Windtalker AC power situation - and the anemometer

[Steve Cahill]

Hi all:

I drove down to Marina today over lunch to flip the GFCI AC power breaker back on. As with the last time the WT quit answering, the in-the-socket GFCI breaker in the AC wall socket was tripped. I talked to someone who was on hand but not in uniform, who said that the rangers had replaced another socket in the same wall because it kept tripping, randomly. I'm guessing that salt air carries moisture into the socket, and it trips. having happened twice now, this will continue to be a problem, unless we do something. Some options:

1) Replace the socket on the side of the building with a new one that has less internal corrosion and a cover that can close with the extension-cable plugged into it. Requires talking to the facilities guy for the rangers; I have his contact info, but don't want to stir the pot unless the powers-that-be who deal with the rangers think that it's a good idea. That would be you, Dennis, and Stephen.

2) Make arrangements to have someone local flip the breaker back on again when ever it trips, and hope that it's not too often. It is about 80 miles round-trip for me, not such a good option.

3) Try to protect the existing AC wall-socket better from the elements.

Thoughts?


Regarding the anemometer: it was not turning when I was there, and the wind was 6 - 8 mph from the SW. Maybe it's sand, and not WD40, if it is permanently stuck. Being sticky to start every single day but then working okay once it is going might be WD40 lubricant in the bearings, but this seems to be just plain stuck, now. Sand grains? If we have a sand problem, adding a duct-tape-and-mylar skirt to the bottom of the spinner might help keep it out. If the flagpole comes down this weekend for inspection, it would be really good to be careful of touching the spinner as it is brought down, so that it can be gingerly prodded by hand to see if it grates as it turns, from sand between the spinner's skirt and the mount. If it is sand, then we need to change something, or it will just happen again, assuming that it is happening because the airflow over the new face of the dune is throwing sand up into it. If it proves to be sand, we have options, but it would be good to know for sure, given that this is a new problem.

S.Cahill

[Steven Espinosa]

Steve,

 Yep,

  The combo of sea breeze and salt water carried on the wind shorts out electrical outlets, I have seen this on houses I have worked on. The best answer is to locate the outlet on the downwind side of the structure. Or there is a weather resistant outlet that works well, it has a clear plastic cover and the plugs sit back from the cover. NOT the ones that have the spring loaded metal covers that are flush to the outlets, the salt water still gets in these.

 If you need help getting the right weather resistant outlet, let me know and I can track it down.

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From: Steve Cahill <svca...@aol.com>
To: coastal...@googlegroups.com
Cc: dennis...@gmail.com
Sent: Thu, June 3, 2010 6:10:10 PM
Subject: Windtalker AC power situation - and the anemometer

[Stephen Wasson]

My intent is to draft help this weekend to bring the pole down.  About being careful of the cups, I had exactly the same thought: I'd like to give them a gentle nudge to see if that loosens them.  If so, then there must be some new design flaw.  I'll bring the old one for comparison.  I also have some soft plastic we may be able to cut-and-tape so as to protect the skirt without impeding it's rotational motion.

As for the tripped breaker, you say it's in the socket?  Whose socket, the one we're plugged into (on the outside wall)?  I wonder if they had this problem before we plugged our WT in(?)

---

Stephen Wasson
Secretary/Treasurer
Coastal Condors, Marina CA
USHGA Chapter 084 (aka 136)

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*** All my outgoing email is scanned by Trend anti-virus software ***

[Tom West]

GFCI in that environment may always be a problem. Why not hardwire the extension cable to the line side terminal screws on the gfci outlet using a weather proof box extension and a cord restraint.

[Steve Cahill]

Hello Tom and Stephen and Steve:

 

Thanks for the thoughts, Steve E. and Tom. Agreed, Stephen, about your plans for checking the anemometer. We do have options if the existing design isn't going to be reliable with sand blowing up from the new dune, but let's make sure that that's the problem; perhaps a shield around the skirt will help.

 

Re Stephen's questions: yes, the tripping GFCI is in the socket on the outside wall that we plugged into, the one that faces the ranger's outside work area.

This problem has been occurring in another socket on the same wall that they recently replaced; it is impossible for our stuff to bother another socket, and the WT design being what it is, it is unlikely that the problem is related to us being plugged into the GFCI socket. other than this kind of socket cover needs to stand open for us to be plugging into it. Our stuff is quite clean for ground leakage.

 

Re Tom's idea to wire into the line side of the GFCI: electrically, that's the cleanest, yes. It might not be to code. Left to my own devices I'd run a proper electrical line up inside the wall, and over to the shed, and then put a non-GFCI socket inside the shed fed by the new line. But that might take a major approvals process. Just replacing the GFCI outlet is the least risky, approvals-wise, but it still requires approval of the facilities guy, and it might result in a "no way can you use CA state electricity, Dana was wrong to allow it, unplug!" conversation. That's why the club officers, used to dealing with the state, need to be closely involved with any such conversation. And, note that while I've never had a GFCI socket apart, very likely there's a sense-resistor whose value could be changed so that it still trips when tested but becomes much more resistant to "stray current" trips from salt moisture.

 

If it should happen that the facilities guy is happy with us wiring to an outlet in the shed, I'm fine with getting the materials and installing it, as long as I can get one or two people to help me pull the wires though the walls. If the facilities guy is okay with us just changing the outlet, I'm good with doing that too, as long as I can get access to the building's power panel to shut off power to the existing outlet for safe working conditions. I'm not fond of working with live wires. But it starts with a conversation with the facilites guy. Stephen or Dennis, preferably with Dana in the loop. Stephen or Dennis, are you up for making that happen?

 

The facilities guy's contact info is:

 

Jason Byrd

office 649-7114

jb...@parks.ca.gov

760-7116, cellphone. He is off Mondays and weekends, and he is not to be called on his cellphone when he is off-duty unless it is a serious emergency.

Best regards

Steve Cahill