# 220V Foot switch



## Keith C (Jan 23, 2012)

I was thinking to get a DC and realized I had a 110V foot switch, but some DCs can, and probably should, be run on 220V. In looking for switches, I saw most were only momentary. I like the ones that stay on, SPST or the like. I looked on grizzly and amazon, but most on amazon are for sewing machines it seems.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

use a 4 pole relay...


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## Keith C (Jan 23, 2012)

*Foot switch*

Oh, and I mean at a reasonable price. I see some for $70-80, but that seems pretty expensive for a switch.>


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Keith C said:


> I was thinking to get a DC and realized I had a 110V foot switch, but some DCs can, and probably should, be run on 220V. In looking for switches, I saw most were only momentary. I like the ones that stay on, SPST or the like. I looked on grizzly and amazon, but most on amazon are for sewing machines it seems.


Keith my shop is small so I don't mind taking a step or two and turn it on. Every machine have is on wheels and I roll them to my DC when needed. Your situation may be different. Also 220 volt switches will cost more.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

On any 220v circuit you only have to switch one wire. Each hot lead wire acts as the neutral for the other so if you interrupt one then there is no circuit. Most of the cables for power tools only have the two hot leads and a bare ground. You only need the third conductor (neutral i.e.) if you need to also run some 120 volt functions like the clock and lights on an electric stove. I run my air compressor by switching just one wire through the pressure switch.

Just as an after thought, I also hooked up my 220v DC that way. I wanted to be able to turn it on from either end of my shop so I used a pair of 3 way light switches to turn it off and on, only switching one of the two hot leads.


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## senebraskaee (Apr 29, 2012)

Just as an FYI, I believe the various electrical codes require that both legs of a 220 (actually 240 today) volt device be switched to avoid having a hot, un-grounded wire beyond the switch when it is in the "off" position. Often violated but does create an unsafe condition.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Contr...dp/B0064PKG3Q?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Plug your DC into one, and carry the remote with you.
easy peasy lemon squeezy.


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

sunnybob said:


> https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Contr...dp/B0064PKG3Q?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
> 
> Plug your DC into one, and carry the remote with you.
> easy peasy lemon squeezy.


I wouldn't use those. They are designed for a single light, so the amp rating for them are going to be very low. For a DC that runs on 110, you are going to be drawing 15-20 amps. For DCs I strongly recommend either use the switch built-in on the unit, or use a remote switch (wired or wireless) that is made for the amp draw of your DC. 

This is not an area where you want to go cheap on.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

from the amazon blurb....
The Remote Controlled Switch Sockets are ideal for the remote operation of many electrical devices including lamps appliances tools and more


But I am not familiar with USA 110 volts systems, so possibly this particular item might not be suitable, but a remote switching socket is the easiest way to solve the problem.


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## Keith C (Jan 23, 2012)

senebraskaee said:


> Just as an FYI, I believe the various electrical codes require that both legs of a 220 (actually 240 today) volt device be switched to avoid having a hot, un-grounded wire beyond the switch when it is in the "off" position. Often violated but does create an unsafe condition.


I say that is bogus. In either case you have either 1 open circuit or 2 open circuits. Neither is more safe than the other, if I understand you correctly. If you only interrupt one wire, if that is possible need to look into it, you can't do anything to be more safe.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Although being an englishman in england for most of life, I spent 15 years installing and repairing american made catering equipment. you lot used to drive me crazy. A machine with 10 different circuits inside it and every hot wire was black! Try tracing that lot.
And also switching on the neutral rather than live to save a few pennies on a lighter weight switch. One display cabinet with a bank of edison screw bulbs caused us big trouble when a store assistant tried to change a lamp and touched a live outer ring, despite the machine being turned off on the front panel. After that we had to rewire every machine we sold, AND go back and check the hundreds already sold.

So good luck on a 2 x 110 volt wiring system with optional earth, I really dont want to learn about that.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*A Shocking Situation*



Cherryville Chuck said:


> On any 220v circuit you only have to switch one wire. Each hot lead wire acts as the neutral for the other so if you interrupt one then there is no circuit. Most of the cables for power tools only have the two hot leads and a bare ground. You only need the third conductor (neutral i.e.) if you need to also run some 120 volt functions like the clock and lights on an electric stove. I run my air compressor by switching just one wire through the pressure switch.
> 
> Just as an after thought, I also hooked up my 220v DC that way. I wanted to be able to turn it on from either end of my shop so I used a pair of 3 way light switches to turn it off and on, only switching one of the two hot leads.


