# Dust Collection wiring



## Wood_Man (Sep 8, 2017)

Long time lurker, first time poster! Great forum here!

OK - So I have fabricated my own cyclone-style collection system and have it hooked to a 5 (peak) HP Shop-Vac. I have some of my collection lines run to my equipment (Chop saw, table saw, and planner) and will eventully add a few lines for my drill press, band saw, and wood lathe (as soon as my father decides to gift them to me!)

My question revolves around how to best wire the collection system to automatically turn on. With just the Chop saw, table saw, and planner - I could use something like the iVac Automated Vacuum Switch. From what I have read, you can plug a power strip into the iVac's "Tool Power" outlet and each tool will activate the vacuum. This works - but isn't really optimal when machines are not located in close proximity - and would rely on extension coords routed from the machines to this power strip. I would rather have this hardwired because, as my wife says, I make everything more complicated than it needs to be. :thumbsup:

Is there a way to hardwire a load sensor like the iVAC (or any other reasonably priced options you folks know of?) into a standard electrical cuircut of outlets - so that, when any load is sensed on one of the outlets, the vacuum outlet gets powered, and turns on my vacuum? I realize this would put all my machines on one cuircut, but I'm a one-man-band and more than one machine will not be running at the same time.

Attached are two drawings. One is the not optimal "power strip method", and the second is a proposed solution. What do you folks think? 

Note: I know male to male extension cords are bad but I cannot come up with a alternative at this point. :|

Thanks in advance!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

What caught my eye about the automated switch is it's rated at 15amps. This isn't much for power tools especially if you have a 5hp vacuum to run too. It's 15amps for both tools.


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## CaptainMike (Aug 27, 2017)

I agree with Steve in that simultaneously running a large shopvac and just about any shop tool will challenge a single circuit. I have my dust collector wired and switched on a separate circuit then utilize shop-built blast gates to isolate each of 4 ports in the system. Here's a link to the blast gates:


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## GuitarPhotographer (Jun 26, 2015)

I just bought a cheap wireless power control ($13 with one remote). It's rated 1750W. I bought two more remotes ($7 ea), so now I can turn the DC system on and off from each of the connected tools, for $27 total. We'll see how well the cheap control holds up, but....


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