Shopsmith Forums

I've had my SS for about a month now and other then cleaning and lubing it I haven't really done much with it. I have issues with electrical in my garage, the only wall outlet is on the same circuit as my family room and if I use that outlet I will trip the breaker 100% of the time.

So I usually run an extension cord from the outlet by my front door (looks very classy) to avoid tripping the breaker. Getting the SS gave me the motivation to pay an electrician to fix my issues.

The electrician came last night and I'm waiting for an estimate. I have an outlet in the ceiling to power the door - his thought was to run two separate circuits, one to the left and one to the right on the ceiling and install pull down outlets that would retract when not in use. Anyone use anything like this??

Unfortunately I have no open slots on my electric panel so I asked him the best solution would be? His recommendation is to replace the panel to a 30 slot one up from 20 and to consider going to 200 amps.

So I have a few questions for you experienced guys.

Is going to 200 amps worth the extra expense? 200 amps is now the minimum for new construction in my county
Is the pull down outlets a good idea? It seems like it would be nice not to trip over cords.
How much would a typical upgrade to the panel cost?

Any other pearls of wisdom?

Forgive me if I used the wrong terminology on any of the particulars, I'm definitely not an electrician. If fact he noted a few items that were out of code on my panel, I confessed that they were things that I had done and that he should not assume anything by looking at some of the wiring and what it would typically mean. After he followed the first line I added he told me he understood what I meant with a smile.

beeg wrote:What amp service do ya have now? Get the VIOLATIONS corrected and go with a 200 amp service with as many slots as ya can get.

I think 100 or 120 currently, again I'm no electrician

My orders to the guy were to do it right and to not cut any corners so I think in the end I should be in compliance.

A 200A box should give you 40 poles.

If you currently have 20 poles, you likely have a 100A panel.

Depending upon what brand etc. you already have, a couple of half size breakers may be sufficient(waaaaaay cheaper than a new panel). However that is a temporary 'solution'. Sooner or later ya will need more capacity.

JPG40504 wrote:A 200A box should give you 40 poles.

If you currently have 20 poles, you likely have a 100A panel.

Depending upon what brand etc. you already have, a couple of half size breakers may be sufficient(waaaaaay cheaper than a new panel). However that is a temporary 'solution'. Sooner or later ya will need more capacity.

The electrician recommended going to a 30 pole panel - do you see anything wrong with going half way?

That would give me at least 6 open poles

I had one installed in the ceiling of my garage - a great convenience.
Built in 1986, my condo had an outlet in the ceiling for the door opener and an outlet on the front wall.
I had an electrician install the retractable outlet in the ceiling and a 4 outlet box on the side wall, by my workbench. If 4 things are ever plugged in at the same time, it's unusual for more than 2 to be in use at the same time.
The retractable outlet serves the entire garage and reaches to the door, convenient for cleaning one car when the garage is occupied or for quick cuts on a Workmate with a circular or jig saw.

jebber wrote:The electrician recommended going to a 30 pole panel - do you see anything wrong with going half way?

That would give me at least 6 open poles

Go ALL THE WAY. The cost difference wood only be the diff in price between a 30 and a 40 pole panel.

jebber wrote:The electrician recommended going to a 30 pole panel - do you see anything wrong with going half way?

That would give me at least 6 open poles

That mean you are going to 150A?

If however you are going to 200A, get a 40 pole box.

The difference between 200A and 150A cost may be small.

I have a retractable outlet, and mine isn't very heavy duty, only allows 7 amps of current draw. Won't handle the Shopsmith. But, there are heavier duty versions available. Just make sure your retractable outlet will handle 10 or 15 amps. The inrush current (starting) is what will burn up the contacts in the retractable outlet.

jebber wrote:The electrician recommended going to a 30 pole panel - do you see anything wrong with going half way?

That would give me at least 6 open poles

I know Square D makes 200 amp in both 30 and 40 pole. Generally the 30 pole is if you plan more 20 amp breakers or maybe a 50 amp and smaller fill in. Do you have or plan to power up a welder? If yes, then the 30 "might" be better, but my best guess is that the electrician happens to have a 30 pole in stock and is trying to get rid of it. The 40 pole is good even if ou have no immediate plans to add lots of outlets. I made the error of just going with a 100 amp. That was WAY to short sighted! False savings and hind sight regret, plus extra when I do change out to 200.

200 amp 40 pole for now and the future is a good way to go.