet?
Ed Hall:
A friend had a kitchen outlet arc and trip the GFCI. The cover around the outlet is metal and should be grounded. The arc happened when a metal tape measure brushed in front of the outlet. It looks like the arc was between the hot and cover.
Could a metal tape in contact with the grounded cover and in front of the hot receptacle cause the arc? I would think that shouldn't happen.
FYI, she asked me what happened and my reply was it wanted you to call an electrician.
David Allred:
Were the plugged in cord's blades flashed or arced? Is the soot coming from the outlet or the plug? visually, it look like what I would expect from a plug blowing up.
Stephen Swaffer:
Was there anything plugged into the outlet? This looks more like a metal tape measure slipped behind a partially plugged in cord and contacted the hot and the neutral-that would most certainly cause this, GFCI or not.
Otherwise it seems unlikely-the hot contacts are typically recessed .100 or better behind the face-far too far for 120 V to jump without actually sticking something into the receptacle.
Jerome Malsack:
We might also consider the size of the tip of the tape measure reaching into the Hot side. One would need to see the size of the tape measure and the end to see if, the end fits in the outlet. Larger 1/2 inch size may not fit and have a problem where as the smaller sizes may fit in the open slot.
David Allred:
I read the tape measure part, but did not connect that it was a spring-wound measuring device. Duh.
There is no arc pitting on the SS cover. I don't think ii touched it. Had to be a plug in the outlet. The picture implies that the tape diverted the flash downward from the resting points on the blades.
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