# Grounding Flex Hose



## Ken Johnson (Nov 8, 2007)

I just bought a Grizzly 3hp dust collector. Until I have the time and money to run duct work through the entire shop I bought a 20 foot flex hose to use when I am running a piece of equipment. I just need to move it from machine to machine. However it is one of those expanding hoses that "stretches" and then collapses for ease of storage. I need to ground it but I fear that when it is not fully extended that the ground wire will get sucked into my impeller. How can I secure it throughout the length of the hose to prevent this? Any ideas???


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

I used to think that grounding the 20' of flex hose was necessary, and I ran 20' of copper wire inside the hose, and poked it out the hose at the ends and attached it accordingly. I have since then, after reworking some stuff, have nixed the idea, and have yet to get a shock from just the flex hose. 

When I run my main trunk lines, I will ground those.

JMO

Fabian


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## Ken Johnson (Nov 8, 2007)

thegrgyle said:


> I used to think that grounding the 20' of flex hose was necessary, and I ran 20' of copper wire inside the hose, and poked it out the hose at the ends and attached it accordingly. I have since then, after reworking some stuff, have nixed the idea, and have yet to get a shock from just the flex hose.
> 
> When I run my main trunk lines, I will ground those.
> 
> ...


The second time I used my dust collector I used it for about 2 minutes to clean up some dust on the floor around my lathe. I then rolled the unit back against the wall and it arced off something metal on the wall and tripped my 30AMP 220 breaker.


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## thegrgyle (Jan 11, 2011)

Wow.... Yeah, I do seem to get some static when I am doing floor clean up too... Don't do that much. That is one heck of an arc though if it tripped the breaker. 

LIke I said before though, I bought a grounding kit along time ago, and ran the wire inside the flex, and poked the wire through the rubber, so that I could make my connections outside the joints. I have always had some sort of separator before my DC, so I have never had the concern of the wire making it all the way back to the impeller. I guess you could poke the wire in and out of the flex hose at intervals along the hose, but the more holes you put in the hose, the less efficient your DC will be.

This is a good question, and wondering if anyone else has suggestions too.

Fabian


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Static schock*

I had to ground the separator on my Jet 1 1/2HP to the motor since the 6" flex hose made no electrical connection between the two units. Before that I would get a 1/2" arc static shock. Wonder what it looked like in the dark...  bill

I don't think a ground in the suction hose is necessary., but that's just my "shocking" experience. I do remember leaning into a high mounted on/off switch that had been disconnected leaving the bare wires exposed, with a bare chest in the summer trying to look out the window at the neighbor girl. I'm sure I turned the lights on for a few seconds and it gave my own heart a whole new rhythm. Probably should killed me then, but I was too stubborn to die. WAS?


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Good story Bill.......


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