New Jet TS wiring (gloat and gripe)

[Jay Yoder]

I am still in the process of setting up my New Jet exacto deluxe 5 hp 1ph and was totally thrilled with it until i ran into a slight glitch. Tonight i was prepping to run the wiring and discovered that the connection box actually was not big enough. In communications with Jet, I was advised that i needed a 40amp brkr and 8ga wire. That was all fine and dandy, but the box is so small i had to actually grind out the wiring entrance hole, just to allow the 3/4" conduit end to fit. I am also struggling to figure out how i am going to get the 8ga wire bent and installed on the terminal. Where might i find 8ga crimp ends? The wiring from the junction block to the actual motor appears to be maximum 10ga...why would they spec a 40 amp circuit but the internal wiring is less...any help and advice and any form of support would be much appreciated. Thanks everyone!

[Steve Clardy]

I question the 8 gauge :eek::confused:

[Rick Christopherson]

Well Grizzly strikes again! :mad: A 5 hp motor does not need a 40 amp circuit by anyone's calculations. You would have been just fine with a 30 amp circuit and #10 wire.

Oops, I get so accustomed to Grizzly making this mistake that I didn't realize it was Jet this time.

[Tom Veatch]

... I was advised that i needed a 40amp brkr and 8ga wire. ...

5HP translates to an amperage in the neighborhood of 20 - 25 amps @ 220v for a reasonably efficient electric motor. Whoever told you that you need a 40 amp circuit is feeding you bad advice.

The Jet website specs for an Xacta 5HP shows 18 amps @ 230v. That seems a little low and implies an overall efficiency of 90%. Maybe, but I'd come closer to believing 21-23 amps. Look at the dataplate on your motor. I'll wager the Full Load Amperage (FLA) doesn't exceed 25 amps. The saw will be quite happy on a 30 amp circuit with 10ga wire.

[Tom Henderson2]

5HP translates to an amperage in the neighborhood of 20 - 25 amps @ 220v for a reasonably efficient electric motor. Whoever told you that you need a 40 amp circuit is feeding you bad advice.

The Jet website specs for an Xacta 5HP shows 18 amps @ 230v. That seems a little low and implies an overall efficiency of 90%. Maybe, but I'd come closer to believing 21-23 amps. Look at the dataplate on your motor. I'll wager the Full Load Amperage (FLA) doesn't exceed 25 amps. The saw will be quite happy on a 30 amp circuit with 10ga wire.

What about start-up current? Isn't that quite a bit higher than steady-state running current?

A year or so ago, I had a line on a 5HP Unisaw and looked into the power requirements a bit. Delta was advocating something larger than the 30amp service that I had available. I gave up on that saw for other reasons and didn't pursue it further, but I thought that the rationale was that the breaker needed to be sized well above the rated current due to start-up requirements.

Maybe that is hogwash; I'm only pointing it out as a "does this make sense" discussion.

-Tom H.

[Tom Veatch]

What about start-up current? Isn't that quite a bit higher than steady-state running current?
...

Yes, it is, and no, it's not a problem. There have been several threads recently which touch on the misconception that you need a much larger breaker to accommodate start up surges.

For example, see these posts
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=843012&postcount=17
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=843193&postcount=20


And this contains my latest dissertation on the subject:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=823277&postcount=7

[Steven Hardy]

From a safety perspective, a 30 amp circuit is fine. From a performance and reliability perspective, there is not enough data.
40 amp service is typical for a commercial shop requiring frequent startups.(extended ,drawn out spinups will kill an induction motor fast due to extreme armature current)

[Roger Warford]

I have a Jet Xacta 5hp on a 30 amp GFCI. It's only been up and running for a short time, but so far so good. No problem, nor do I really expect any. I also called Jet before wiring and they recommended 30amps. I think whoever you spoke to must have gotten confused. The wiring box is a bit crowded, though, even with 10g wire. Local BORG had the necessary crimp connectors.

[David DeCristoforo]

Even if you did actually need a 40 amp circuit and 8G wire (which I doubt), what's wrong with running the 8G into a 40 amp recep mounted close to the saw and running 10G from the saw to the recep? I can't imagine that you would have any problems with that.....

[Jay Yoder]

It was actually 2 different reps from Jet themselves. I already have the wiring (which i cant return to lowes b/c it was bulk wire) and may try to proceed. Better safe than sorry eh?