Whoa! That's a code violation (I think?). Both phases are hot, so by switching one off, you've still left the other lead live. If you accidentally ground yourself while mucking about with it...
Same principle as 2-pole breakers having to have both phases open or closed. I could be wrong, but there's no way I'd leave one line hot. :surprise:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

It just occurred to me; aren't all dust collection machines _grounded _(the static thing)? 
That would require at the very least a two conductor _and ground_ cable.

Keith; There must be a misunderstanding from what you wrote(?).
It's not about 2 ccts. It's about having two hot conductors in the same cct. _Both_ conductors have 110V potential _to ground_; just opposite phases.
If you're part of the route to ground, your day will get rather unpleasant.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

OK...not sure if this is the only reg. or even current one (no pun intended). My older Can. Elect. Code Part one says:
Sec 28, Motors and Generators
28-602 Types and Ratings of Disconnecting Means
(1) A disconnecting means for a motor branch cct shall be:-
-
-
-
-(d) An equivalent device which opens *all ungrounded conductors of the branch cct. simultaneously* and is capable of safely making and interrupting the locked rotor of the connected load


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> Whoa! That's a code violation (I think?). Both phases are hot, so by switching one off, you've still left the other lead live. If you accidentally ground yourself while mucking about with it...
> Same principle as 2-pole breakers having to have both phases open or closed. I could be wrong, but there's no way I'd leave one line hot. :surprise:


Probably but I wired it, it's my shop, and no one will be working on it except for me. As for a foot switch, it will necessarily have to be plugged into a wall outlet which qualifies as a disconnect for working on the appliance and I would think that the natural tendency would be to unplug it first.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

OK; here's a scenario...
You're working in the shop. your ungrounded TS shorts out to the frame...you touch it and are paralyzed with the shock. Can't let go.
Your wife happens to be in there and very wisely hits the OFF switch... oops wrong phase and you're still cooking.
Sorry, Charles, this reg came about from bad sh*t happening to somebodies. I agree; your shop your rules. But there are a lot of members who aren't very comfortable with the electrical side of things and we really should be encouraging them to not only get comfortable but to do everything as safely as possible.
This is one of the reasons I keep harping on about the ongoing conflict between our greedy bast*rds at CSA, and PS Knight, who for decades has tried to make wiring and electricity understandable to anyone who's interested, at a price they can easily afford.
Just my opinion; I'm sure there are some who disagree.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

All of my tools are grounded. Either you misread something I wrote or I misstated something. I would never wire a circuit without one. None of my 220 volt shop tools have a neutral wire in the cable though because it isn't needed as I know you are aware of. The only two tools I have that have one of the 220 volt leads switched is my DC and my air compressor. The DC came with a short plug on it so I switched the box it plugs into. Anyone, including me, that works on it would unplug it first out of habit if nothing else.

The air compressor was patched together from an old 120 volt unit that was worn out with a 3hp Baldor and a Sanborn compressor I bought from PA, plus an air tank off a junked logging truck for double the air storage. The pressure switch was off the 120 volt so it only had one contact. I did buy a new one which I haven't used yet and it may be 2 pole. I added a light switch just above it to be able to turn it off and on at the unit so that part will only have one switched wire but I think when any one else looks at the whole arrangement it will unnerve them sufficiently to either leave it alone or go look for the main breaker for it.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Charles, like I said, I'm not familiar with 2 x 110 wiring, but you are scaring me just as much as Dan.

After a very short search I found this article explaining the dangers.
110v vs. 220v Wiring | DoItYourself.com


and this seems to be relevant as well
220v from 2 x 110v plugs.

If we have misunderstood, fair enough, but if not its not fair to say you will be the only one using a power supply, and there are so many stupid people out there that you have to follow a code, just to CYA


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Bob; Me?! Why am _I_ a scary guy?


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Bob; Me?! Why am _I_ a scary guy?


What can be more scary than a canadian with a sense of humour?

answer, nothing, not nohow, nowhere.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Bob you can relax. I've been doing residential wiring for over 4 decades most of which was inspected by a provincial wiring inspector. One suggested I should get a ticket as he was quite favorably impressed with the work I had done. 

