Electrical requirements question

I’m not sure if they are saying those are the plugs the recommend or the ones that are actually with the machine. Usually they supply the standard household type connector. If for some reason they don’t have the standard residential plug with it I’d just replace the plug on the dust collector.

BTW, if you are running standard 110V it looks like it needs a 20 amp circuit with 110V. If you plug it into the standard 15 amp circuit in the average home you’ll be popping that breaker all the time, if you can get it to run at all without popping the breaker.

Thanks Greg…I think I’m going to have to go for 1hp DCs…bummer

I have only one 20amp circuit and two 15 amp. I need the 20 amp to run my table saw, planer, etc and the 15amp circuits are just not enough to run the 1.5hp DC.

If your electrical panel is in the garage, have an electrician drop some additional plug circuits. Should take no more than an hour or two of time by the electrician and very little in parts.

-- Dave Herron, Boise, ID -- “That which does not crash the browser, makes it stronger”

Raf,

The short answer is “no you cannot use the standard household 3 prong plug” and “yes, if you want this dust collector you will have to change the plugs AND the wiring AND the breaker.” It sounds like you would want to add a circuit to your shop of the correct rating (breakers, wire, and plugs), NOT just change the plugs.

You can find some pictures of different plugs and ratings from Levitron here.

From the grizzly website the dust collector is listed as 110v at 18 amps or 220v at 9 amps. The plugs shown in the Grizzly manual are either NEMA 5-20 (110v at 20 amps) or a NEMA 6-15 (220v at 15 amps)

Your standard 3 prong household circuit is likely a NEMA 5-15 (110v at 15 amps) and is rated at 15 amps max current draw. The plug at the end of the circuit implies the ENTIRE circuit is rated at 15 amps max, not just the plug. You cant just change the plug, at the dust collector or at the wall, and expect it to work. The rating of the circuit, 15 amps, includes the breaker and the wiring in the wall.

This dust collector plugged into a standard 15 amp circuit you would probably trip the breaker on startup.

If a person tried to change just the circuit breaker to a larger value (to prevent it from tripping) you likely violate the building code because likely the wiring in the wall is only rated for 15 amps. Drawing more current through the wiring than it is rated for and you run the risk of over heating the wire in the wall and causing a fire. I also suspect if you had a fire and your insurance company found out you had modified the wiring to deviate from code or accepted building practices they would have little sympathy (or money) for you.

You want to keep the breaker, the wiring, and the plug all at the same rating. Well I guess you could put in beefy wire and have lower rated breakers and plugs, but I’ve never really heard of that (wire costs money).

I guess changing the plug to the standard 5-15 plug is a bit of a moot point, since any 20 amp outlet is going to be able to accept the 5-20 plugs as well as the 5-15 plugs (some may only be setup for 5-20, but why you’d have one of those is beyond me). If the device was rated for less than a 15 amp load and for some reason came with a 5-20 plug you could replace the plug safely then, but most likely it would have come with the 5-15 plug anyway.

I’ve known people who tried replacing the breaker with a 20 amp model. Definitely don’t do it, since the standard 14 gauge wiring can’t handle the load and can catch on fire.

Thanks for all the replies guys…I’m glad I asked, otherwise I would have ended up buying something I couldn’t use.

I think for right now, I’m going to look for a DC that will work with the current setup I have. I only use one machine at a time + DC (which is a shop vac for now). I’m going to look around the site for a DC that will work for my purposes…if you have any suggestions, let me know

thanks again

I recently had two new 20A circuits put in my garage, the breakers are 20A, the wire is 12ga, but the plugs are just 15A plugs (grrr… rant about hiring contractors versus doing my own work elided), so it may be possible to just swap out the plugs, but for any DIY electrical work I strongly recommend pulling a permit and having an inspector come look over what you’ve done, fifty bucks (at least in my overpriced northern California neck of the woods) for a second set of eyes is cheap.

And if the panel is relatively close to the shop, it’s not a big deal to run a new circuit.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke