David G. Nagel wrote:
dpb wrote:
jtpryan wrote:
...
and point out the folly of my logic. Say I put a 30 amp breaker in
there to handle the initial spike. ...
... Is there something I'm missing?

Yes. 12ga wire isn't rated (by Code) for 30A.

It is a _VERY_ bad idea, akin to albeit not as bad as the penny in the
bottom of the fuse socket but the overcurrent condition required to
trip a 30A breaker on 20A-rated circuit is dangerous and should not be
considered.

Either find a sequential switch or use something like the remote
switch I posted a link to, rearrange to use two circuits and a control
suitable for that arrangement, pull 10 ga and upgrade to a 30A circuit
or revert to manually starting one and then the other from their
respective manual switches.

--
The problem is not the current needed to trip the 30 amp breaker. If the
current is there it will trip the breaker.

The problem is the 29 amps that don't trip the 30 amp breaker. That is
where the excess heat comes from to start the fire.

I agree.

dpb actually suggested a 30A breaker with appropriate #10 wire, but a
30A circuit is also a bad idea. Other than that I agree with dpb's
solutions.

A good solution is 2 circuits using a relay/contactor as suggested by
Bob Haller and dpb. The contactor coil connects to the Woodcraft
control. The contactor contacts are in the second circuit that powers
the DC. You could connect a time delay relay between the Woodcraft
control and the contactor so the DC would start a little later. A time
delay relay and contactor could also be connected to start the DC on the
same circuit after a short delay. It may be possible to add a time delay
relay to the Woodcraft control.

All circuit breakers that are used in a house have a time delay trip on
overload.

If motors are hardwired, a breaker may be larger than the wire size, but
it has to be designed properly.

--
bud--