Flex feels a bit too warm

[Ralfy]

As the title says, i used my flex for the first time yesterday, and about an hour into it, i felt the red area part of the body a bit warm. and it felt like it was only getting warmer so i stopped. is this normal? i was using a heavy duty extension cord also. is a standard house outlet enough? do i need more voltage to run this thing to keep it from getting warm? i dont want to hurt the machine so i wont be using it untill i figure out why its getting warm like this. Thanks!

[ihaveacamaro]

I think the heat is normal as long as you can't use it to bake bread

[BKazzle]

The heat is normal.

 

Remember it has a motor in it that spins and oscillates.

[Green Machine]

Definately normal.

[LFairbanks]

It is normal as everybody else has mentioned. Typical of any power tool that is used in a continual manner.

[Ralfy]

Ah okay cool good to know, i thought it wasnt getting enough power or something. It was also 95 outside haha thanks for the clarification guys, just didnt want to jack it up on my first use. Also im using a outlet with a non gfi outlet,would the adams cord with the built in gfi be a good investment?

[LFairbanks]

Ah okay cool good to know, i thought it wasnt getting enough power or something. It was also 95 outside haha thanks for the clarification guys, just didnt want to jack it up on my first use. Also im using a outlet with a non gfi outlet,would the adams cord with the built in gfi be a good investment?

 

You could do it, but I don't think it would be necessary unless your dragging your cord on the ground through water after you washed the car. Or if your handy or know someone that is put a GFCI plug in yourself. Then all the plugs after that one will be GFCI as well. Trick is to make sure you get line and load right. I can better explain if needed. Really not that big of a deal to figure out.

[Ralfy]

I get what your saying, ill look into putting one in just for the machine sake. But u could use a new extension cord:)

[LFairbanks]

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters - Line or Load…A GFCI Connection Choice - Outlets and Receptacles

[Ralfy]

[LFairbanks]

Ralfy, if you go this route what I would suggest is picking up this kit. It is 20 bucks. If you can't find this kit, you can buy each piece separately which would still be around 20 bucks.

 

I would determine where your going to put your GFCI plug. Make sure if you have 12 gauge wire you pick up a 20 amp GFCI plug. 14 gauge then get a 15 amp GFCI plug. More than likely what you have is going to be 14 gauge wire, just check to be certain. Not sure how well you know gauges of wire, but if you need more help deciding what you have, feel free to ask and I will explain better. You could also hit the wire aisle at Home Depot and ask them to cut you a foot long piece off of their spool and take it home to compare what you have.

 

Turn off your power and remove the old plug. Spread your wires apart so they are not touching. Turn the power back on and take the tool that looks like a fat pencil (for lack of a better explanation) and touch the tip near the wires. The tip should glow a color. I have seen green and red, and some will even chirp. The black or red wire is the one that will make the tester do this. White shouldn't do anything unless they turned the white to a "hot" which in this case it should be marked black. Don't worry about this, just mentioned in the highly unlikely case you run into this situation. The wires that set the tester off are going to be your line. The dead wires are going to be your load. Turn the power back off at the panel. And connect your wires to the plug, making sure you get the load and line right.

 

When your all done, take the other tester and plug it in the GFCI. It should glow 2 yellow lights showing it is wired correctly. Tester has a legend on it showing what each light represents. And if you hit the trip button on the tester it should set the GFCI off. And if you go to plugs further down the line and hit the trip button on the tester it should do the same. Hope that helps.

 

Gardner Bender Two Piece Electrical Tester Safety Kit; GVD-3504 & GFI-3501-GTK-2 at The Home Depot

Edited May 5, 2013 by LFairbanks

[Ralfy]

Good info man i really appreciate it! Sometime this week ill get the out let cover off and look. From the looks of how you explained it i shoukd be able to do this!!

[LFairbanks]

Just thought I would add this as well in case there is a question. Black wire (hot) will go to brass colored screw. White wire (neutral) will go to silver screw. And bare, or green, (ground) wire will go to green screw. And make sure you get the load and line right. I keep mentioning this as it is very important. And make sure your connections are tight. Let us know how it goes Ralfy if you decide to give it a whirl.

[Ralfy]

Will do!! Our fleet just got 30 brand new trucks so i have been swamped getting the old ones ready for auction! I do truly appreciate your help and knowledge with this. My buddy's dad is an electrician so i may ask him for help and show him what wrote!

[Truckie]

My Flex got hot too...1st time using it.....

 

I figured I would stop when the Adams pads started to melt off the head.....LOL

 

That didn't happen... so I figured the heat was normal....