The time I left the dust collector on...

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brownsfn2

brownsfn2

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Joined
Jun 23, 2011
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Plain City, OH
So my dust collector is in a closet and my shop is in my basement. When the air conditioning kicks on the furnace blower is actually louder than the running dust collector. As I left my shop both were running so I could not hear the dust collector. 2 DAYS later I went back to my basement and heard a motor running. Uh Oh!! I left the DC on for 2 DAYS!! I can't believe my stupidity. Luckily the basement is pretty cool and the motor did not seem to be overheated.

The air is probably really clean in my shop right now though. :)
 
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I like the timer idea. When I use the lathe I can hear it but this time I only had the gate open to the table saw and it is much quieter when hooked up to the table saw. Glad the motor did not overheat.
 
They also make a remote current sensing switch. When the machine is running the DC will come on by itself, and shutoff when the machine is turned off. This tends to be pricey though.
 
just make up a check list of what needs to be shut down when you leave the shop... I make a circuit of my shop just before I leave to make sure all is shut down or unplugged as needs be otherwise I would also leave things on or plugged in that don't need to be.
 
If you're comfortable doing electrical work, the best solution is to make the switch by the door that controls the main overhead lights also serve as a master switch for all tools and receptacles. That way, when you turn off the lights at the end of the day, you also turn off everything in the shop.

I did something like that in my darkroom - when the switch by the door controls the overhead light and an exhaust fan. There is a second switch that turns off the overhead light while leaving the extractor running.

Doing this in a shop presents the challenge that the demand of the tools, expressed in amperes, probably exceeds the rating of readily available switches. But if you are comfortable with electrical work, you could always wire the switch to control a contactor that does the heavy duty switching.
 
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I think these are all great suggestions. I am just going to try and be less careless. I shared because I thought it was funny that I did.

When I told my wife she asked if it could have caught fire. I did not even think of that. I do have it surrounded by Fire resistant insulation but that only stops it for so long.

I guess I just need to be more careful.
 
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