Hello and happy holidays!
My new (to me) Woodtek 3 hp dust collector comes with 14 awg pre-wired to the switch box, but without a plug installed. The previous owner had installed a 6-20 plug, which is same as I have had on my past two 3 hp table saws.
As a somewhat electrical-confused guy, I'm wondering....
My table saw (and now this dust collector) both have the same 6-20 plug, on the same size wire from switch box on the tool. Both plug into a 20 amp receptacle. Both receptacles use 10 gauge wire running back to the panel (about 25 feet away). Both have their own dedicated 2-pole 30 amp breakers. The run for the dust collector was done last week by our licensed electrician who reviewed the entire thing and recommended repeating the same approach as seen on the table saw. Both tools fire up every time without ever tripping the breaker, and the plugs are cool to touch even after hours of use (yes, I know this ain't very scientific).
My question is... I'm having trouble understanding 30 amp breaker vs. 20 amp receptacle and plug. Seems like everything would be 30 amp across the board... remote switches recommended for this unit accept the same 20 amp plug that I have. The manual and calls to manufacture provide vague answers at best. Forum discussions of this quickly evolve to a level that's above my head.
The reasons I care are... I want a remote switch for the DC, and the ones that fit the plug I have state "up to 2.5 HP"... so my plug will fit the remote receptacle, but my motor is over the stated HP rating. Huh? Also, I always worry about unsafe conditions.
Can someone help me understand the dynamics here in terms that my 12 year old daughter could understand? Seriously, keep it really basic please, I'm still recovering from too much egg nog
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