Ignoramus27279 wrote:

...what is the best way to wire my shop...

First time, I went and scrounged up a bunch of receptacles and wired them all
into my RPC box, planning to run cords with plugs. This works fine, but all
those plugs and receptacles cost huge dough, and I found that most 3-phase
machines don't move very often anyway, since many of mine weigh half a ton or
more. So I just ran conduit around my shop, and ran a 3-phase bus (including
neutral) around everywhere, and terminated in 6 locations in a 30A 3-phase
disconnect box mounted on the wall. Now I just wire machines to the nearest
disconnect box, using flex conduit, and size the breakers in each disconnect
appropriately as best I can. I've wired two machines in at once which is easy to
do although probably not up to code. My shop is strictly a one-machine-at-a-time
shop so I don't worry about overloading the whole thing although there are about
a zillion breakers in line.

GWE

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 20:38:40 -0700, Grant Erwin
wrote:

Ignoramus27279 wrote:

...what is the best way to wire my shop...

First time, I went and scrounged up a bunch of receptacles and wired them all
into my RPC box, planning to run cords with plugs. This works fine, but all
those plugs and receptacles cost huge dough, and I found that most 3-phase
machines don't move very often anyway, since many of mine weigh half a ton or
more. So I just ran conduit around my shop, and ran a 3-phase bus (including
neutral) around everywhere, and terminated in 6 locations in a 30A 3-phase
disconnect box mounted on the wall. Now I just wire machines to the nearest
disconnect box, using flex conduit, and size the breakers in each disconnect
appropriately as best I can. I've wired two machines in at once which is easy to
do although probably not up to code. My shop is strictly a one-machine-at-a-time
shop so I don't worry about overloading the whole thing although there are about
a zillion breakers in line.

GWE

Thats roughly what I did as well, though I managed to scrounge up
about 20 pairs of Hubble 30 amp 3ph male/female connectors from a
buddy who runs a surplus electronic house, and the females hang from
strain reliefs from the bottoms of sub panels scattered around the
shop walls, each numbered to match the breaker in the sub. Each
machine is plugged in and has about 20 feet of SOW cord tie wrapped
behind each machine. I Do move mine occasionally, so this works
pretty well for me. The very noisy commercial RPC is located 50 feet
away under a shelter at the rear of the house, outside, and is turned
off and on by one of four switches that control contactors housed in
an old Hardinge lathe control panel, also located some distance away.
I can turn on main power, RPC, air compressor (located outside also),
master VFD and shop lighting from one central location.

When the RPC and compressor were inside, I would be half mad and deaf
from the noise after a few hours and they took up badly needed space.

Gunner

Liberals - Cosmopolitan critics, men who are the friends
of every country save their own. Benjamin Disraeli

"Ignoramus27279" wrote:

I will visit the junkyard again on Monday morning to get some fuses
and more disconnects and relays etc, for the future.

Hey Iggy, if you are going to the Pioneer Industrial Services place, see if
you can find an e-mail address for them other than the disfunctional one at
northstarnet; I want to get a couple of contactors from them.

If you remember, anyway.

Thanks,

Jon

Ignoramus27279 wrote:
On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 06:32:28 GMT, Gunner wrote:

pretty well for me. The very noisy commercial RPC is located 50 feet
away under a shelter at the rear of the house, outside, and is turned
off and on by one of four switches that control contactors housed in
an old Hardinge lathe control panel, also located some distance away.
I can turn on main power, RPC, air compressor (located outside also),
master VFD and shop lighting from one central location.


That's a nice idea. Unfortunately, we have much worse weather here, so
keeping it outside won't work as well.

i


My compressor sits outside here in Michigan, it doesn't seem to bother
it any. I should move the phase convertor out there too but at least
it's out of the way. It's a little extra noise in the shop, sometimes
it's annoying but I guess it's not too annoying 'cause it's still inside.

John

Ignoramus27279 wrote:
On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 07:58:40 -0400, JohnM wrote:

That's a nice idea. Unfortunately, we have much worse weather here, so
keeping it outside won't work as well.

My compressor sits outside here in Michigan, it doesn't seem to bother
it any. I should move the phase convertor out there too but at least
it's out of the way. It's a little extra noise in the shop, sometimes
it's annoying but I guess it's not too annoying 'cause it's still inside.



Hm, that's interesting. What about cold winters and water condensate?
Does it freeze in your compressor?


I'm sure it freezes in the tank, I figure that's a bonus 'cause I'm
getting very dry air. Blow it out in the spring, no big deal. Change
the oil about once a year, comes out a little milky but again, no big deal.

John

On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 11:20:56 GMT, Ignoramus27279
wrote:

On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 06:32:28 GMT, Gunner wrote:
pretty well for me. The very noisy commercial RPC is located 50 feet
away under a shelter at the rear of the house, outside, and is turned
off and on by one of four switches that control contactors housed in
an old Hardinge lathe control panel, also located some distance away.
I can turn on main power, RPC, air compressor (located outside also),
master VFD and shop lighting from one central location.

That's a nice idea. Unfortunately, we have much worse weather here, so
keeping it outside won't work as well.

i

Notice the operative word...."shelter"?

Gunner

"Considering the events of recent years,
the world has a long way to go to regain
its credibility and reputation with the US."
unknown