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iwannarv

Well Known Member
Who has built with the lowest power supply?

I've moved into an apartment at my new location. Airport hangar space is next to zero, and I've been looking for a space to move the project. My apartment has a 1 car garage that will work for a workbench and a jig (at least for the rest of the tail). It has ONE power outlet in the stall (4 stall total in this garage building). I suppose that as long as it can run an air compressor and a couple flourescent lights, it will work just fine? I would just have to be meticulous to run only one thing at a time.

I was curious if any other builder had a very limited power supply.

Btw, I don't know how much power is wired to the building. It does support 4 garage openers I suppose......
 
Im running off of a single outlet in half of a 2 car garage. Wired as 120 I run a 6hp 30 gallon compressor and it's taken me right up to the point where I'm going to be tearing down my wing stand this weekend. I've got 2 banks of flourescent lights on the same circuit and a trouble light. I've had no complaints about this set up so far. A little more space is desired, but once I finish a component I just move it into a spare room in my house for now.
 
I've got one 20Amp circuit in my garage/shop. I have wired in a bunch of extra outlets along my workbench. Never had a problem running multiple tools and lights. Usually only working with one at a time, along with the air compressor running.
 
iwannarv said:
Who has built with the lowest power supply?



..............


I was curious if any other builder had a very limited power supply.

Btw, I don't know how much power is wired to the building. It does support 4 garage openers I suppose......
Click to expand...


I did :) built the emp in a small NYC studio. You will be fine with one outlet.
 
15 A circuit --> you're good.

Number of outlets is not an issue -- you can plug in a power strip to get more outlets.

The issue is the circuit's current carrying capacity. Check the breaker to find out. A 15 A circuit, which is typical, is sufficient.

FWIW, I regularly run the compressor simultaneously with other shop tools (drill press, band saw, etc.) on a 15 A circuit, no problem. The only time I've tripped the breaker was when running the compressor and a 1000 W space heater. Don't do that.
 
Your air compressor...

will pull up to three times the rated amps momentarily on start up. You may want to have a slow blow circuit breaker or oversize it to get through startup if you have one of the oil-less versions like I have from Sears, especially in the winter. This drove me crazy until I put a 30amp circuit breaker on my 15amp circuit, not code and you'll want to save the legal one for when you move. Just make sure you watch the overall amp draw if you do this. In my case the air compressor is the only thing on that circuit but you don't have that luxury so be careful. Try it first...I'm sure the electrical engineers out there are holding their heads in horror at what I did...
 
BruceP said:
will pull up to three times the rated amps momentarily on start up. You may want to have a slow blow circuit breaker or oversize it to get through startup if you have one of the oil-less versions like I have from Sears, especially in the winter. This drove me crazy until I put a 30amp circuit breaker on my 15amp circuit, not code and you'll want to save the legal one for when you move. Just make sure you watch the overall amp draw if you do this. In my case the air compressor is the only thing on that circuit but you don't have that luxury so be careful. Try it first...I'm sure the electrical engineers out there are holding their heads in horror at what I did...
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:eek: The only problem is, IF anything goes wrong with the compressor, the wire smokes (electrical fire) before the breaker trips, this is the purpose of the breaker. Breakers have a "time delay", if you will, built in. Don't put in a bigger breaker.
BTW, If you've got the panel cover off to install a bigger breaker, Why not just add another 20 amp circuit? If you know enough to change a breaker, you're certainly smart enough to install wire and a recep.:)
:)This is all from a licensed electricial contractor's (me) point of view.:)


Marshall Alexander
 
Our first RV6 was built in the garage of an attached townhome many years ago. It has almost zero outlets (lots of Xmas vacation type power strips, etc.. to expand the available power). I drilled a hole from the garage and ran a wire into the kitchen, where I tapped into the plug for the electric oven to supply power for the air compressor. We could run the stove or the compressor, just not both at the same time! I'm sure that's not code, but airplanes took priority at that time.

I point that out to reiterate that it can be done. You have to be both creative and careful, but if you are persistent you can do it.

Cheers,
Stein
 
PLEASE!!!!!!!

Don't put a 30 amp breaker in a 15 amp circuit.
It is against code (for a reason) and illegal. You can very easily burn down your house.
 
I just finished a 10 using only 240 watts of solar panels. A 12V compressor did everything airwise & I painted with a turbine thing. I had to have bright sun to shoot a whole coat though.
 
DO NOT oversize your circuit breaker!

BruceP said:
...I'm sure the electrical engineers out there are holding their heads in horror at what I did...
Click to expand...

Yes!!! :eek:

BruceP said:
... I put a 30amp circuit breaker on my 15amp circuit, not code and you'll want to save the legal one for when you move. ...
Click to expand...

That was a very bad idea! We're not just talking about legalities. So that everyone understands, the purpose of the circuit breaker is to prevent an overload condition and other electrical faults from burning down your house. By oversizing your circuit breaker, you lose that protection.
 
aerhed said:
I just finished a 10 using only 240 watts of solar panels. A 12V compressor did everything airwise & I painted with a turbine thing. I had to have bright sun to shoot a whole coat though.
Click to expand...

Wow! I wasn't expecting that one... Nice.
 
National electric code also requires the circuit be rated at 80% continuous current, which means for your 15a breaker you can only pull 12a continuous before the breaker trips. I can't run my DeVilbiss 5hp 20gal compressor from Home Depot on a 15a circuit, it pulls too much on startup and trips the breaker every time. So I installed a 20a outlet just for the compressor.
sk
 
What has not been mentioned, is wire size and distance. While it was not uncommon to find even 10ga wiring in a garage back a few years, the cost of copper has changed that, my son in law had a new house built, large two car garage with multiple outlets - all on 14 ga wiring at a great distance from the breaker box, making it basically a nite lite circuit! Different size wires carry different currents and must be fused accordingly.
 
Don't worry, I won't be messing with the wiring. I don't want the apartment complex garages to burn down, and I become 'that guy'!

I figured that my most power-drawing tool will be the air compressor, which is ~20-30 gallon, oiled compressor (I'll have to check the amp's on that). Sounds I should be OK as long as I dress warm this Nebraska winter and try not to run a heater at the same time.
 
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