[OP]
Member
In the owners manual it recommends you use a 20 amp breaker when running 115v. It pulls 15 amps when wired with 115v. Are they trying to say it's not going to work if you connect it to a 15 amp wall outlet? I'm going to have this saw setup in a storage unit and it looks like they have 15 amp outlets according to the outlet when I remove the cover plate. I run an air compressor that's 15 amps and it works just fine. I thought that was the whole point of the capacitors?
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Not all Jet saws will have the same electrical requirements. Which one do you have?
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Most woodworking machinery is happiest with a 20 amp circuit. They may not trip a 15 amp breaker, but they could be close to it.
I wired my garage/shop with 20 amp circuits. Kitchens are also happy with 20 amp circuits.
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If your saw doesn't trip the breaker, then you are fine. If you look at the trip curve of an average 15A breaker, you will see that it will sustain 30A current for close to a minute before opening. That is unlikely to happen with a saw rated at 15A. That is an indication of the safety margin built in to NEC compliant wiring. If you start getting breaker trips, then the breaker is probably weak. Tool companies over-specify the current rating a little to try to avoid that nuisance.
Last edited by Art Mann; 03-08-2014 at 11:29 AM.
Member
You could always wire it 220, then you would lower your current draw. But seriously, if something draws 15 amps, you should not put it on a 15 amp circuit. Go to Lowes, buy a 20 and swap it out.
Member
You can't just swap out a breaker like that. It is there for a reason, to protect the wire. Likely 14ga. If you can determine that it is 12ga wire then you could swap out the breaker.
If the saw doesn't trip the breaker you are fine. They recommend you use a 20 amp circuit. You shouldn't have any issues with a 20 amp circuit and you may on a 15 amp. The worse that will happen is the breaker will trip.
The 80% rule is always good to follow. a continuous draw of 12 amps on a 15 amp line is the max you should do. But that is usually for heaters and lighting. Continuous draw has specific meanings in the NEC. A tablesaw is usually not a continuous draw item as it is frequently turned on and off.
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Electrical codes generally require that the circuit component be of higher rated capacity than the draw of the motor. For a 15 amp motor, the wiring and the breaker would need to be rated at 20 amps.
Howie.........
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If you actually download and read the NEC, you will find out that the issue is more complex than your generalization implies. I would not say your statement is correct in this particular case.
Member
Motor circuits can be wired up with crazy breaker sizes if they have their own protection. I've seen them with 70 amp breakers on a 14ga wire. Usually in industrial settings though. With a residential garage setup I'd keep it at the wire rating. Actually surprised it isn't 20amp. All garage and outdoor circuits around here need to be 20 amp.
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It should be said again. Changing out the breaker alone could prove to be dangerous.
Al
Member
I have 2 dedicated 240v 30amp breakers for my planer, table saw, and cyclone, 10 gauge wire and cords with twist lock plugs. I have 1 dedicated 240v 20amp breaker for my jointer, band saw, metal lathe, RAS, and mortiser (I only ever run one of them at a time), 12 gauge wire and cords. I also installed 2 120v 20amp circuits, one dedicated to a single outlet the other for shop lights and a second outlet.
The gomer pile electricians wired my 1 year old new garage with a single 120v 15 amp circuit, 5 of the cheapest junk Home Depot outlets they could find and the garage door openers and 6 garage lights (3 inside 3 outside) all on the same circuit. That breaker has tripped like 4 times already, mine never have.
Last edited by Charles Coolidge; 03-08-2014 at 3:34 PM.
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Yeah don't give the insurance companies an out if you burn your house down.Originally Posted by Don Huffer
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Where can I download a copy of the NEC -- for a reasonable cost? The last time I looked, publishers only wanted to sell printed versions, and for a lot higher price than I could justify for non-professional use.
Member
You can download a free one that is a little out of date here.
https://archive.org/details/gov.law.nfpa.nec.2011
Very few things have changed in the last few years. You have to buy the latest edition. You may be able to find it from the same web page.
[OP]
Member
One of the other tenants I was talking to who does work out of his storage unit said the outlets are 20 amp outlets, but instead of taking his word for it I decided to check for myself and it had 15 amp 125v stamped on the outlet. Is the storage facility running 20 amps through wall outlets that say 15? Can you do that? Or if it says 15 amps on the outlet then that is what it is?
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