Hangars and extension cords...

[Dream to fly]

Also I have 26 eight foot fixtures and total current draw on the one 20 amp circuit with 104 LED strips operating at the same time is 9.65 amps measured at the breaker.

[carusoam]

Home garage, dumped the fluorescent units and replaced with LEDs from Lowes...  too complex to swap bulbs into the old units.  Nothing to be saved by staying with the old unit.

Joe/DTF is going to run into another challenge...  LEDs don't produce much heat compared to 26 x 8' of fluorescent lights.  You may need some additional heat in the winter... 

Best regards,

-a-

[Dream to fly]

5 minutes ago, carusoam said:

Home garage, dumped the fluorescent units and replaced with LEDs from Lowes...  too complex to swap bulbs into the old units.  Nothing to be saved by staying with the old unit.

Joe/DTF is going to run into another challenge...  LEDs don't produce much heat compared to 26 x 8' of fluorescent lights.  You may need some additional heat in the winter... 

Best regards,

-a-

Have a waste oil heater that can keep the 50X90 shop with 16ft side walls at a comfy 68 all winter long.  But just so others know I didn't have heat in the building last year and at 28 degrees Fahrenheit the LEDS worked awesome unlike the T-8 and T-12 bulbs that had to heat up to emit light.    Green Light Depot is a great source for those bulbs. and fixtures.   

[milotron]

7 minutes ago, carusoam said:

 

Joe/DTF is going to run into another challenge...  LEDs don't produce much heat compared to 26 x 8' of fluorescent lights.  You may need some additional heat in the winter... 

Best regards,

-a-

This. ^^^

We did some LED building upgrades with the power utility here 10 years ago when the LEDs first starting becoming more common. With the removal of the old magnetic/electronic ballasts, the building actually had to have electric resistance heaters added to make up for it. The power consumption actually increased at the end of all of this!  We have seen similar results for residential applications up here north of the 49th. The heat from incandescent and CFL lamps produces a very noticeable amount of heat which is desirable when living in a cold climate.

 

iain

[Marauder]

This is barbaric.  How do you keep your beer cold without a fridge?

So true. If you are ever nearby N57, there is always something cold to drink in Marauder's fridge. And while you're here, pull up a lounge chair and watch him try to put his plane back together again. It's truly a sight to behold.

Note to self; don't buy more than one mod at a time. Just don't do it!




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[gsxrpilot]

I've swapped out every light in my house and garage for LED's. We do it here in Texas to get rid of the heat as much as for the electricity savings. The way we stay warm in the winter is by turning off the air conditioning.

[ragedracer1977]

4 hours ago, EricJ said:

When I first got my hangar at DVT one of the maintenance guys from the city came by and we wound up chatting for a bit.   He said the most common alterations were lighting and electrical work, so it's clearly doable and been done before.   On the north side a fair number of the hangars are man caves with fridges, etc., so that's being done, too.   Sadly, mine is just a single outlet and a single 4' fluorescent fixture, so if I want more it'll require work as well.  

Lucky.. I've got one that looks like this, except the one I've got probably puts out less light.

 

[MIm20c]

I'd buy a good quality extension cord and not worry about it. If you start messing around with the wires w/o permission they might get upset. 

[ragedracer1977]

1 hour ago, MIm20c said:

I'd buy a good quality extension cord and not worry about it. If you start messing around with the wires w/o permission they might get upset. 

I think this is what I'm going to do.  I can comfortably do it hot, but if I screw up and pop the breaker, who knows what I take offline in someone else's hangar.  Then I have to call and fess up.  Which would probably be worse for me.  

[1964-M20E]

I deal mostly with industrial situations but doesn't the NEC code require that a tenant have access to the circuit panel?

 

 

[Schinderhannes]

On 9/4/2017 at 9:43 PM, ragedracer1977 said:

So, would it be acceptable to get a 20' appliance cord and permanently wire it to the fridge?  Then it's not on an extension cord, and an appliance cord is specifically rated for the purpose.  

 

If I remember correctly you're based in KDVT. We used to have a hangar on the north side of the field and did run into the same problem.  When we replaced our Long Ez with the M20c I had to move the fridge from the front to the rear due to the longer wingspan. I thought hard wiring a long electrical cord to the fridge would satisfy the rules as I wasn't using an extension cord. We got written up soon after and were asked to removed the fridge from the hangar because it was not compliant due to non OEM power cord.  

