Does a Harvey G700 need a neutral 220V connection?

[Frank Pratt]

Thanks for the comfort Jim. I'm sure it'll be fine, but since there's a subpanel literally in the same room as the circuits he ran the cost difference would've been minimal and would have given me some flexibility down the line. I totally understand the intermittent need for neutral, having worked on machines that have both, and I'd have preferred it be there just in case. Luckily the Harvey and my CU300 are both 220V only, but I could see adding a CNC or something that needed some 120V control circuitry one day.

What did you ask for when you hired the electrician? Unless you specifically requested a 120/240 receptacle, you would get just a 240V with no neutral. Very few 240V machines need a neutral. The cost difference may be minimal to you, but for a contractor trying to be competitive and still make a buck, it isn't minimal at all.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the comfort Jim. I'm sure it'll be fine, but since there's a subpanel literally in the same room as the circuits he ran the cost difference would've been minimal and would have given me some flexibility down the line. I totally understand the intermittent need for neutral, having worked on machines that have both, and I'd have preferred it be there just in case. Luckily the Harvey and my CU300 are both 220V only, but I could see adding a CNC or something that needed some 120V control circuitry one day.

If you were to add a machine that required dual voltage, such as a CNC as I mentioned, I'd suggest running a new circuit for it since it kinda needs to be dedicated. It might also require more than the typical 20 or 30 amp capacity, too, depending on the specific machine. This kind of need isn't common with most other kinds of woodworking machinery and even many CNC machines. It just so happens that my manufacturer handled the controller and drives (120v) and the spindle (240v VFD powered) via a single connection. No worries, in other words.

[Leigh Betsch]

You could add a 110 transformer into the loop.

[Jim Becker]

You could add a 110 transformer into the loop.

That seems like adding a complication to something that's easily handled just by having the correct circuit configuration for a machine that needs dual 240/120 voltage.

[Frank Pratt]

That seems like adding a complication to something that's easily handled just by having the correct circuit configuration for a machine that needs dual 240/120 voltage.

It does, but that can be a solution of last resort where it's very difficult/expensive to get the right circuit run. Doing so, at least in Canada, technically requires the machine to be recertified by an approved testing agency. We've done just that a few times. The recertification for something simple like that is typically around $200 - $400.

Someone doing that in their own shop may not choose to have that certification done, but in a commercial setting, we like to cross all our T's & dot all our I's.

[Rollie Meyers]

Not all plumbing is conductive. A grounding rod is a known quantity.

Relying on a ground rod is a great way to kill someone, not allowed by code & there is not enough resistance to open a overcurrent device, in the event of a fault. The wire & ground clamp once supplied with washers was a throwback to the days of non grounding receptacles and when metallic water piping was all there was.

BTW, a ground rod is there in the event of lightning, electricity is always trying to return to it's source, which is the transformer,it is not trying to return to ground, it will take all paths available to return to it's source, including the ground,

[Frank Pratt]

Relying on a ground rod is a great way to kill someone, not allowed by code & there is not enough resistance to open a overcurrent device, in the event of a fault. The wire & ground clamp once supplied with washers was a throwback to the days of non grounding receptacles and when metallic water piping was all there was.

BTW, a ground rod is there in the event of lightning, electricity is always trying to return to it's source, which is the transformer,it is not trying to return to ground, it will take all paths available to return to it's source, including the ground,

That's a very important point.

The ground rod is there to put the earth under and around the building at the same potential as the neutral conductor. It is not intended to handle short circuit current. In the event of a short circuit from the line conductor to anything that is as ground potential (like building structure, machinery or appliance metal parts, or, the ground conductor in the building wiring) the resulting short circuit current flows through the grounding conductor to the main service compartment, where it is bonded to the neutral buss. There will be virtually not current flowing through the ground electrode (there are many forms other than ground rods)