You might look into 50A RV surge suppressors. Plugs would probably need to be adapted but there are several brands: Progressive, WatchDog, Southwire, etc
which is what I do when it isn't in use, but turning while you have stormy weather outside is the risk then, so I'd still say you want surge suppression and if going for that why not protect the rest of the electronics in the house (lot of modern new appliances also seem to have sensitive electronics as well)
Doesn't help much if I'm actually turning when we have a power surge.
Thanks, Ron, rewiring the plug would be worth it for sure. I'll take a look.
I’m a believer in these and have installed them on our last two homes, very easy. But if you get a direct hit all bets are off, lighting is powerful stuff!I should look into one of those. We had a direct hit a few years ago. My shop is around the corner from our house, so my lathe was fine, but it zapped our well pump, a TV, home theater reciever, cable modem, 2 routers, electronic thermostat, 2 of 3 garage openers, and our gate opener. About $6k damage with a $6k deductible.
Thanks to those who suggested "whole house" but hoping to avoid. I will, however, look into the expense. It might be worth it so as to not be as concerned about computers, well pump, etc.
Well it will help for the majority of hours, Unless you turn more than 12 hours a day, every day, 7 days a week.Doesn't help much if I'm actually turning when we have a power surge.
Weather forecasting has gotten so good that those of us at risk from lightening, tornados, and hurricanes can get a warning not to be out in the shop. That might not hold for you, with non-weather related power surges, but unplugging works for most of us.Doesn't help much if I'm actually turning when we have a power surge.
Absolutely crazy "bomb cyclone" weather on the island yesterday, but our neighborhood did not have a power outage. Lightning was not forecast at all, just rain a serious wind. I could have turned for another two hours if there was surge protection, and with a sale coming up in two days, it would have been nice to have the time. The improvement in forecasting is impressive -- I've been a weather nut for years, going back to horse-training days when there were certain horses better left in their stalls on a stormy, windy day.
Jamie, My new T60 arrived this week, so I am hoping you get a good answer!
Ooooo, thanks for that info. Might lean to whole-house protection. The whole VSC can create interesting issues. One of our members developed automatic dust control gates for 10 various machines plus the 6 lathes, but we had to take them off the lathes because, since they're not unplugged at night, somehow the VSC was tricking the DC gates into opening and closing in the middle of the night.
I have a 240v PM3520B and have operated it in my house with a whole-house protector (wired at the panel) for the last 8yrs, and in a prior house with a similar whole-house protector for about 10yrs before that.
Actually, they specifically say to not run on a GFCI circuit, which is a whole different thing from a surge suppressor.
I think I have the Intermatic one installed on my breaker box. I guess it is working, since having no problems for at least 10 yrs if not longer. A electrician friend suggest I install one as a safety.
www.bobvila.com
Brian,
Let me just put it this way: After getting some *AMAZINGLY STUPID* answers from corporate product support flunkies over the years (Including supposed technical support for professional repair folks like I was) I take anything that a product support person over the phone tells me with not one, but *several*, grains of salt.
You’ve confused (or used interchangeably) surge protection and GFCI in your last response. There are three main electronic protection devices many use: Surge suppressors (to limit voltage surges on the line); GFCI (to protect user from being electrocuted); and Arc Fault breakers (to protect from fires due to loose wiring etc). All of these have their place, and it may well be that VFD’s can’t deal with any of these located too close (electrically), I don’t know. I do know that my PM3520 has tolerated a whole house surge protector wired into the panel of two different homes for over 20yrs.
That's the easiest and least expensive.
My son in law got me this for Christmas. I tried it out today and it worked fine, no troubles with the vfd. It plugs into your wall receptacle and you plug your lathe into the device. I made a small bowl and a lid for it. It kicks the power off if it goes too high or low on voltage and says it cuts power for a lightning strike. I always unplug the lathe when I'm not using it and I have a whole house surge protection. He thought I should have this in case I'm turning when a storm comes up. It says it's good for anything with a motor up to 20 amps or 4400 watts.
I just had a 220 outlet installed and broached this subject to the electrician. He noted multiple surge protector options that would cover just the lathe ranging in price from $49-$80. He suggested avoiding the super cheap options. As an alternative he recommended a whole house surge protector that is installed in the panel. That is $150. I’m going with that option.
