I recently ran a 220v line to my garage and now my 220v jointer motor won’t start. The new line was junctioned from the existing 220v line to my dryer – the dryer still works but the jointer won’t.
How can I troubleshoot the motor? It ran just fine before I installed the new 220v line; too much of a coincidence that it has failed. Is it ok to wire the plug up directly to the motor and bypass the switch?
Help!
Thanks,
Brian
Replies
Brian,
'The new line was junctioned from the existing 220v line to my dryer - the dryer still works but the jointer won't. '
First I would check with a volt meter if I really had 220 volts across the two hot feeds to see if the new outlet was wired properly.. A properly wired outlet should also have 110v from each of the hots to the ground also..
Good luck
The fact that the jointer doesn't work on the new wiring strongly suggests that the fault is in the wiring not in a sudden motor failure, since motors very rarely fail so abruptly.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Sounds like the new line's not wired right, which makes me wonder about the safety of this enterprise in general. You might want to consult a licensed electrician.
Pete
First, I would not run a large motor and a dryer on the same line. Your problem seems to be a wiring mistake. Double check your wiring and if a mistake is not obvious, Get a professional electrician to check it. If you can find one that is also a woodworker, he just might be glad to help you out.
Is this 220V jointer a converted 110V/220V motor ? And has it ever run on 220V ? First check the voltage at the new wiring receptical as others have mentioned, Then check the wiring configuration for the motor. The motor name plate may say 110/220 but that doesn't mean that it's ready to go for 220V. There should be a wiring diagram inside the owners manual and also in the wiring box of the motor. This may be simplistic on my part but had to ask.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Edited 1/26/2007 1:52 pm ET by BruceS
Update on Troubleshooting:
Evidently there was a loose connection on one of the legs to the jointer and dryer. After much thought I decided to run a dedicated 240V line to the garage to power the new saw or jointer separately from the dryer.
Thanks to all for your advice - this seemed the best possible option but took nearly a full day to do - but it was worth it!
Brian
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