 

 

[N201MKTurbo]

Yes, they have told me to remove my extension cord every year.

For the past 25 years!

[MyNameIsNobody]

Does Mr. New Jersey plane wrecker have the same moral outrage for theft of electricity that is not aviation related (from taxpayers) that he has for gas hose thiefs?

(smiley face means attack is in "fun" because this poster thinks both are hilarious)....that being a wine cooler in a hanger designed to store an airplane in a public airport in a hanger that is not "theirs" by deed.

Love the selective moral outrage.

And nature.  I definitely love nature and all its fury.

[Bob_Belville]

17 minutes ago, MyNameIsNobody said:

Does Mr. New Jersey plane wrecker have the same moral outrage for theft of electricity that is not aviation related (from taxpayers) that he has for gas hose thiefs?

(smiley face means attack is in "fun" because this poster thinks both are hilarious)....that being a wine cooler in a hanger designed to store an airplane in a public airport in a hanger that is not "theirs" by deed.

I resemble that remark. I pay $250/month rent for the hangar.  The rent includes electricity (and water). There are 3 over head florescent light fixtures, 3 4 plug 115V grounded outlets, and 1 230V outlet. I am quite certain that the landlord expects me to plug stuff into some of those outlets, the airplane itself runs on 100LL and does not require AC power. The wine cooler is as "necessary" as the frig, microwave, radio, desk lamps, battery chargers, compressor, engine heater, or the power tools. (The overhead door may be more necessary.)      

[MyNameIsNobody]

1 hour ago, Bob_Belville said:

I resemble that remark. I pay $250/month rent for the hangar.  The rent includes electricity (and water). There are 3 over head florescent light fixtures, 3 4 plug 115V grounded outlets, and 1 230V outlet. I am quite certain that the landlord expects me to plug stuff into some of those outlets, the airplane itself runs on 100LL and does not require AC power. The wine cooler is as "necessary" as the frig, microwave, radio, desk lamps, battery chargers, compressor, engine heater, or the power tools. (The overhead door may be more necessary.)      

Teasing.  I can think of no better activity than sipping vino while lounging amongst aircraft and those that love them.  Carry on soldier.  Chiller is killer.

[EricJ]

If you just make sure you've drank the last beer by the time you turn final at your home field you don't need the fridge.

 

[DonMuncy]

Not too much thread creep. At Dallas (RBD) we just finished up a periodic inspection. This time the Fire Marshall and the City Aviation Department teamed up, (theoretically) checking for both fire hazards and non-aviation items in hangars. As usual, they yelled about my O2 and acetylene tanks. They don't mind the oxygen, but for my 2 big tanks, they want to charge me a yearly fee (about $300; presumably each). Since my hanger elf did some rewiring and put in extra outlet receptacles, they didn't have a problem with my electricity. But this time they jumped me about "too many" containers of fluids. Rattle paint cans, multiple solvents, soaps, waxes, carb cleaner, fuel stabilizer (for mower/tug), etc. They want me to get a fire proof cabinet for them. I really wouldn't mind, except those cabinets are awfully expensive. So a bunch of stuff went home until they migrate back out to the hangar as I need them. I am trying to get the FBO manager to give me a heads-up when they are going to show up.

[N201MKTurbo]

5 minutes ago, DonMuncy said:

Not too much thread creep. At Dallas (RBD) we just finished up a periodic inspection. This time the Fire Marshall and the City Aviation Department teamed up, (theoretically) checking for both fire hazards and non-aviation items in hangars. As usual, they yelled about my O2 and acetylene tanks. They don't mind the oxygen, but for my 2 big tanks, they want to charge me a yearly fee (about $300; presumably each). Since my hanger elf did some rewiring and put in extra outlet receptacles, they didn't have a problem with my electricity. But this time they jumped me about "too many" containers of fluids. Rattle paint cans, multiple solvents, soaps, waxes, carb cleaner, fuel stabilizer (for mower/tug), etc. They want me to get a fire proof cabinet for them. I really wouldn't mind, except those cabinets are awfully expensive. So a bunch of stuff went home until they migrate back out to the hangar as I need them. I am trying to get the FBO manager to give me a heads-up when they are going to show up.

60 gallons of avgas in the plane is OK, but 6 gallons of low volatility solvent in a metal can is unacceptable.

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, DonMuncy said:

 I am trying to get the FBO manager to give me a heads-up when they are going to show up.

