Leading industrial gas company, BOC, have warned welders in the bodyshop industry that altering earth pins on 15 amp plugs can be dangerous and harmful to users.
Nic Bothma, Technical Manager Industrial Products at BOC, in an inclusive interview with AP&P said the alteration of earth pins is a dangerous practice within the marketplace. It is done, he says, to ensure that the power source can be used in the more popular domestic 10 amp sockets.
"This is extremely hazardous as the current draw would normally exceed the protection of the household circuit causing the circuit breaker to constantly drop-out," Bothma said.
"The state of the altered earth connection pin, will in many cases cause increased resistance that would lead to a rise in temperature of the plug and household outlet socket."
Bothma added that any damage to the input cable of a welding power source (or for that matter any electrical device) must immediately be addressed. "In welding, power sources where constant operation can cause significant rise in temperature, simply ‘taping,' the damaged area is extremely dangerous and not acceptable.