bought a new drill press for the shop and it can be wired 110 or 220, which do I want?? I can do either (will have to have an electrician in to do it, what I mean is I have either available) I would guess the 220 would be the best route?? thanks-
What's the horsepower rating of the motor? If it's 1/2 hp or less you may as well stick with 120vac, and then you can plug it in anywhere. If it's much bigger than that you may as well go with 240vac, since you'll have to have a dedicated outlet for it anyway.
I'd go 120 unless you plan to make a living using the thing all day long and need the extra horses. The biggest thing to keep in mind is always use sharpe bits and flood them with coolent while you drill. Always step drill if over 1/2" dia. Thats my .02.
220 is expensive for plugs and wires ,I would just use a 20 amp 120 receptacle 12 guage wire and the wire is 12-3 Run right to the fuse box on a designated breaker and outlet box and receptacle .220 would require minimal 10 guage and two runs and 2 breakers and special outlet and plug .Get 2 prices from electrician .....
You could run 12-3 for 220V as long as it's 20A or less. I'd go 220V myself, more torque with lower amperage means longer motor life.
The motor will not spin any faster with 220v vs. 120v the rpm rating on the name plate is all it will spin. in the long run like others have said the 120v is easier to work with when you need to move the unit around.
No worries I agree that 110V is easier because of mobility but, in terms of long life, 220V is far superior because of it's lower amperage draw. Amperage is the electricity making mechanical action happen in a motor and one of the byproducts is heat. The more amperage, the more heat. A cooler motor will last exponentially longer than a hot one. I will always opt for the 220V tool when given a choice because of this.
Meddler, are you sure that it will cost more to operate running on 220 over 110 due to amp draw? When I was wiring my shop tools the elctrician, a buddy of mine, explained to me that multi voltage motors are always best to wire to the high side as it takes LESS amps to work than it does on the low side. He showed me on my air compressor drill press welders and mill and all the tags showed amp draw/use was much less on the high side. All of mine are wired to the high side with the exception of 1 welder and my mill as they are 480 volt on the high side 220 low. I was on the understanding that they also generaly will last longer, run cooler, and work easier on the high side over the low side. That would be usually because they require less amps t do the same work? I am only going on what he told me, if that is wrong, could you be more specific on why it is cheaper to run on 120 vs 220? Thanks, Al.
Yes, but lower amps means less hysteresis, lower eddy current, and less heat, all contributing to a higher power factor...less actual watts consumed as the motor is operating closer to its peak efficiency. BUT, it's a moot point, as the difference in something that isn't continuously in use will not show up in a substantial manner, unless viewed over an extremely long term. The big benefit is increased motor life.
Hey man, hard living has destroyed the majority of my brain cells, what little that's left is pretty clear... That said, very little is left! Victorville? Some guys I went to tech school with ended up down that way working on a prison about half a dozen years ago...not real pertinent, just throwing it out there
Woah! Rock-on! Now, can you help me explain hysteresis in elastic materials to the dudes here who keep saying that it is ok to run without shock absorbers. I have tried, and they wont listen.
Show 'em a broken or stress fractured leaf spring Just because you get away with something sometimes someways doesn't mean it's a good idea, it just means you've been lucky so far...and lucks a fickle mistress. Sometimes she's nice, then again she might take all your money, tell your wife, and trash your car!
Your electric bill is calculated in Watts not by what voltage it is and watts are constant whether its 120 or 240
The plugs are 5 or ten bucks, the wire size depends on amp draw. When you run twice the voltage amp draw is cut in half (30A 120v = 15A 240v) means you don't need as large of wire. 10 ga for 30 amp, 12 ga (or 14 if you're cheap) for 15a. You dont need 12-3, because you don't need a nuetral with 220, unless there's a built in 120v lamp, or control unit or something. If you have a dedicated plug in the garage, like for a washer and dryer all you have to do is go to the circuit panel, find the hot and neutral that go to that plug and isolate them, remove the breaker, and relocate the one next to it, then you will have two spaces open next to eachother. NOW, put in a two pole breaker (it takes both spaces), and connect the two wires (the hot and neutral you isolated) to the lugs on the breaker. Then go to the plug, take it out, and swap it for the 220v plug. Done... Cost 10-15 bucks.
No, he does. volt x amps = watts. Watts x time are what the meter measures. A motor that draws X amps at 120v draw half of X amps at 240, the wattage remains the same.
simple,...220 single phase is "created" by using two "legs" of a 110 circut. amperage / wattage is same at the meter, allthough a 220 THREE PHASE can easily save you money on the electric bill. but as many know, many cities do not "sell" a residential customer a three phase service power....even though it is on the overhead pole.... many / most rural areas have it easily available. three phase is common and standard in any indurtrial / service type building... even a restraunt or bakery. post 16 is correct.
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