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Need help with a 220V motor

Opentracker

Opentracker

Active Member
I'm hooking up a car lift and it has the normal two wires coming out to get juice. The odd thing is that the push button on/off switch is in line on only one wire, the other one looks like it was hooked up all the time. I didn't see how it was hooked up before so I don't know how the PO did it. The switch has just one pole on each side, like any other single switch. Does this motor run with only one hot wire switched? Sounds odd to me. Wouldn't it need a switch with 4 poles?
 
220 normally uses three wires......sure yours is 220v? That wiring on the switch sounds like 120v. Been a while since I switched 220 but on a lift, it could be different. Did you try on line info for the lift?
 
Wiring sound hoakie to me. 220V motors usually have a two pole switch. You theoretically could only have two wires tho with the groung ging to the case of the motor...
 
I did look on line for some info. and came up empty. I think I'll pull the motor and take it down town. It does look like a 110 set up to me too but the motor says it's 220.

Thanks guys !
 
John when I got my lift it was wired like you described, I didn't like it that way. What I ended up doing was getting a motor contact w/a 110V coil. Ran a 220V line from my box, 2 hot lines, a ground and a neutral. Two hot lines to the top of the contact block, motor to the bottom. Neutral line to one side of the coil, pick one of the hot lines from the top to go through your switch and back to the other side of the coil.
 
"Grabber70Mach" said:
John when I got my lift it was wired like you described, I didn't like it that way. What I ended up doing was getting a motor contact w/a 110V coil. Ran a 220V line from my box, 2 hot lines, a ground and a neutral. Two hot lines to the top of the contact block, motor to the bottom. Neutral line to one side of the coil, pick one of the hot lines from the top to go through your switch and back to the other side of the coil.
Click to expand...

Do like he says if it's indeed a 220VAC motor....
 
You need only to break one leg of the 220 with a single pole switch. Often the overhead safety bar will be in series with the switch.
 
220 single phase (the vast majority of houses) does not use the ground as a load carrying conductor, so breaking only one hot works fine as Evil E said.
 
John if you do decide to go the route that I explained let me know if you would like a set of contacts. I will drop a set in the mail just PM me your address.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
 
It works ! and no smoke !

I would have never thought it would, had it not been for this forum. Having one line hot all the time didn't look safe to me but what do I know. I looked and looked on line for some info and found nothing. You guy's are the best.

THANK YOU !
 
Of course, had you provided a massive BBQ for your NorCal group, you wouldn't have had any problems....
Just saying.....
 
"Opentracker" said:
It works ! and no smoke !

I would have never thought it would, had it not been for this forum. Having one line hot all the time didn't look safe to me but what do I know. I looked and looked on line for some info and found nothing. You guy's are the best.

THANK YOU !
Click to expand...

Even tho it works with one line connected all the time doesn't mean it's the best way. I'd put in a dual pole switch / contactor. All phases are switched in aircraft and on ships..... (note: boats - home hack jobs are not included)...
 
"cmayna" said:
Of course, had you provided a massive BBQ for your NorCal group, you wouldn't have had any problems....
Just saying.....
Click to expand...


Your right - :wor



"opentrackerSteve" said:
Even tho it works with one line connected all the time doesn't mean it's the best way. I'd put in a dual pole switch / contactor. All phases are switched in aircraft and on ships..... (note: boats - home hack jobs are not included)...
Click to expand...


I thought the same thing. I got one of those contactors from ebay, it'll be here in a few days.
 
"opentrackerSteve" said:
Even tho it works with one line connected all the time doesn't mean it's the best way. I'd put in a dual pole switch / contactor. All phases are switched in aircraft and on ships..... (note: boats - home hack jobs are not included)...
Click to expand...

The key part there is phases - household current is single phase, so switch one leg is fine. 110 current is the same - single phase. Switing all conductors provides extra assurance, but is not necessary, nor required under the electrical code (written primarily for safety purposes). Three phase requires all legs switched.
 
I bid on and won the contactor before I got it working so it'll be here for me to use if I want. It's wired the way the PO had it and he used it for years so I'm sure it's OK. It didn't look right when I saw it for the first time. But hey, I'm not an electrician by trade.
 
John
If you have any doubts , let it checked out by a pro.
Its better to be save then sorry.
Especially when electricity is involved.
Just my 0.02ct opinion.
 
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