Because Im off grid and have a solar electric house I run some of my big shop tools off a generator. Ive run my Grizzley 15″ planer with a 2hp motor almost 15 years this way. I recently have put a new 8000w genny in service but it has a hard time starting the planer while the older 7000w never had a problem. Ten years ago the magnetic sw. went out in middle of job and i replaced with just a simple switch.
Iver been able to start it with the new genny but only after kicking the breaker on the gen. several times. Once running it runs fine even when adding my 1-1/2hp dust collector.
Is there anyway to help starting easier? Does a mag. switch have any advantages in starting a motor? Yeah i know i can put a crank on the pulley like an old car or plane but man its hard to get that crank off there fast enuf when i hit the switch!!! (;-}.
Replies
A mag switch doesn't have any advantage in starting a motor. You really need to talk to an electrician who specializes in this area or a motor specialist. Call your generator source tech and or your local electric motor repair shop. A wood forum wouldn't be my source. I trouble shoot and problem solve for a living. If you dropped a table saw on your foot you wouldn't consider it a woodworking issue and contact a woodworking forum! Clearly your issue is an electric problem and not a wood problem.
Sorry if you think my asking this question here was something I needed lecturing about.
You miss the whole point of "community" and "forum". Of course its a electrical problem.Sure I'll talk to a tech at some point. But throwing this question out to this particuliar forum was an opportunity ask to the wide open and diverse group of people here who have great skills in other areas than wood. Mix that in with they might own a planer/run a generator/ work in a electric shop ..Its a creative way to search for solutions. Thats why I come here...first .. sometimes.
Treetalk,
I'd be very careful taking electrical advice from this forum. A lot of what gets posted here is incorrect from a technical and National Electric Code standpoint. I think that's the point Rick is trying to make.
You are going to damage your tool and your generator by repeatedly tripping the breaker in order to start the tool.
Do yourself a favor. Get a qualified electricain involved right now. That's better for your tools, generator and your safety.
Is the planer the largest power tool you use on the generator? Does the generator bog down when you start the planer?
Starting anything moving is always the toughest thing. Does the planer have brushes, does it turn easy by hand, does it have a starter circuit?
Yeah its biggest thing.Talked to motor guy who said I can put a "soft start" relay on it. Hes getting the info for me. Started rite up today on second try.. but Im still leery of this Chinese Gen I got from Amazon even tho it had great reviews. Hums rite along with big load but I think their rating system is like the old stereo power ratings here.
The windings in your generator are probably of a slightly too small gauge copper (or worse, aluminum), causing a voltage drop under the heavy starting current, keeping the motor from getting up to speed and kicking out the start winding via the centrifugal switch. Once up to speed, the current drops, the voltage comes up, everything runs fine.
"... kicking out the start winding via the centrifugal switch."
Keep in mind what I told you.
If your town has an electrical parts distributor who does much industrial work and has some engineers on staff, you might get the right advice and the right parts in one stop. Any Rockwell Automation distributor, and the Siemens and C-H industrial guys should be set up that way. I used to run a big Rockwell shop, so I really do know how they work. If you can get to an automation tech, they are usually friendly, and they are quite well trained.
Joe
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