220v Cord Reel

[Daryl Henderson]

I want to install a cord reel from the ceiling of my shop that is 220v. A decent medium duty 12 AWG 40ft 15A 110v will run about $170.

If you move up to a heavy duty 12 AWG 40ft 15A 110v it jumps to $320.

If you move to a heavy duty 12 AWG 40ft 20A it jumps to $370.

All of these are Reelcraft, and I am wondering if the difference from medium to heavy duty is just the recoil mechanism/case, or something else. They mention that the heavy duty are acceptable for 220v if you supply your own connectors, but don't mention 220v for the medium duty cord. They also don't say if they are UL approved if you use the heavy duty as 220v.

If a cord is a cord, is it worth an additional $150 for the heavy duty, and do you need a 20A reel, or is 15A enough to run a 5hp table saw, shaper, etc?

[David G Baker]

Not sure if you are aware of the potential fire hazard with cord reels. It has been discussed on SMC in the past. If you are using the cord reel for heavy current draw equipment you may want to look for an alternative. I am no expert, just passing on what I have read and heard.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Daryl, the first question would of course be what's the motor current rating?

Motor current can vary substantially from one to another.

The second question would be what's the intended use, home shop use with varying load or commercial shop where the machine may run near full load for long periods of time?

I personally would avoid a cord reel and simply replace the cord on my machines with one long enough to reach the receptacle, or move the receptacle.........Of course more info from you would help clarify your use.

Regards, Rod.

[Daryl Henderson]

I understand that if you wrap a cord you increase the resistance and heat. My shop is strictly hobby use so there is not much demand.

Currently, the 220v. tools I have are a PM2000 5hp-21A table saw, a G0566 3hp-15A band saw, and a soon to arrive PM2700 5hp shaper and powerfeeder. In the future, I may add a larger jointer and a sander.

Cords laying all over the floor are a PITA. All of my tools are mobil so I tend to move them where I need them. I am currently remodeling my shop, so there will be lots of outlets both 110v and 220v, including some 50A for the welder and plasma cutter.

[Sam Layton]

Hi daryl,

I have two 12 ga cord reels in my shop. I purchased them from Rockler. They are normally about $90.00, Rockler has them on sale all the time for $49.00. They are 12 ga but I don't use them for anything heavy duty. For your use I would really be concerned about what David said.

I would not run anything you mentioned with any kind of cord reel. Your 5hp machines are going to require 10ga wire with a 30 amp breaker, 3 hp machine require 12 ga with a 20 breaker.

Sam

[glenn bradley]

Like Sam I have two 12ga, 40ft reels (HF, never thought they'd last) that I have been using for a few years. I generally yank a good portion of the cable out if I am using them more than just a minute or two but these are 110v and you are after 220v.

Rather than modify a 15a rated 12ga 110v reel for 15a or less at 220v I just picked up one very flexible 12ga cord, added the ends and moved it between machines till I got my permanent outlets in. This minimized the cord mess as the cable only ran to the machine in use. Bending over and unplugging a machine is not too tough but it didn't take long to inspire me to put in the outlets.

[Michael Pyron]

using a cord while it is still rolled creates a Tesla coil, which creates a magnetic field and heat....I was told about this, and of course just had to try it out...don't have a detector for a magnetic field, but the cord certainly got hot! heat means energy loss, which will translate to your tool being starved for electricity which means it will wear out sooner...

for the tools you mention using I would be tempted to get a 10ga cord...that's a LOT of amps to be pulling even over 40'

[phil harold]

how about power drops in strategic places from the ceiling...

[Jim Becker]

I'll suggest drops using proper strain relief and twist locks for this...cord reels scare me big-time after seeing one nearly melt and burn down a friend's shop about a year and a half ago. Using a properly constructed drop with a cord from the tool that is "right-sized" is a far better way to go, IMHO.

[Dan Friedrichs]

using a cord while it is still rolled creates a Tesla coil, which creates a magnetic field and heat....I was told about this, and of course just had to try it out...don't have a detector for a magnetic field, but the cord certainly got hot! heat means energy loss, which will translate to your tool being starved for electricity which means it will wear out sooner...

for the tools you mention using I would be tempted to get a 10ga cord...that's a LOT of amps to be pulling even over 40'

A Tesla coil is a very particular kind of resonant transformer, and you certainly didn't manage to make one with an extension cord.

Current flowing through any conductor creates a magnetic field (Ampere's law). A coil of wire simply sums the magnetic field made through each segment of the wire.

The device you're thinking of is called an inductor, which is simply a coil of wire, but ideally introduces no loss (won't get hot). To realize an inductor, though, you need to wrap the coil around something that is magnetically permeable (iron, ferrite, etc). Air is a very poor conductor of magnetic fields.

The reason your cord got hot was simply because it's not a perfect conductor, and the resistance of the wire caused heating. It wouldn't matter how you coiled it, the same amount of heat would have been generated for the same length of cord. Coiling the cord just makes it harder for the heat to dissipate, which makes the problem worse.

[Bill Orbine]

The way I see it, you'd get more bang for your bucks if you ran wiring via conduits, bmx, or romex and hook up fixed boxes with receptacles or short cord on strain relief (ceilings only) at each machine than splurging on a cord reel and dragging the cord all over the shop. If your shop is small and you are moving machines, drop cord with a stain relief is the way to go. Fixed machines shoud have dedicated receptables.

[Peter Quadarella]

Here is a tip - you can get 10 gauge extension cords for much cheaper than the amounts you are quoting. MUCH cheaper. By a decent brand and cut the head and tail off and put on plugs for 220v.

[Rick Christopherson]

using a cord while it is still rolled creates a Tesla coil, which creates a magnetic field and heat....

That is a myth started by people that know just enough about electricity to be dangerous. As Dan already pointed out, it does not create a tesla coil. It also doesn't even create an inductive coil, and that is because the cord is made from a pair of conductors whose current is in opposition. The magnetic field created by one wire is canelled by the opposite magnetic field from the other wire.

The only mechanism in place from a tightly coiled cord is that heat from the inner turns cannot disipate because they are covered by the outer turns. It is not an automatic thing either. You need to have an undersized cord where the heat generation exceeds the heat disipation. All wires will heat up, but it is simply a matter of how quickly they can dissipate this heat.

[Daryl Henderson]

Lowes had a 100ft. 10ga. 20A on for $75 a while back. I made a couple of extension cords and had enough for the band saw cord. Should have got two, they are about $100 now.

HF has 10ga cords 25' and 50' but they are 15A. I think they were about $35 for the 25ft and $60-65 for the 50 ft.

[Dan Friedrichs]

...It also doesn't even create an inductive coil, and that is because the cord is made from a pair of conductors whose current is in opposition. The magnetic field created by one wire is canelled by the opposite magnetic field from the other wire.

You're right, Rick. It totally slipped my mind that we were talking about an extension cord, not just a single conductor. Two parallel conductors carrying opposing currents will not create an appreciable magnetic field.