Electrical Connections for Dust Collector Motor Control Box through Wall or Floor.

[Thomas Wilson]

I am in process of getting a new Oneida dust collector and placing it in the basement below the main shop floor. I have tested the remote from my current duct collector from the basement to the main floor to start and stop the (opposite direction but same signal path. It does not always work. The old and new dust collectors are Oneida and the remotes look similar in pictures. The new Oneida is not yet ordered.) I am thinking of locating the motor control box fwhich contains the receiver for the remote in the shop. It would also mean the start stop buttons would be in the shop which would be convenient if the remote gets misplaced. The shop location for the box means the power and load wires would pass through the floor. The wire would have to a bit longer, maybe 10 feet versus 6 feet that is supplied.. Would I need to use Romex cable of appropriate gauge or flexible appliance type cord? The cables can be replaced inside the motor control box. No splices are needed. There does not seem to be any need for flexibility in the cable since the dust collector is permanently installed. I know from previous discussion on SMC that running an extension cord through a wall or floor is not allowed. This is a bit like that.

This is a code compliance issue. The shop wiring for in-floor boxes for the tools has not been done. This installation would be inspected before sheetrock goes up.

I am going to try to route the llight for the Dust Sentry (bin full sensor) to the shop also. It has a sensor lead and a power lead. Only the sensor lead needs to go to the dust collector in the basement. I can plug the power lead in the shop. I believe this is low voltage cable. It also would need to be extended. In this case the connector boxes do not appear to be something I could open. Could I splice the sensor wire (two splices one in shop one in basement)? I would make the splices in boxes that are accessible using crimp connectors and heat shrink insulation..

I called Oneida. The technical sales person was not very knowledgeable about this question. He said it would be fine to splice both wires but I know that is not true.

The new dust collector will be a 5 hp Smart Dust Gorilla with draw 23 amps and will be on a 30 amp 220 breaker using 10 gauge wire to the receptacle.

Another aside about the remote reliability, the floor is 2 layers of 3/4 plywood and 1 layer of 3/4 oak flooring. I will be adding a layer of 5/8 fire resistant sheetrock on the basement ceiling after the ductwork is installed which will add to the attenuation of the remote's signal. I cannot tell until the unit is in place and sheetrock is on if the new remote would work through the floor. At that point, I would not have access from basement to shop and it would be too late to move the controls and sensor upstairs.

[John K Jordan]

Sorry, I didn't get time to analyze your entire situation (circuit drawing would help) but you can't run flexible cable that carries line level voltage through a wall or floor.

My 5hp cyclone (and air compressor) is hidden in a sound dampening closet. I was concerned about putting the remote receiver in the closet so I put it in a box with all the associated low-voltage power supply for the bin sensor and alarm and 110v lines, then in the closet mounted a box with the contactor. The keyfob remotes trigger the remote receiver in the shop then power the contactor with a 110v line to switch on the 220v power to run the cyclone. This works well.

DC_control_box.jpg DC_electrical_shop_s.jpg

I also mounted a 110v switch inside the closet and another below the box in the shop, wired in series so flipping either one disables the DC control so it can't accidentally be activated when I'm working in the closet. Not that I would expect this to ever happen with a one-person shop, but hey. The switches have pilot lights so I can tell at a glance if the system is armed or disabled. I used 14g romex cable everywhere except for the low voltage wires from the bin sensor to the bin sensor electronics and alarm.

JKJ

[Paul F Franklin]

I think you are right to be concerned about range of the remote. I have a V3000. The motor control box with remote receiver is inside a closet with sheetrock walls and particle board doors; all insulated. The remote works fine in most areas of the shop, but when I am at the far side of the shop, which is about 60 feet away line of sight, but around a corner so there is another framed wall in the direct path, the remote is iffy, especially if my body is also in the way. So your plan of moving the control box, or at least the receiver, into the main area is probably a good idea.

And you are correct that you should not run portable cordage through a wall or ceiling or as part of a permanent installation. You can run romex in the wall/ceiling, or conduit with individual conductors; either way you'll need a box at each end.

Splicing the low voltage wire to extend it is fine.

[Thomas Wilson]

Thanks John and Paul. I was pretty sure John would be ahead of me on this idea. Paul, I realized that since I am not planning to put sheetrock on the inside of the DC closet, the wires will have to be in conduit not bare Romex.

I put a new battery in my remote. It did not improve signal strength that I could tell. I am going to work on the idea some more. I want to keep the remote receiver and motor controls in the existing box and move it to the shop level.

[Bill Dufour]

can you add a antenna wire to the receiver. That can be any kind of wire inside the wall as long as it is separated from power cables. Why do you think you need conduit? Romex is fine inside wall but any junctions must be inside a box and that box must be showing so you can open it up without tearing off a wall. You can not bury a junction box inside a wall where it can not be seen.
Bill D

[Jim Becker]

Thanks John and Paul. I was pretty sure John would be ahead of me on this idea. Paul, I realized that since I am not planning to put sheetrock on the inside of the DC closet, the wires will have to be in conduit not bare Romex.

I put a new battery in my remote. It did not improve signal strength that I could tell. I am going to work on the idea some more. I want to keep the remote receiver and motor controls in the existing box and move it to the shop level.

You can also use MC (armored) in lieu of conduit, if I'm not mistaken, but working with PVC conduit is really easy for small jobs like this.

[John K Jordan]

I forgot to mention the box holding my receiver and other electronics is a plastic box.

Also, if your receiver isn't sensitive enough, you might try another one. I found the same one on Amazon that ClearVue was supplying to switch the contactor for the 5hp cyclone. (These switch 110v) They were cheap enough I bought a few extra to have spares in case of a failure and to give me extra remotes. One receiver/remote cost less than ClearVue wanted for a spare remote.

JKJ

[Thomas Wilson]

Thank you all. I have learned most of what I know about wiring second hand. I do not have access to the NEC code book. I appreciate you guys taking the time to keep me on the right track for this out of the ordinary for me wiring situation.

[Thomas Wilson]

Bill, the Romex would be exposed inside the closet since I will only have sheetrock on the outside. The exposed studs will give some breathing space to the DC filter. Otherwise the filter would be 1 1/2” from the wall.