A brief explanation of our 220-240 volt system is that you have 2 live wires of 110-120 volts each. These 2 power supplies are of out of phase with each other by 180* just as 3 phase legs are out of phase with each other by 120*. In the second link you posted someone asked if he could get 220 volts by connecting to two separate plugins and the answer was correctly given that it would only happen if the plugins were supplied by separate legs in the distribution panel. If they were on the same leg he would have had more potential amps to use but the voltage would have only been 110-120 volts. Going to two separate plugins could be dangerous because it would be possible to trip one breaker without tripping the other. On a 220 volt circuit the breakers are made so that both breakers are fused together so that if one trips, so does the other. 

Although a couple of my 220 volt tools have only one line switched, they are still on 220 volt breakers so if one leg overloaded both legs would trip. One has a plugin within 1m of the tool so it would only be natural to unplug it before working on it. In fact this is part of the commercial wiring code where there are multiple appliances on a circuit such as industrial lighting. The code requires a disconnect at each appliance within a short, easily reachable distance and quite often that disconnect consists of a plug and plug in. In the case of all the other tools, anyone who knows enough to be working on them would know enough to turn the breaker off first.

So really not as dangerous as it may sound. BTW, there was one or two major errors in the first link so I would look for a better explanation.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Bob; Me?! Why am _I_ a scary guy?


because of your stash...


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

Charles, good to know you are safe. I spent many years undoing things that owners had thought was simple and easy because of ignorance on their part, instead of actually being really dangerous. 
Just remember that the next person along will be a dummy, and WILL forget to follow basic safety procedures.

I made my point because I've just had to completely re wire my garage (workshop) as we are finally getting connected to the mains supply after 8 years of a back door temporary one. The guy inspected every circuit before allowing the mains in, and he was unhappy with my wiring. It was all safely earthed, and with the correct switches on the power, but I had just added onto additions as my needs grew and had put 2 lights onto a power circuit because there wasnt a separate supply (hey, I'm the only person in there and I know, right?).

I now have a consumer unit with 3 x mcb's and the lights have their own circuit breaker.


and dont worry, I have NO plans to get involved in two wire 220.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

There's nothing inherently more complicated with 220 than 110, Bob. It's just more exciting when you screw up!
The one thing that everyone who's ever done some residential wiring has experienced is the infamous split receptacle goof-up.
Two x110 into the box (different phases), and then forgotten to break off the little connector tab on the hot side of the duplex receptacle...
The breaker gets very annoyed when you try and switch it on; stubborn in fact.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> There's nothing inherently more complicated with 220 than 110, Bob. It's just more exciting when you screw up!
> The one thing that everyone who's ever done some residential wiring has experienced is the infamous split receptacle goof-up.
> Two x110 into the box (different phases), and then forgotten to break off the little connector tab on the hot side of the duplex receptacle...
> The breaker gets very annoyed when you try and switch it on; stubborn in fact.


I got caught on that on the first job I did. I didn't forget to break off the tabs but I had the breakers placed wrong in the panel so that the separate wires were on different legs which put 220 phase on the return wire. The inspectors always look for that one. Only made that mistake once.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

I've worked on 5 wire 440 volt 3 phase with 18 kw heaters per phase, and even some 4 wire delta heaters (first time I found delta wiring, 3 live and 1 earth but no neutral, was almost my last day alive), but you can keep your "is it this one or is it that one" wiring thanks very much.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I'm not really familiar with 3 phase Bob but the principles are the same. You only need a neutral if you intend to power something with only one of the legs.


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## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

our system will not work without a neutral either single or three phase, except when its wired delta, and thats only on HD pump motors or high powered heating elements


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## oldrusty (Mar 31, 2011)

NOT TRUE. Opening one leg of a 240V system will work but be aware that the device is still hot. You know this, but anyone else tinkering with the device could be in for a nasty shock. Oldrusty


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## Keith C (Jan 23, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> It just occurred to me; aren't all dust collection machines _grounded _(the static thing)?
> That would require at the very least a two conductor _and ground_ cable.
> 
> Keith; There must be a misunderstanding from what you wrote(?).
> ...


Yes, you are right. I was thinking 110. A switch to disconnect both phases would be the right way to go to make sure there is nothing hot past the foot switch.


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