Oh Bother--- electrical issue

Ned Bulken

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Lakeport NY and/or the nearest hotel
Well, I tried to fire up my drum sander this morning. My shop used to run on extension cord out of our utility room. It doesn't at the moment, because I've evidently blown the entire circuit for the washer/dryer. I've reset the breaker, but to no success. Needless to say, Lori is far from happy with me at the moment & wants me to divert some of the Kickstarter funding to putting a meter and panel out in the shop itself. :eek:

Ignoring the sub panel/meter discussion for the moment. (I'm all for it, just not sure if we can swing it before the new year.)

What could I be missing on the breaker front? I've reset the entire panel, but no luck in the utility room. I don't have a meter or tester until I pick one up tomorrow. Any suggestions on what I'm Looking for today? I've unplugged the shop, so there's no load going out there, and the dryer works if I plug it in to another outlet. It has been at least 2 hours since the breaker popped. Suggestions?
 
I'd also suspect a bad breaker. If you have central air and the breaker is equal or less than the breaker for the dryer outlet, you could borrow that one for the short term. If it's of higher value, I wouldn't recommend it since you're already dealing with a potential dead short somewhere. When you bring the line back up, test it with a known good tool before trying the sander again. The wiring in the sander may have an issue.
 
You don't happen to have a GFCI on that circuit do you? Maybe check to see if that is tripped as well?
 
, and the dryer works if I plug it in to another outlet. It has been at least 2 hours since the breaker popped. Suggestions?

Another outlet?? Is this a gas dryer or an electric dryer? I have a hard time picturing a house that has TWO electric dryer outlets.

ie: is this a regular 110 outlet we are talking about? Is this the only outlet on that circuit? If so, it is also possible that the outlet itself is the problem, if you have been consistently drying a high load through it.

As to the meter/panel -- couldn't you just put in a subpanel, no need for a meter!?
 
I finally got a call back from a local electrician. (I called three different guys/companies).
playing voice mail tag with him at the moment.

Darren,
I'm using cords I originally bought to feed my RV... heavy duty... guessing 10 or 12 guage? IIRC.
 
If your electrician suggests a new subpanel, you might want to think about locating it in a non-shop area.

Rational: Some sprayed things are spark sensitive, meaning ka-blewy.
 
If your electrician suggests a new subpanel, you might want to think about locating it in a non-shop area.

Rational: Some sprayed things are spark sensitive, meaning ka-blewy.

Oh a sub-panel is definitely on the to do list... question is when. As for non-shop area, I don't spray a lot of finish, nor do I plan on it. I mostly do wiping varnish and/or mineral oil stuff. Besides, the only 'non shop' area I have is the yard if it isn't in the shop itself; stand alone 12x20' barn.
 
I'm using cords I originally bought to feed my RV... heavy duty... guessing 10 or 12 guage? IIRC.

Ok, what distance? 10 gauge at 120 volts/15 amps has a max of about 100', 12 gauge at 120 volts/15 amps is about 60'. Beyond that you'll have some voltage drop which can shorten the life of induction motors, so getting a sub panel would be a good idea for the life of all the tools in the shop
 
I'm under 100' total . House to shop is about 50 to the plug mold I use in the center of the shop. I have two drops off of that of 25' ... Generally I have one tool, one light & the DC going. The DC is on a separate Outlet... But is only about 50 to 60'.


Ned
 
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