- Thread starter Gapster
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Spark plug
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What circuit protection do you have?
As over hear when useing ceeform plugs sockets, witch is common place for welders, plasma's there is no fuse. Just use the circuit protection at the beginning of the circuit.
As over hear when useing ceeform plugs sockets, witch is common place for welders, plasma's there is no fuse. Just use the circuit protection at the beginning of the circuit.
You can get individually fused sockets
If you were to run a trailing socket with a fused plug (like an adaptor lead) it should be fine, but I wouldn't like to hardwire a non-NF marked socket... Just think from an insurance company perspective.
Depending how long you want and the rating of your machine(s) you might find 2.5mm to be undersize.
I live in a large Farm-like building which also has three phase but I bought a single phase R-tech so I could use it elswhere... The building has been predominantly wired with standard 2.5 for mains and 1.5 for lighting - I can't understand why 2.5 would be a problem?
On the circuit board I plan to run both machines from there are suitable fuses to protect both machines but I figurd it would be wise to have a fused extension lead too. i could do with an extra 3 meters to allow easier acces to the behicles I eventually want to weld/repair.
If you've lived in France then you are well aware of the unreliable electricity supply, appalling skills of the 'professionals' and almost non-existent earthing of buildings....
If I'm making an additional 3-5meter extention it makes sense to add some extra security if I can. In my experience (been here since 2006) it is always prudent to apply 'overkill' when dealing with anything 'Frenchified' as they seem to have no concept of health n' safety.
If I'm making an additional 3-5meter extention it makes sense to add some extra security if I can. In my experience (been here since 2006) it is always prudent to apply 'overkill' when dealing with anything 'Frenchified' as they seem to have no concept of health n' safety.
Cobbler
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When camping in France, on several sites the kettle took an age to boil, so stuck a multi meter on the supply & found there was only 170 volts on a good day, peak times it dropped to 160. This wouldn't help the welding if your farm is the same, it didn't help the tea making either. As you say they don't have much of a health & safety idea, which is live & neutral is hit & miss as well even when ceeform plugs are fitted they are often reversed.
Live and neutral are treated the same everywhere in France. 
I have seem to have a good steady supply at 220 but this can change over the winter period due to our location and the inevitable power cuts.
Plenty of fused 16amp choices in the barn to get me going until I sort out an appropriate extension lead.
I have seem to have a good steady supply at 220 but this can change over the winter period due to our location and the inevitable power cuts.
Plenty of fused 16amp choices in the barn to get me going until I sort out an appropriate extension lead.
Live and neutral are treated the same everywhere in France.
I have seem to have a good steady supply at 220 but this can change over the winter period due to our location and the inevitable power cuts.
Plenty of fused 16amp choices in the barn to get me going until I sort out an appropriate extension lead.
Live an neutral are the same as AC does not hav polarity... Your supply should be dual pole isolated so there is a fuse on both sides.
Ha, ha, ha that may be the case for new-builds but I can guarantee the majority of properties in this area would struggle to pass a test.
If you took 20 properties in the UK with wiring installs older than 5 years old and inspected them to 2015 regulations, I bet the majority of them would struggle too. And you have the whole mess of PMA to deal with instead of just making sure you have a good quality earth for your own safety.
Its not just new builds though, its every property with a new meter, barn conversions, houses where the meter has been removed to save standing order etc. And when you sell or rent a house, it has to have a electrical safety check done as part of that, and the buyer/renter has to explicitly sign to accept the wiring in that state if if fails.
As your on triphase, have you considered if you have the overhead in your supply to run a single phase plasma the same time as your compressor and the household water heater ballon?
When I was on a 20a/phase tarrif, I couldn't run my compressor and plasma at the same time without popping out the disjoncter. I used to hear the compressor chop in and have to stop cutting until it got back up to pressure and turned off.
Its not just new builds though, its every property with a new meter, barn conversions, houses where the meter has been removed to save standing order etc. And when you sell or rent a house, it has to have a electrical safety check done as part of that, and the buyer/renter has to explicitly sign to accept the wiring in that state if if fails.
As your on triphase, have you considered if you have the overhead in your supply to run a single phase plasma the same time as your compressor and the household water heater ballon?
When I was on a 20a/phase tarrif, I couldn't run my compressor and plasma at the same time without popping out the disjoncter. I used to hear the compressor chop in and have to stop cutting until it got back up to pressure and turned off.
I recently finished the Gîte project part of our farm and had the electrician check the 'balance' of the 3-phase in the building. Whilst I would never use this useless, waste of oxygen,mtwat pf a Guy again, he did comfirm that the three phases seem to be well balanced in the building -I've tried various permutations with different appliances throughout and all seems to be OK. However no doubt I will find out when I try the plasma...
If you have a fairly new meter with a lcd panel, you can scroll through the menus and see the realtime current in use on each phase to verify loading for yourself. I have one about 2002 vintage in my other property that supports this after the bakelite one had a career ending lightning incident, and current project got its full connection to the grid relatively recently with a landis gys+ meter and that is the same but has the teledistance widget so they can check readings from the road without disturbing me.
But, if the wiring has been done in the barn for safety, all the 220v sockets in a work zone are often on the same phase to minimise the risk of a 380v cross phase shock from handheld equipment, so if you have a portable compressor plugged in near the plasma they could be on the same phase. The peak amperage per phase you can draw without throwing the breaker out is in a little inspection window on the meter itself if you don't know what that is already as Edf seem to have this complex jumbled kw tarrif calculation when you order supply levels without the actual amperages written on the documentation, and you know the peak drain on your equipment from the specs if nothing else to be able to work it out in advance.
When I did my workshop/barn I ran heavy conductors from a dedicated breaker in the main house panel then terminated it in a sub panel in the barn, now I don't have to worry about volt drop on long 2.5mm csa wires even using a wander lead or reel, space in the panel to accomodate enough mcb's to get sufficient coverage whilst still meeting consuel specs on min/max height of panel or a whole raft of other nonsense. Five 16mm csa conductors went into a buried red gaine and a dedicated earth system serving the barn too to keep local impedance low so the safety devices work correctly. Overkill but belt and braces future capacity wise.
But, if the wiring has been done in the barn for safety, all the 220v sockets in a work zone are often on the same phase to minimise the risk of a 380v cross phase shock from handheld equipment, so if you have a portable compressor plugged in near the plasma they could be on the same phase. The peak amperage per phase you can draw without throwing the breaker out is in a little inspection window on the meter itself if you don't know what that is already as Edf seem to have this complex jumbled kw tarrif calculation when you order supply levels without the actual amperages written on the documentation, and you know the peak drain on your equipment from the specs if nothing else to be able to work it out in advance.
When I did my workshop/barn I ran heavy conductors from a dedicated breaker in the main house panel then terminated it in a sub panel in the barn, now I don't have to worry about volt drop on long 2.5mm csa wires even using a wander lead or reel, space in the panel to accomodate enough mcb's to get sufficient coverage whilst still meeting consuel specs on min/max height of panel or a whole raft of other nonsense. Five 16mm csa conductors went into a buried red gaine and a dedicated earth system serving the barn too to keep local impedance low so the safety devices work correctly. Overkill but belt and braces future capacity wise.
