
I get asked this question almost as much as any other: “Do I need a power station?” The answer is “Yes” … and here’s why. If you ask 10 pros what power their machines run off of, eight of them will say “220,” one of them will say “220, 221 … whatever it takes,” and one of them will actually reply with the nameplate voltage range for their machine.
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I get asked this question almost as much as any other: “Do I need a power station?” The answer is “Yes” … and here’s why. If you ask 10 pros what power their machines run off of, eight of them will say “220,” one of them will say “220, 221 … whatever it takes,” and one of them will actually reply with the nameplate voltage range for their machine.
The voltage “220” is an often-used misnomer to describe the mains power (the electrical power that is delivered to homes and businesses through the electrical grid) in the United States. In fact, at some point in the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Energy boosted the grid to 120 volts per leg, making mains power 240 volts.
Very few of your sanding machines for wood flooring actually run off of “220.” Every piece of equipment you own has (or had) a nameplate voltage on the motor. Most of these motors have a range of +/-5% or +/-10% (it’s always safest to bet on the lower).
Very few of the outlets and panels you’re getting power out of are actually outputting 220-volt or even 240-volt power in 2025. With so many municipalities, utility companies and homes adding alternative energy sources and electric vehicle infrastructure to their localities, mains voltages in the U.S. generally run over 245 volts and up to as high as 270 volts or more. Meanwhile, a 240-volt sanding machine, assuming a “safe” range of +/-5%, has an input voltage range of 228 to 252 volts.
Almost all remotely new commercial buildings are 208 volts behind a transformer, while some have 200-volt or 277-volt services we’re trying to work off of. Some areas I’ve worked in in Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania see mains power fluctuate as low as 190 volts and as high as 280 volts.
I once had a customer and friend tell me, after complaining that he had a problem with a different big machine, that he’d been running his Hummel without a “booster” (the outdated name for a power station) for 25 years and “never had an issue.” Only a few weeks later, he told me that his machines had started eating capacitors and he needed to find a power station.
RELATED: Electricity for Wood Floor Pros 101
Another thing to think about: As our machines get more powerful, they require more power to start, and they need more power at the end of the cord (which is where you actually need to check your voltage, because the longer the cord, the more the voltage drops).
As a general rule of thumb, an electric motor always prefers the high side of the voltage spectrum, but too high a voltage can overload capacitors, reduce windup time on rotary switches, cause you to have less time to turn the machine from start to run, and burn the insulators on windings. Low-voltage scenarios can burst capacitors; melt wiring leading to the motors; damage switches, outlets, and panels; and even melt the motor’s fields.
At its heart, a power station is an adjustable buck/boost transformer, and these days our transformers spend more time bucking (lowering voltage) than boosting (increasing voltage) to get our power closer to the nameplate voltages.
Why did your grandmama run her machine for 700 years without any issues? Well, simply put, her power supply was lower when she was doing disco, and her power supply was more consistent in the pre-2020s. So take the time, spend the money and protect your expensive equipment by always using a power station.
RELATED: Motors 101 & What Wood Flooring Pros Should Know, Part 1