Our airport is nice enough to send out letters saying when they are going to inspect so you can go clean up all your non-compliant stuff. They still find my extension cords about half the time. I put masking tape on the door so I can tell if they have been there yet so I can put the hanger back together and get my water cold again.

[Hank]

1 hour ago, N201MKTurbo said:

60 gallons of avgas in the plane is OK, but 6 gallons of low volatility solvent in a metal can is unacceptable.

But the paperwork says you can't have "hazardous" cans sitting outside of an approved cabinet. And as with the FAA, we all know that the paperwork is the most important part, right?

[N201MKTurbo]

1 minute ago, Hank said:

But the paperwork says you can't have "hazardous" cans sitting outside of an approved cabinet. And as with the FAA, we all know that the paperwork is the most important part, right?

All that paper is going to catch fire one of these days and burn down my airplane!

[Bennett]

At $741 a month, electricity is "free". Plenty of outlets and excellent overhead lighting. Even so, I have several extension cords with multi-taps and surge protection. Refrigerator, water cooler, outlets for the laptop, iPads, music system, drill press, charger stations and printer. Even keep a couple of heaters for cold (California cold) days. Most of the racks hold miscellaneous aviation related stuff, as do the cabinets. Any Mooniac around KSQL is welcome to stop in.

 

 

 

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[LANCECASPER]

57 minutes ago, Bennett said:

At $741 a month, electricity is "free". Plenty of outlets and excellent overhead lighting. Even so, I have several extension cords with multi-taps and surge protection. Refrigerator, water cooler, outlets for the laptop, iPads, music system, drill press, charger stations and printer. Even keep a couple of heaters for cold (California cold) days. Most of the racks hold miscellaneous aviation related stuff, as do the cabinets. Any Mooniac around KSQL is welcome to stop in.

 

 

 

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You need to come and spend a few weeks in Texas and hang out in my hangar. I'll give you my Home Depot/Lowes credit cards and feed you well.

[Bennett]

You need to come and spend a few weeks in Texas and hang out in my hangar. I'll give you my Home Depot/Lowes credit cards and feed you well.

Sounds like fun. I've "tricked out" my most recent hangars with various types of floor covering. These plastic garage squares have worked out better than the outdoor carpets I tried. The carpets were easier on the back, but stained badly. Another Mooniac at KSQL used carpet squares, and they easy to replace as necessary. The plastic squares are also easily replaceable, but they are easy to clean. In past hangars I was able to bring in wi-fi via cable, but not here. I've tried cellular hot spots, but they are too slow. A laptop or an iPad works adequately, and wireless printing takes care of what I need for hard copies. The County inspects the hangar every year, and I've heard no complaints from them. With this setup I can work right up to the time I leave to fly someplace.



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[MyNameIsNobody]

3 hours ago, DonMuncy said:

Not too much thread creep. At Dallas (RBD) we just finished up a periodic inspection. This time the Fire Marshall and the City Aviation Department teamed up, (theoretically) checking for both fire hazards and non-aviation items in hangars. As usual, they yelled about my O2 and acetylene tanks. They don't mind the oxygen, but for my 2 big tanks, they want to charge me a yearly fee (about $300; presumably each). Since my hanger elf did some rewiring and put in extra outlet receptacles, they didn't have a problem with my electricity. But this time they jumped me about "too many" containers of fluids. Rattle paint cans, multiple solvents, soaps, waxes, carb cleaner, fuel stabilizer (for mower/tug), etc. They want me to get a fire proof cabinet for them. I really wouldn't mind, except those cabinets are awfully expensive. So a bunch of stuff went home until they migrate back out to the hangar as I need them. I am trying to get the FBO manager to give me a heads-up when they are going to show up.

You can build your own "approved cabinet" out of wood.  There are specs for the design.  The key is to reduce fire load in the event of fire. They need to have a vent.  You are trying to deprive a fire of oxygen and fuel.  Hanger fires do happen.  There are others adjacent that have exposure to improper electrical installations and combustible/flammable liquids.  I am glad that the airport commission completes the inspections to reduce non-aviation exposures in public hangers.  I use grounded extension cords for block heater if I am flying the next day.  I don't store other flammable in my hanger.  One persons "project" is another's nightmare of "what if's".

I have a hanger to shelter my aircraft and store cleaning supplies in a cabinet.  I have a ceramic heater that I use and I do have some concern that it could cause a fire.  I turn it on the night before a flight vs. "all the time".  Just trying to mitigate potential exposure.  I guess I am the "odd duck" in that regard.