rewiring vacuum Pump to 110

[Mike Vickery]

I am seriously considering moving to a vacuum chuck system.

http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2007081016273339&item=4-1540&catname=misc
Based on my reading this pump seems like it would be a good choice. My only issue is it is 220 and I would rather have it on 110. Does anyone know if it could be rewired to work on 110?

If anyone knows of a better opion I would love to hear it.

[Mike Cutler]

An internet search shows that pump for sale on eBay. The write up specifically states no 120vac.

Put the part # into a google search and it's the 4th hit on the list.

[Mike Vickery]

Thanks,
Are most of you using 110 or 220 for your pumps.
I dont want to wire it into the same line as my lather and dont really want to take the last spot in my subpanel for another 220.

[Paul Andrews]

I have two vacuum pumps and both run on 220. One is from the surplus center and can not be converted to 110. When I was shopping for pumps, any that ran on 110 seemed to sell for more than their 220 counterparts.

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Hi Mike,
you wont hurt anything running the pump on the same circuit as the lathe. Specs say the pump only draws 1 to 2 amps. Plenty of safety. I plan to install a plug box with 2 outlets for the pump and lathe. Max

[Terry Quiram]

I am using the surplus center 220 pump and I have it wired into the same circuit as my lathe. I have never had any problems.

Terry

[Travis Stinson]

Same here.

[Brian Myers]

How much vacuum does a pump have to draw in order to be able to be used for turning?

[Martin Braun]

Mike,

I picked one up off the ebay for ~$150 IIRC. It's 110 V. The only reason I didn't go with a 220 V from surplus is I had extra 110V outlets, but had only put 1 220 V in. If I was smarter when I did my wiring, I would have had two 220 V outlets by the lathe.

Good luck with it!

If you ever want to check out the "Lowe's" Vacuum chuck, you can stop by and see what I did. It's cheap, but given the volume of bowls you turn, you may want to go with something of higher durability.

[Gordon Seto]

How about a step up transformer? The 220 V pump is going to be ¼ HP 1.5 Amps, anybody knows how big (what VA) a transformer do we need?

Gordon

[Mike A. Smith]

VA = Volts x Amps = 220 x 1.5 = 330 VA

But always add a bit extra!

[Bill Boehme]

How about a step up transformer? The 220 V pump is going to be ¼ HP 1.5 Amps, anybody knows how big (what VA) a transformer do we need?

Gordon

Don't do it! Typical (meaning almost all) transformers are specifically designed for non-reactive loads. Since a motor load is a highly inductive reactance load, it is not satisfactory for that type of service. Operating the motor using such a configuration may cause the transformer to fail due to internal arcing and overheating and it will certainly lower the efficiency of the motor significantly resulting in the motor running much hotter than it would normally. Since these motor run fairly hot anyway, there would probably be enough additional heating to cause the thermal overload breaker to trip.

I sent an email to surplus center concerning this and I believe that they quit selling the tiny transformers that they formerly advertised as a means of converting them.

Bill

[Brett Baldwin]

The pump draws 2 amps max (according to Harvey) and your lathe draws how many on a 220V circuit, about 15 max? then a 20 amp circuit is OK. If its 15 amp then there's a problem. Does your lathe's motor give the amp rating for 220V?