Troubleshooting a Grizzly 1033X

[liam c murphy]

I’ve had my 1033X for about 6 weeks. After about 5 weeks of use, it began tripping the subpanel circuit breaker. Initially, I could get get it to start after a few tries. After a while, it stopped starting. Pressing the start button would immediately cause the breaker to trip.I run other tools on the same outlet/circuit without any issues. So, the problem would seem to be with the planer, and not the circuit itself.


Ive replaced the start capacitor and the run capacitor. I’ve also checked the centrifugal switch. I plan on replacing the centrifugal switch just to make sure its not causing problems. I’m waiting for the new switch to arrive. Everything I’ve checked with a multimeter seems ok. I’ve also checked for obvious loose wires etc.


After replacing the caps, I was able to get it running a few times. However it is inconsistent. At the moment, it starts, runs for a few seconds and then it trips the breaker.


I’ve been working with Grizzly Tech support, and they are very helpful. I have no complaints about the service I’ve received. However, I figured I’d see what insights y’all might have. At the moment I suspect the behavior might still be linked to the run capacitor, or the centrifugal switch. What do you guys think?

[liam c murphy]

Here is a video of the symptoms.
https://youtu.be/LBtjI2KXIBQ

[Bill Space]

I would replace the circuit breaker feeding the planer. Breakers are cheap. Could be old and/or defective.

Your other tools on the circuit may not pull as much current, especially on start, so using them does not guarantee the panel circuit breaker is not weak.

Edit: I assume the breaker/wiring feeding the circuit the planer is hooked to is the correct size for the planer...

Bill

[liam c murphy]

I would replace the circuit breaker feeding the planer.

Edit: I assume the breaker/wiring feeding the circuit the planer is hooked to is the correct size for the planer...

Bill

Thanks for the insight.I’ll definitely try swapping the breaker. The circuit is the minimum recommend Size- 30A. I think it might be undersized for the planer. At some point in its life, the full load current rating for this model went from 25A to 28A.Yet, the recommended circuit size didn’t increase. The other tools that I run on this outlet have a full load current rating of around 25A. I’ve noticed that some 28A planers run on 40A circuits. I figured I’d try some other options before installing a new 40A circuit.

[Ronald Blue]

There are far more qualified people here than I. The specification list says 30 amp although the manual says 28 amps. Either way that sounds to close to the breaker rating to me. Dead armature start is almost certainly going to spike well over that and while the breaker is designed to handle a short duration spike you are so close to an overload that may be part of it. Like others have said at least try swapping breakers. But as you mentioned a 40 amp circuit may be in order. Keep us posted.

[Bruce Wrenn]

As for breakers, get a HVAC rated breaker. You won't find them at the borgs, but at an electrical supply house. They take longer to trip to allow for the starting load of the compressor in a condensing unit.. I had a heat pump that required a 20 amp branch circuit, but it would kick out the 20 amp breaker, even though it didn't blow the fuses (20 amp) at the disconnect. 20 amp HVAC rated breaker solved he problem.

[Mikail Khan]

A low cost clip on ammeter is a good investment. Available for $30 from amazon

Can also be used to monitor voltage drop during startup.

MK

[Mikail Khan]

The fact that it ran well for a few weeks suggests that the supply may be ok.

I have had that model planer for about 10 years. It is a nice machine.

MK

[liam c murphy]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Grizzly CS helped get the parts delivered quickly. I’m happy to report that the planer is up and running after installing a new centrifugal switch. If anyone else encounters similar problems with their planer, I’d recommend installing a new centrifugal switch in the beginning. In other words, if you’re replacing the capacitors you may also want to replace the centrifugal switch.

[liam c murphy]

Unfortunately, the motor problems have returned. The motor ran fine for a few days.Now, it trips the breaker immediately after pressing start. The centrifugal switch appears to be fine. The run capacitor is showing a correct reading on the multimeter. The start capacitor appears to be toast. I’m going to switch out the breaker in the sub panel. I’ll also plan on calling Grizzly after the holiday.


Could a bad motor be the cause of the dead start caps?

[Jim Andrew]

Did you check to see the amount of amps your machine is using on startup? Weak supply causes problems for electric motors.

[liam c murphy]

The clip on ammeter shows that it runs 25-28A. Usually closer to 28A. My ammeter isn’t that responsive. I’m unsure what it uses at start up. I switched out the breaker last night and got it running.

Powetmatic makes a similar planer, and they recommend a 40A circuit. Many other 28A planers have 40A recommended circuit sizes.

[Bernhard Lampert]

Had a similar problem with a G9961 planer. A planer is a 'hard start' and the electric motor on the machine is not the most efficient one. Turns out there is a huge in-rush current on start up. The planer would not start reliably. The solution was to up the supply amps. The G9961 is nominally 10 hp, so after increasinging the phase converterfrom 10 to 20 hp, it has been working fine ever since. I realize that your machine is a single phase, but the issue looks to be the same. Not knowing your wiring gauge, you could do a simple SHORT TERM test: install the next larger breaker size and see if the planer starts reliably. If it does, you would of course need to check to make sure that your wiring size is sufficient for the load.

Good luck!

Bernhard

[liam c murphy]

I’ve been running the planer on a 40A circuit for about 2 weeks. I haven’t had any issues. It works and starts reliabley.

[glenn bradley]

I notice there is a manual update for machines manufactured 3/2018 and after. Did you manual contain the update. The online manual has it and the update for 6/2016 through 3/2018 as well. The manual and a phone call to tech support would my recommendation before taking our guesses (although there is a clever bunch here).

[liam c murphy]

Glenn, thanks for pointing that out. Yes, my manual did include that update. In fact, that section of the manual contained the updated information about the full load current rating increase from 25A to 28A, and corresponding parts changes. In addition, the increase from 25A to 28A is what led me to believe the machine might run better on a 40A circuit.