What can I do about the new arc fault outlets not powering an edger?
I made this myself, but you could easily pay an electrician to build this setup for you.
WFB asked Wayne Lee of Middle Tennessee Lumber Co. in Burns, Tenn., for his advice on this issue. He said:
Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) breakers have been required as part of the U.S. National Electrical Code for most residential outlets since 2014 and in Canada since 2015. Like Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs), which look for an imbalance in the current in wet areas, and standard breakers, which trip for too much power or short circuits, their purpose is to prevent electrical fires. With AFCIs, they break the circuit when they detect an arc in the circuit.
The problem for wood flooring contractors is that AFCIs are so sensitive they detect the arc in motors that are supposed to have an arc. Tools in our industry like edgers and even some palm sanders have brushed motors, which work by having electricity arc between the motor brushes and the commutators. Here in the U.S., our tools go right to full speed and draw high amps when they start up, and typically that’s when the AFCI will trip the breaker with our tools.
The simple fix for this problem is to use your power booster. Many pros think they can’t run an edger and a vac from their booster at the same time, but that isn’t true. The key with boosters is to think about your amps. Your typical booster has 30 amps available. The large vacs we use on a wood flooring job site pull 18–19 amps, and your edger pulls 9, so your total is under the available amps.
One thing I did to help get around this problem was to create my own “box” that I plug into a 50-amp breaker and split inside the breaker box, so each power booster has a 25-amp source. With this setup, I can run two big machines at a time, or run one big machine and a large dust-control vacuum, or run three edgers and vacs … the combination is priceless to a floor person.
RELATED: Power Up: How to Safely Power a Wood Flooring Job Site
