Tornado Green Lead 18 AWG x 16 in. 19369

The Tornado Green Lead 18 AWG x 16 in. 19369 is the genuine OEM earth lead used in the wiring of the PS Series professional spotters and a range of Tornado carpet extractors. Green insulation, 18 gauge, sixteen inches long, supplied as a made-up lead.

Compatible Models for the Green Lead

• Tornado PS Spotter 98220 — PS Series professional spotter, 115V
• Tornado PS8221 Spotter 98221 — the 230-volt deluxe spotter, Series G

The 230-volt PS8221 Spotter 98221 carries this lead on its vacuum and pressure hose assembly, where the factory lists it without a callout number.

This lead is shared widely: Tornado’s factory cross-reference lists it on eighteen machines, which is more than the cross-reference will display at one time, so an enumerated list would be incomplete and misleading. The window it returns shows it across the Tornado Marathon 800 and Marathon 1200 carpet extractor range. Call us at 763-535-0770 with your model and serial number and we will confirm it against the current catalog before you order.

Green means earth, and that is not a detail

In North American wiring practice green insulation is reserved for the equipment grounding conductor — the protective earth. It is the only colour that carries that meaning, and it is why this lead has its own part number rather than being interchangeable with the black and white leads of the same gauge on the same machine.

What that conductor does is worth stating plainly. Under normal operation it carries no current at all. Its entire purpose is to provide a low-resistance path back to earth if a live conductor ever touches the machine’s metalwork, so that the fault current is large enough to trip the breaker immediately rather than leaving the chassis live at mains potential. On a wet machine, held by an operator standing on a damp floor, that path is the difference between a tripped breaker and a serious shock.

So this is a safety part, not a convenience one. A spotter with its earth lead missing, disconnected or substituted will run perfectly normally — right up until the moment it matters.

When to replace it

Replace the lead if the insulation is cut, cracked, abraded through, melted or heat-damaged anywhere; if the conductor is visible; if a terminal is corroded, loose, burnt or has been crimped badly; if strands have broken at a termination, which often shows as the lead flexing too easily at one point; or if it has been lengthened, shortened or spliced.

Replace it if you find it disconnected. A disconnected earth lead on a machine that has been in service is a finding, not a maintenance note — the machine should not go back out until it is made good and tested.

Check it whenever the electrical cover is off, and particularly after any work involving the switch, the motor or the pump, since those are the jobs where an earth lead gets moved and sometimes not reconnected.

Fitting notes

Isolate the machine from the mains before the cover comes off and keep it isolated throughout. Note where each end lands before disconnecting anything, and remember the working rule for protective earth: it is the first connection made and the last one broken.

Make the terminations up cleanly on bare, unoxidised metal — an earth connection made onto paint or corrosion is not an earth connection. Use the correct crimp for the terminal and check the crimp by pulling on it; a crimp that moves is a crimp that will fail. Make sure the lead is routed where it cannot be pinched as the cover closes or chafed by a moving part.

Finish with an earth continuity test from the plug’s earth pin to the machine’s metalwork, and run the machine on an earth-leakage protected supply before it returns to service. Do not substitute a lead of a different colour for a green one, even temporarily.

Twin City Vacuum has been selling and servicing Tornado equipment since 1956.

You can browse every assembly for this machine on our Tornado PS Spotter 98220 parts page, and the manufacturer’s specifications are published at tornadovac.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Green Lead 19369 do?

It is the equipment grounding conductor — the protective earth. Under normal operation it carries no current. Its job is to give fault current a low-resistance path to earth if a live conductor ever touches the machine’s metalwork, so the breaker trips instead of the chassis staying live.

Can I use a black or white lead of the same gauge instead of the Green Lead?

No. Green insulation is reserved for the protective earth in North American wiring practice, and it is the only colour that carries that meaning. Substituting another colour — even temporarily — removes the one visual cue the next technician relies on, and that is why this lead has its own part number.

Does the machine still work without the earth lead connected?

Yes, entirely normally, which is exactly the problem. A spotter with its earth lead missing or disconnected runs as usual right up until a fault occurs. A disconnected earth lead on a machine in service is a finding, and it should not go back out until it is made good and an earth continuity test has been done.

How do I order the Green Lead (part# 19369) or get help?

Call us at 763-535-0770 to order the Green Lead (part# 19369) — this is a factory-order part and we will confirm current pricing and the right lead for your machine when you call. Our staff at 5415 West Broadway, Crystal, MN 55428 has been servicing Tornado equipment since 1956.

Questions? Call us at 763-535-0770 or visit us at 5415 West Broadway, Crystal, MN 55428.