Puzzling electrical event

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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When I was in the US last year, a friend asked me to pick her up a new set of dog clippers, as the ones she uses on her two small dogs had gone kaput.

I duly did this, keeping the price in the US$100 range, as directed. I bought them at a PetSmart in LA, after deep consultation with a very well-informed store employee. They were fine for one or two cuts (she has two very small terriers) and then they started overheating to the point that she couldn't use them on the dogs.

So we asked my friend who came last week to bring another set. They bought some in the same price range, and again: after two cuts, the clippers overheated and she can't use them because they are so hot that the dogs will nip at her, and you can't blame them!

If it was one set of clippers that had the problem, I would think the clippers were defective. But two seems like too much of a coincidence. My local friend recently had a new electric line installed in the room where she grooms the dogs.

She is using them correctly, and the dogs are very small. It sounds to me---and I am no expert, which is why I am asking---if perhaps they ought to take a look at the power source.

We know that there are many Dominicans who bill themselves as electricians only because they know how an outlet works.

Any thoughts? Greatly appreciated.
 
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SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Check the voltage, it?s possibly too low if there are a lot of connections to the lines from the transformer or a long distance with bad wire (Multiple splices, bad splices, etc.) being used.


(I turned on a switch once, so that may qualify me as an electrician in the D.R.)
 

jd426

Gold
Dec 12, 2009
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Check the Voltage and make sure the Common wire is in fact Neutral.
Should be one HOT , One neutral...
It this a 3 plug ,. with the 3rd being the Ground . or just regular 2 plug.
A voltage meter is very easy to use , but most " Handymen" should have one ..but check that first before you assume anything.
You should be around 115 volts on the one line and ZERO on the other ( common) .
If they are reversed it should not matter.. that only becomes an Issue in like a Heating unit where the common is now HOT, and the unit wont run.
Not an electrician, but I like to dabble in it, and find it most enjoyable doing my own wiring in the house and working on the Panel and breakers , changing things around and all that .


Its very simple once you know the basics .


edit
here l is a VERY simple video showing it exactly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELiTfD6ehuI
 

cavok

Silver
Jun 16, 2014
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Cabarete
Really need to check that the voltage is about 115V as suggested. Voltage either too high, or too low, could make the clippers hot. Have you tried connecting any other device such as a lamp or a fan to the same socket? If they work normally, it almost has to be a problem with the clippers(?).
 

wrecksum

Bronze
Sep 27, 2010
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Not sure if that's an electrical problem or mechanical.If it's the cutting shears getting hot and not the handle then the blades could be too tightly set or not lubricated.I had this problem with my Wahl trimmer as well.They need to be lubed every use to stay cool.
If the handle/motor is too hot then that could be incorrect supply voltage or frequency or even the fact that they are underpowered and cannot handle thick fur thus having to work too hard.
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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I agree with Wrecksum. Check that the clippers are clean and lubricated. This is a common event, even at the salons here.

HB
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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Not sure if that's an electrical problem or mechanical.If it's the cutting shears getting hot and not the handle then the blades could be too tightly set or not lubricated.I had this problem with my Wahl trimmer as well.They need to be lubed every use to stay cool.
If the handle/motor is too hot then that could be incorrect supply voltage or frequency or even the fact that they are underpowered and cannot handle thick fur thus having to work too hard.

No. The manipulator of the clippers grew up on a farm in Germany. She wrassled horses and pigs and cows and motorcycles.

She knows what she's doing with the machine.
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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Tku

Many thanks, DR-oners. I sent the same description of problem to my BIL in Massachusetts, who has been in biz as a certified electrician for 30 years (and is trying to sell the biz:very profitable/PM for details) and you all said the same thing he did about a faulty neutral. So I will have my pal check that.

This is NOT my area of expertise, but the fact that 3/5 of you, plus my BIL (whom I adore) said the same thing....

Thanks ever so!
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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Chances are high that the clipper can only be plugged into the outlet one way and the current carrying wires connected to the terminals of the outlet are reversed.*

Out of 36 outlets in my former casa, all but one were wired backwards. Anything with a plug that has one prong that is larger than the other is expecting power to enter the gizomo via that prong.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Chances are high that the clipper can only be plugged into the outlet one way and the current carrying wires connected to the terminals of the outlet are reversed.*

Out of 36 outlets in my former casa, all but one were wired backwards. Anything with a plug that has one prong that is larger than the other is expecting power to enter the gizomo via that prong.


That should not cause an A/C clipper to malfunction. Could be an electrical hazard though. The special plug is for safety reasons.
 

bigbird

Gold
May 1, 2005
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That should not cause an A/C clipper to malfunction. Could be an electrical hazard though. The special plug is for safety reasons.
Are you referring to the polarized receptacle outlet? If so there is nothing to prevent the installer from hooking the wires up in reverse.
 

bigbird

Gold
May 1, 2005
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@ meems, what part of the clipper is heating up. The plastic handle or the metal clippers?
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
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Chances are high that the clipper can only be plugged into the outlet one way and the current carrying wires connected to the terminals of the outlet are reversed.*

Out of 36 outlets in my former casa, all but one were wired backwards. Anything with a plug that has one prong that is larger than the other is expecting power to enter the gizomo via that prong.

That should not cause an A/C clipper to malfunction. Could be an electrical hazard though. The special plug is for safety reasons.

SantiagoDR is correct. Having reversed hot and neutral lines will not in and of itself cause overheating, but could be an electrical hazard. There are three possible causes for this problem. Improper voltage at the outlet, a mechanical problem with the clippers, or defective clippers.
Are they being used on street power or is there an Inverter being used with street power off?
 

bigbird

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May 1, 2005
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meems, did your friend try using the clippers in another part of the house using a different receptacle outlet hopefully on a different electrical circuit?
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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meems, did your friend try using the clippers in another part of the house using a different receptacle outlet hopefully on a different electrical circuit?

We have discussed. I also sent the same info to my BIL in MA who is a master electrician, in biz for 28 years on the Cape. He thinks they need to check the neutral coming into the power source. Luckily, the local electrician is German, not Dominican, so there is hope of reasoned discussion.

I suggested (me!) that she try them elsewhere and see what happens. Other self-groomers have just said, "well: you always need to have 2 sets & when the first overheats, you switch to the other and wait until the first cools down."

This disturbs me. But it no longer surprises me.
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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meems, did your friend try using the clippers in another part of the house using a different receptacle outlet hopefully on a different electrical circuit?

Not yet. She grooms the dogs in a business outside of the apt. bc she doesn't want all the dog hair in the house. And who could blame her?
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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Are you referring to the polarized receptacle outlet? If so there is nothing to prevent the installer from hooking the wires up in reverse.

I suspect that is what the issue is. And I know NOTHING about electricity, except that when it's wrong, it hurts.
 

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this! My pal believes she is on the road to solution!

In the meantime, my pooch is going to Judy's Pet Lodge for his cut & pedicure tomorrow. My friend is a dentist, and cannot have anybody else's dogs but hers (G*d forbid!) biting her hands.