Runaway stinger!!!

[tech69]

My yellow and black marble stinger is acting funny. The extension cord it was connected to was messed up and causing resistance issues and so the left prong was getting overheated(wht wire). Got a new extension cord and a few hours later I plug in my stud gun and it's acting like the trigger is on. You can hear it hum as if the trigger is held and indeed as soon as the ground ring hits it welds(without holding trigger). I was using it and unplugging it so it wouldn't overheat. So I'm guessing this has to do with the cord maybe? I should probably go get another one anyways. Same thing happened to my WELDER!!!:0 No signs of anything wrong on the welder but the left prong on that one got hot cause of the extension cord too. I'll probably replace both.

As a recap... Buy harborfreight extension with THREE different outlets. One burns out and burns part of the prong on my compressor. The second outlet burned out too and so did the third. Then My compressor is plugged into an extension cord and the slightest wiggle caused it to catch on fire. Like a dummy I use that same extension cord on my welder, buffer, and stud gun. Way to go harbor freight!

[easymoney]

what did you expect from harbor freight? never plug an air compressor into an extension cord unless it is an extra heavy duty cord. and then as short as possible.

[tech69]

absolutely. That think is on the verge of needing 240v.

So do you think my stud gun is acting crazy because of the plug?

[Len]

absolutely. That think is on the verge of needing 240v.

So do you think my stud gun is acting crazy because of the plug?

Is it a HS Unispotter Stinger? If so it's probably not the gun but if it's a HF then it could be and probably is the gun.

[tech69]

yep, that's the one. The black wire got loose inside the stud gun. I took it apart and tightened it down and now it's fine again. I'm still wondering if that's cause of the plug end. Anybody saavy with electrical? It happened only hours after it was plugged into a bad extension cord. Didn't smoke up or anything but it has burn marks on the left prong/wht. Maybe it's unrelated.

[Eddie]

Your extension chord sounds like it belongs in the trash. An inadequate or faulty extension chord is potentially dangerous and can overheat or reduce the service life of some appliances or tools, like your air compressor.

Any time an extension chord or plug gets more than a little warm you have a problem. Not only are you risking damaging any tool you plug into the extension chord, you are literally playing with fire. Electrical fires are almost never caused by faulty house or shop wiring; they are almost always caused by faulty extension chords or faulty electrical appliances.

What is the gauge of the extension chord? "Heavy duty" can mean it's only 16 gauge; 14 gauge is the absolute minimum for a shop extension chord. I bet if you read your air compressor's owner's manual, it will say "no extension chords" or "12 gauge minimum." Best to heed this advice.

Moral of the story, you aren't saving a buck in the long run using a cheap or inadequate extension chord to run tools like an air compressor.

[Mooch]

The cord he was using was too small a gauge without any doubt . I have several cords from HF and they have been fine for years . He should check where he is plugging it in also .

If the wall recep is loose fitting it will allow the plug prongs to arc which is like a little arc welder . Happens each year here where the trailers plug in .

You need to but at least a 10 gauge cord period .

Mooch

[Eddie]

If the wall recep is loose fitting it will allow the plug prongs to arc which is like a little arc welder . Happens each year here where the trailers plug in .

Mooch

That's true. I rewired my house with those receptacles that you can buy 10 in a box for $8 or so. A couple of the cheapie receptacles in the shop overheated. I replaced critical receptacles (shop, basement workshop, laundry room, kitchen) with "severe duty" receptacles that cose $3/piece. It's a lot cheaper than a fire.

[tech69]

The cord he was using was too small a gauge without any doubt . I have several cords from HF and they have been fine for years . He should check where he is plugging it in also .

If the wall recep is loose fitting it will allow the plug prongs to arc which is like a little arc welder . Happens each year here where the trailers plug in .

You need to but at least a 10 gauge cord period .

Mooch

it was 14 gauge. The compressor did it the second time I think because of the prong itself, which started from the HF extension shorts. The other two outlets on that same extension most likely burned from something else(stud gun/lights/ heatgun) so I think it's safe to say it was a bad one if all three burn out and cause resistance issues. I was stupid the second time around... broken off ground, left prong partially burnt away prong leading to resistance, and on an extension cord in which me stepping on it caused the fire. I'll get another plug end for my welder and stud gun, thanks.

[Mooch]

it was 14 gauge. The compressor did it the second time I think because of the prong itself, which started from the HF extension shorts. The other two outlets on that same extension most likely burned from something else(stud gun/lights/ heatgun) so I think it's safe to say it was a bad one if all three burn out and cause resistance issues. I was stupid the second time around... broken off ground, left prong partially burnt away prong leading to resistance, and on an extension cord in which me stepping on it caused the fire. I'll get another plug end for my welder and stud gun, thanks.

14 gauge is too light of a wire size . 15 amps load max and that is for a very short run other wise you will have a big drop in voltage . If must use a cord get a heavy one .

12 gauge would be better and 10 gauge is what I would use . Plus use the shortest cord you can ,which will keep voltage drop to a min .

Too small a wire size and using too long a cord builds heat and the weak spot is the plug at both ends .

Mooch

[Eddie]

14 gauge is too light of a wire size . 15 amps load max and that is for a very short run other wise you will have a big drop in voltage . If must use a cord get a heavy one .

Mooch

Don't forget, a tool like an air compressor that uses 15 amps can use up to 150 amps at startup.:0 With any length of extension chord (or line feed), there is a very significant voltage drop at startup, which makes the motor start slower, which burns the motor up faster. This is often what causes synchronous motors to fail prematurely. Also, the more voltage drop while it's running, the more current it draws. A synchronous motor runs at the same speed over a wide range of voltages, so the lower the voltage, the higher the current. This can cause a significant reduction in servce life, as well as tripping your breaker all the time.

This is why when you look up minimum wire gauge for a synchronous motor, it specifies a larger gauge for a longer run. Best to heed that; cheaping out can cause problems, including greatly reduced life of your compressor motor.

I made a long extension chord for my compressor out of leftover 10 gauge UF (underground feeder) cable, with a very heavy duty plug, a metal outlet box like you'd use to wire your house, and a heavy duty receptcale. It was all leftover stuff and works without a hitch.