Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 26

Thread: Is This Adequate Electrical?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    7

    Is This Adequate Electrical?

    I’m looking to put a hybrid TS in the garage of a condo I’m renting. It’s old construction, there’s no 220v and there’s a fuse panel in the garage which houses a 20a breaker and single 20a fuse, see attached photo. I have verified with the property manager there’s no other panel in the unit. Assuming that fuse is for the entire unit do I have enough juice to run something like a 13a, 110v contractor saw without tripping every time it’s used?

    Last edited by DIXON LAM; 05-27-2020 at 9:23 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Inkerman, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    1,389
    Give it a shot... whats the worst that can happen?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    San Diego, Ca
    Posts
    1,647
    IIRC, there used to be fast blow (FB) and slow blow (SB) fuses. Because of the start-up current surge, pick up a box of SB fuses.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    7
    Since it’s nearly 300lbs and will require help and a truck, I’d rather find out whether it’s feasible before going through the hassle.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    If you really have 20 amps available at that outlet you will be fine with a 13 amp saw. (Yes, it is true that the saw may draw more than 13 amps for a second or two during startup. But breakers and fuses take a little while to blow when they're loaded only a little beyond their nominal limit. The designers know about startup surges.)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    MT
    Posts
    698
    When you say "unit" are you referring to the garage or the entire condo?
    Regards,

    Kris

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Okotoks AB
    Posts
    3,495
    Blog Entries
    1
    Get some time delay, or slow blow fuses to help deal with the starting current of the saw. Given that the whole unit only has 2 circuits, be prepared to change the fused a lot. And turn off everything else in the house off when you want to have some shop time.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    7
    Quote Originally Posted by Kris Cook View Post
    When you say "unit" are you referring to the garage or the entire condo?
    The entire condo.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    10,304
    Quote Originally Posted by DIXON LAM View Post
    The entire condo.
    Ah, so you probably don't have the entire 20 amps available for the saw. That 20 amps may also supply a refrigerator, maybe some lighting, maybe some entertainment electronics, and other stuff. Only you are in a position to know what else might be on that circuit.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    7
    The refrigerator is the only major appliance I can think of that’s always on. Other than that, electronics, lights and anything else plugged in would remain off while I’m working in the garage. I don’t plan on cutting anything beyond 4/4 so the motor should rarely have to work hard. I’ll also look into the slow blow fuses.
    Last edited by DIXON LAM; 05-28-2020 at 5:33 AM.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Tippecanoe County, IN
    Posts
    836
    It's easy enough to test. Unscrew the fuses one at a time and see what doesn't work. Of course you'll want to have a working flashlight with you. You also might have some clocks to reset.

    Tablesaw or not, it's always a good idea to know what's on each branch circuit.
    Beranek's Law:

    It has been remarked that if one selects his own components, builds his own enclosure, and is convinced he has made a wise choice of design, then his own loudspeaker sounds better to him than does anyone else's loudspeaker. In this case, the frequency response of the loudspeaker seems to play only a minor part in forming a person's opinion.
    L.L. Beranek, Acoustics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1954), p.208.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,876
    The fridge should be on it's own fuse with nothing else. maybe a high mount clock outlet in the kitchen shared with it. In fact you probably have one for lights and one for outlets.
    Bil lD

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Okotoks AB
    Posts
    3,495
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    The fridge should be on it's own fuse with nothing else. maybe a high mount clock outlet in the kitchen shared with it. In fact you probably have one for lights and one for outlets.
    Bil lD
    There are many things that should be on their own circuit, but it's pretty obvious that this is, electrically speaking, an ancient house that has not had the wiring upgraded.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    MT
    Posts
    698
    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Pratt View Post
    There are many things that should be on their own circuit, but it's pretty obvious that this is, electrically speaking, an ancient house that has not had the wiring upgraded.
    Yeah - Wow - I was hoping I misunderstood the original "unit" reference. Your property owner didn't exactly get carried away when divvying up the juice. You could probably run the saw but not much else. Maybe time for some wind or solar power...

    Actually, if you are serious, this might be the place for one of the high output battery powered tablesaws like the Dewalt. I don't know that much about them but do know the battery technology is here. Charge the batteries elsewhere and maybe get some work done. Otherwise, its hard to imagine getting much done when your whole electrical existence is relying on a 20 amp circuit - slow blow or not.
    Regards,

    Kris

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    7
    I have a track saw for long panels. Guess I'll look into hand tools for everything else.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •