Thought I saw a thread on this a while back, but can't track it down. I have a 30 amp 240v circuit in my shop. Am I okay to run a 20' 12 gauge extension cord from a junction box to my shiny new 0766?
Yes I doubt they exist, so you would need make one, so get male & female NEMA 6-15 plugs, along with the cord. These are available at most hardware stores & Amazon.
Thanks Ralph!
Gary, what receptacle do you have on your 30 amp 240v circuit? Assuming it's a NEMA-rated 30 amp receptacle, a NEMA 6-15 plug won't fit it. You'd either need to match the plug for your custom cord to the existing 30 amp receptacle (which might have any of several configurations), or change out the receptacle itself. If you change the receptacle, you'll need to down-rate the circuit breaker to match the new receptacle. I would suggest changing to a 6-20R (20 amp) receptacle, then changing the circuit breaker to a 20 amp, which is enough for most 2 and 3 hp home-shop bench machines. Then you could use either a NEMA 6-15 plug and a NEMA 6-15 female connector on your 12-gauge extension cord as Ralph suggests. Or, better, use a NEMA 6-20 plug and a NEMA 6-20 female connector on your cord, which would be my suggestion. The NEMA 6-20 female connector will accommodate the G0766's NEMA 6-15 plug, and you'll then be using components that are (cont)
rated for the newly down-rated 20-amp circuit. The configuration difference, BTW, between NEMA 6-15 female connectors and receptacles and NEMA 6-20 female connectors and receptacles is that the 6-15 accommodates only two horizontal blades (15 amp 250v plug, as on the G0766), while the 6-20 accommodates two horizontal blades (15 amp 250v plug) but also one horizontal and one vertical (20 amp 250v plug) should you ever want to use your extension cord (or the receptacle itself) for a machine requiring 20 amps.
The boxes all have NEMA 6-20 receptacles. Would the point of changing the breaker from 30 amps to 20 amps be the chance of drawing more current than the NEMA 6-20 can safely handle?
I have my G0766 on a seperate 20 amp circuit with 12-2 with ground romex cable. I am using the Nema 16-20 receptacle, which accommodates the Nema 6-15 plug on the G0766 just fine, and the reason is that a 20 amp circuit is what many lathes require as optimal amperage. Going 30 amps is overkill in my opinion, and might overlaod the rated amperage for the receptacle, which is designed to be used with the 20 amp setup.
Thanks. Great help.
Pardon my typo.......ipad does that auto correct thing. I meant Nema 6-20 receptacle, not 16-20 receptacle [wall socket]
