cheapest 12 gauge cord reel and 220 ?

[Jeff Cremers]

Where is the cheapest place to find a 12 gauge retractable cord reel?

Just from surfing the web I found one at Northern tool or something like that for 60 dollars.

Also my electrician friend said I could hook up some 220 tools to it is that right?
Thanks
Jeff

[Tom Veatch]

If the cord is suitable for use at 120v and is rated for the higher voltage, there's no reason it can't be used for 240v. Just install the proper receptacle for the amperage - probably a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 (or L6-15 or 20).

[Jim Becker]

Be careful with cord reels. Ideally, you want to bring out all the cord during use. Leaving it coiled can result in heating and a potential fire...my friend and coworker Robert nearly lost his shop a couple years ago from such a problem.

[Jeff Cremers]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm sure my buddy will install the right receptacle and when I'm running the machine for more than a few minutes I'll pull the cord all the way out.
Jeff

[Matt Meiser]

That's probably a pretty good price. Its tough to find them in larger wire sizes. I settled on a couple 14 ga. units from Sears for my shop because it was the best I could find.

[David G Baker]

I have a couple of the 12 gauge reels but I only use them for hand tools and lights. I am not comfortable using them for any heavy current draw equipment and I use them, most of the time, completely uncoiled. I read the horror stories about using them while coiled. I bought them when I lived in California but do not remember where.

[Greg Narozniak]

I have the 12ga one from Harbor Freight and it has been used well without issue. I will say that I used it once on my Belt/Disc sander that is still on 110 and draws 18ish amps and that cord was really hot when I was done. I will not be doing that again anytime soon.

220 is half the amp draw so I would assume that you should not have any issues but just be aware.

[Roger Frazee]

I suppose the issue is how long will it last and still supply power and if it is a cheap one. I have one I got off northern tool that lasted all of one day. However you didn't say cheap you said cheapest place to buy. You can get cord reels with 240 configuration or I see no problem converting a 120 volt one rated correctly of course as Tom mentioned. You do need to know what your doing though all the way back to the panel...

A cheap cord reel is a toss up IMO as to what you may end up with...likely just a unretractable extension cord in about a week of good use. Be cautious of the cheap ones as they have very poor design IMO for the power being brought to the cord on exposed contacts at the axle hub. Cheap metal cord reels I'd just stay away from period.

Good ones and they are pricey have insulating design at the hub and do not expose you to the voltage transfer to the cord hub.

That said I realize that for every quality cord reel being used out there you also have twenty that are lower end. But I swear those cheap ones have the same retract design that my vacuum sweeper has.....

[Sam Layton]

I purchased 2 cord reels at Rockler. When they are on sale they are $59.00, reg price is $89.00 I think. They are 12 guage, and appear to be good quality.

Sam

[David Cramer]

Here's what I got last year.

http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2009/Main/201

Not too bad of a deal for a 12 gauge cord reel.

David

p.s. It was the best deal that I could find at the time. It's in the lower right hand corner of the page.

[Rick Christopherson]

The issue with a cord reel is that the inner coils of the coil cannot dissipate their heat because they are being insulated by the outer coils. All wires will generate heat while they are in use, but as long as they can dissipate that heat, they will not build up to a significant temperature.

Hypothetically speaking, if you had a very light extension cord and had it running through the snow in the winter, you could easily drive double the normally rated current through it without destroying the cord because the heat would be dissipated at a rate greater than it is being generated. (by hypothetical, I mean don't try this at home!)

The greatest risk is for the 14 ga cord reels because there is a significant jump in resistance between 12 ga and 14 ga., plus this also typically signifies a cheaper reel, and therefore, cheaper jacket. However, it isn't necessarily that there will be a problem in using one of these for powering a tool for short periods. The problem is most significant when you have a continuous load on one of these where the small amount of heat is allowed to continually build over a long time, causing the temperature to rise to a point which exceeds the temperature rating of the insulator.

Roger, you are correct that the connections in the hub will be a great source of heat generation (just as most extention cords get hottest at their plugs), however, I would guess (and certainly hope) that most cord reel designs leave enough space in the hub for this heat to be dissipated at a relatively equal rate to its generation. As you said, I guess I shouldn't assume that the cheap one used a good design though.

[Rob Russell]

I'd keep my eyes open on Ebay for a high quality reel like a Reelcraft or Coxreel Power Cord reel.

[Roger Frazee]

Rick

I was just wondering what your thoughts are about overloading these cord reels (many have multi-plugs). Would the breaker ever see the thermal issue and trip out considering the heat generated at the reel hub? I know it would see the amperage but it seems the coiled cord would get hotter than the branch circuit and the breaker may not actually provide the necessary thermal protection. To me and I could be all wet it would be like having a conduit run through a cool room going out onto a 140 degree rooftop. You would have two temperatures going on one the breaker doesnt see??

[Rick Christopherson]

Yes Roger, your analogy is pretty accurate. The "Thermal" part of a Thermal-magnetic breaker is based only on the temperature buildup within the breaker itself. If your load center was located inside of a freezer, then all of your circuit breakers would increase their trip points. For example, a 20 amp breaker would not trip until the current reached, say, 25 or 30 amps--regardless what temperature the rest of the circuit was operating at.

A common problem I encounter in my line of work is where a portable load center is placed out in the hot sun, and circuit breakers begin tripping at only 10 or 15 amps. I have also seen situations where the heat from an adjacent circuit breaker causes nearby circuit breakers to trip prematurely, even though their own circuits are not near capacity. (Hydraulic-magnetic breakers are less temperature dependent).

So no, the circuit breaker has absolutely no knowledge that the downstream circuit is operating above its rated temperature.

I am not sure if this is what you meant in one of your statements or not, but as the wires get hot, their resistance will increase very slightly, and the current will decrease, but only by a very tiny amount.

[Rod Sheridan]

Is the original poster talking about purchasing a 120 volt cord reel that has slip rings/brushes and converting it to 240 volts?

If so I doubt if the assembly is rated for 240 volts even if the cab tyre is. (Of course you would have to check the nameplate however I doubt if a 120 V cord set would have a 240 volt nameplate and approval).

Regards, Rod.