Build Yourself An Electric Pail

Build yourself an electric Pail FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 11-4-24 Yes, it's an "electric pail!" It doesn't light up, doesn't move and doesn't heat up or keep things cool. What it is, is a super extension cord to let you "reach out" to where there aren't any plug-ins. It also helps you keep extension cords from becoming a hassle. The pail provides a place to neatly coil the cord inside, and the cord will always be thereùit's wired directly to the exterior receptacle. But the best thing about the "electric pail" is that it has a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) duplex grounding receptacle mounted in the box. The special receptacle cuts off power within a split second if there's any problem with shorts or defective tools. To build, find yourself a plastic pail, a metal wall box and connector, the GFCI receptacle and a 50 or 100 ft. outdoor 16 AWG all-weather extension cord. Cut a hole through the pail and install the connector through the side into the box. Then, run wire through, clamp it and connect it to the receptacle. Wires on the receptacle connect to bottom terminals marked LOAD, white wires to the silver screw, black wire to the brass screw. (If you connect the extension cordwires to the top terminals marked LINE, the GFCI feature won't work.) The ground wire is connected to both the ground terminal on the receptacle and to the box via a pigtail. After you've got your "electric pail" together, you can test the GFCI. The receptacle has a test button and reset button. If you've hooked it up right and you press the the test button, the reset should pop out, cutting off the current. When not in use, just coil up the cord inside the pail and hang it up in your shop or garage. (Reprinted from HOME SHOP NEWS).

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