Bend the plug, it will fit!

[Rusty.Harris]

Had a customer contact our install guy, they received a 20amp machine, wanted to know if they could just
bend the plug to make it fit a "regular" AC outlet.

It was a national account, we didn't even sell the machine. Then, they said could we just get an adapter to
make it fit?

Sure, why not...and while you are at it, connect it to an extension cord, put it under a small piece of carpet,
connect a small space heater and have your secretary roll her chair over it 8-9 times a day!

[copiertec]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

I've heard that before, then when something goes wrong your company gets the blame, there is a reason a 20-amp plug is designed that way. Clearly not your issue, either they send another copier to fit into a 15 amp outlet or the client spends the money on an licensed electrician.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

I had a customer with an 80cpm Toshiba with the twisted prong. It jammed constantly. The office manager refused to do anything about it. By the way they're getting a new machine next month.

So the guys haul the 80cpm replacement up the narrow stairway ... only to discover that they can't plug it in. And the customer continues to refuse to update the electrics. =^..^=

[bsm2]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

I had a customer with an 80cpm Toshiba with the twisted prong. It jammed constantly. The office manager refused to do anything about it. By the way they're getting a new machine next month.

So the guys haul the 80cpm replacement up the narrow stairway ... only to discover that they can't plug it in. And the customer continues to refuse to update the electrics. =^..^=

Call the local fire Department

[Phil B.]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

Picked up a off warranty machine.
They (office) bent the leads.. just before it went off lease.
They picked 'buy out' option.
Then they called around,
I took the call.
I looked at the pwr cord .. told them to get proper power installed, I had a good cable.
[emoji3]

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[slimslob]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

Call the local fire Department

If it is an older building then as long as they are not doing any expansion of the building, they do not need to bring the electrical up to current electrical code. The outlet with the right angle blade has not always been the required standard just like the older standard for 15Amp did not require the keyed plug, different width of the 2 blades.

[Rusty.Harris]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

Here's one that one of our customers did several years back. Yeah, just run an extension, and run a 15 on a 10.
Oh, they also had a full size soda machine, coffee pot & microwave in the same room.
Needless to say, even with the ESP surge protector, the machine had issues. Hard to believe isn't it? LOL
15a 20a outlet.JPG

[slimslob]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

Had a customer contact our install guy, they received a 20amp machine, wanted to know if they could just
bend the plug to make it fit a "regular" AC outlet.

It was a national account, we didn't even sell the machine. Then, they said could we just get an adapter to
make it fit?

Sure, why not...and while you are at it, connect it to an extension cord, put it under a small piece of carpet,
connect a small space heater and have your secretary roll her chair over it 8-9 times a day!

I bet their "regular" AC outlets are not even current standard for 15Amp equipment.
NEMA15-5r NEMA20-5r

You sales person should have notified the customer about the site requirements before getting them to sign.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

Here's one that one of our customers did several years back. Yeah, just run an extension, and run a 15 on a 10.
Oh, they also had a full size soda machine, coffee pot & microwave in the same room.
Needless to say, even with the ESP surge protector, the machine had issues. Hard to believe isn't it? LOL
[ATTACH=CONFIG]52421[/ATTACH]

... this is why I am a big believer in Tripp Lite line conditioners.

I am not saying they solve problems caused by the wrong power supply to a copier but they do help reduce all kinds of problems when a copier starts acting flaky in intermittent non predictable ways.

I have lost customers arguing about power supply because they just do not understand it is not the copiers fault that a copier starts to behave badly from initial install. They become convinced the copier is a lemon and should be replaced.

[Rusty.Harris]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

I bet their "regular" AC outlets are not even current standard for 15Amp equipment.
NEMA15-5r NEMA20-5r

You sales person should have notified the customer about the site requirements before getting them to sign.

Once they leave the shop, I never know what happens to them. We were sent this one because it was a national account. I think it had
multiple machines which were dropped off, and once they were installed by their people, they were suppose to call us back for training.
Thankfully, they didn't connect it because the outlet didn't work.
When I go out to work on machines, if I find one that doesn't meet the book requirements, I put a fuser code in 08 mode to make sure
they can't use it! Ticks off the customer, but too bad. Machine doesn't meet specs, I don't want it used! I don't like chasing ghosts after it gets snapped by a voltage/current problem.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

... so for any 20 AMP copier installs, I always ask the customer to provide both a NEMA-20 wall receptacle at the copier and to have an electrician change the breaker at the electrical panel to a 20 AMP breaker.

Ideally a heavier guage wire should connect the NEMA-20A to the breaker but that is usually not possible as a retrofit. Usual cost is approx $200.00 and this is the customer's expense not the service provders expense.

.. I also know there are what are called cheater cables out there that allows a 20 AMP plug to connect to a 15 AMP wall circuit. These are usually intended as a short term work around in a service provider's location if they do not have a 20 AMP circuit. Cheater cables are never intended as a full time solution at a customer location especially if you have accessories like a finisher drawing power from the copier.

Brown outs, not surges are the most common form of unstable power supply to a copier. If a motor cannot energize properly while moving paper at high speed, paper jams are guaranteed to happen.

[larweedad]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

I had a "qualified electrician" cut of the 20 amp plug and tried to install a 15 amp plug on the end, then taped the original end to the cord. Called the company who sent us the copier. they sent new copiers with 15 amp.

[slimslob]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

I had a "qualified electrician" cut of the 20 amp plug and tried to install a 15 amp plug on the end, then taped the original end to the cord. Called the company who sent us the copier. they sent new copiers with 15 amp.

He could lose his license for that. Assuming that he was licensed to begin with.

[mloudy]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

Try explaining lack of current to most licensed electricians when dealing with 20A copiers starving for current. Most electricians in our area will tell you the voltage is 120 at the wall so there isn't anything wrong. I know it is difficult to diagnose when it is low amperage. They all want to tell you that your are wrong.

[SalesServiceGuy]

Re: Bend the plug, it will fit!

I had a "qualified electrician" cut of the 20 amp plug and tried to install a 15 amp plug on the end, then taped the original end to the cord. Called the company who sent us the copier. they sent new copiers with 15 amp.

... if the electrician was qualified tradesman with a Red Seal he put himself at risk of losing his certificate resulting in a lot of lost wages, embarrassment and expensive retraining.