Using a Cv1800 in short bursts

Corey Pelton

New member
Hey everyone,

I’ve had my cv1800 for about 4 months now. It works very well, when I use it. What I’ve come to find is that I hardly turn it on unless I’m milling a lot of stock or making a lot of cuts. I had read that it’s really hard on the motor to start and stop it a lot for small cuts, and that it needs a 10 minute minimum run time. My question is, how hard on the motor are talking? Say if I start it up for a few table saw cuts and shut it down after a minute, then 5 minutes later fire it up again, what kind of prolonged damage could I do to the motor?

My my reason for getting the cv1800 was for better air quality and chip collection , but so far my worry about the motor has made me barely use it, meaning I’m doing the opposite of what I intended. I’m going to just start using it like my previous DC and turn it on and off as necessary.
 

cvcsupport

Administrator
Our Leeson 5HP does not like a lot of quick cycles in short succession - this kind of use can potentially burn out the start capacitor over time. The start capacitor handles the huge in-rush of initial voltage, and as a result gets very hot. Almost immediately operation switches over to the run capacitor, allowing the start capacitor to begin cooling down. Repeated quick starts does not give the start capacitor enough of a chance to cool, gradually weakening it to the point that it can fail.

Ideally you want to cycle the motor no more than 5 times per hour.
 

Corey Pelton

New member
Thanks for the reply. Pretty much what I expected. Either way, I need to start using it for it’s intended purpose. I really should have researched this more before buying, but if it dies on me so be it.
 

Curly1

Member
The 3 phase version can be run with a VFD (variable frequency drive) with a slow (several seconds) ramp up to speed. A soft start that limits the inrush of current. This would let you start and stop the motor as much as you need without it overheating. One of the benefits of the VFD. Downside for you would be getting a new motor and the VFD (about $300 with shipping from China) or more if you want to buy them from this continent.

With the existing motor you could put a cooling fan beside the motor to help keep it cool. Maybe wire it into a light circuit so it is on as long as you are in the shop.

Pete
 

McRabbet

Senior Forum Member
Let the CV1800 run while you are in the shop doing your milling work -- the cost is minimal compared to the other alternatives suggested. Plan your work flow so you can shut it down when you've completed the majority of your cutting and milling processes.
 

Corey Pelton

New member
Spoke with Cathy at Clearvue this afternoon. We talked everything over, pros and cons of the 3-phase, and it seems I'm better off replacing parts that may or may not fail in time. Seems like the overall cheaper option, and much less time consuming than replacing the motor, brackets and bushings. If the winding's eventually fail in the future, I'll just have to call it the price of doing business and snag another motor. Not a big deal to me really.

Also, Clearvue was willing to work with me in getting the 1-phase switched over to the 3-phase, if I chose to go that route. I very much appreciate their willingness to work with their customers.

As for planning out milling and such, I normally do just that. My main concern was with the random and constant small cuts I tend to make in a span of an hour. I tend to sneak up slowly on my lines so not to ruin my work pieces.
 

Hcollado

New member
Let it run. Close the blast gates when not using the specific machine and the load on the motor goes to almost nothing, thus using much less electricity.

These motors are built to run for long periods of time. The only drawback is, depending were your cyclone is located, you have the noise to deal with.
 

Corey Pelton

New member
The noise is a factor. Due to its tight fit against my garage wall , my garage door track is incredibly close. I might try to build a small enclosure around it. But it wouldn’t be fully sealed, so I doubt it would do much good. But, any reduction in dB would be a win I suppose.
 

blackhorse

New member
Corey, I'm in exactly the same boat as you. Maybe cut more often with less batch cutting. Also I get 98dB three feet from the cyclone. That's with now machine on! I guess I'll just have to replace capacitors when they fry. I'm thinking about what to do with the noise. Seriously considering getting rid of the filter stack and venting outside. At least I could build a noise baffle out there. As it is, I'm in the basement tight against an exterior wall. Not many good options. Let's stay in touch.
 

blayson

New member
The 3 phase version can be run with a VFD (variable frequency drive) with a slow (several seconds) ramp up to speed. A soft start that limits the inrush of current. This would let you start and stop the motor as much as you need without it overheating. One of the benefits of the VFD. Downside for you would be getting a new motor and the VFD (about $300 with shipping from China) or more if you want to buy them from this continent.

With the existing motor you could put a cooling fan beside the motor to help keep it cool. Maybe wire it into a light circuit so it is on as long as you are in the shop.

Pete

Pete, using a variable drive, will it use more electricity? I’m ordered a CV1800 with 16” blower. I am replacing a three phase unit and have a perfectly good drive.
 
I leave my ClearVue running during all my milling and sawing operations, even when I turn the table saw/planer/jointer off. Since I wear hearing protection when I run the table saw anyways, the noise doesn't bother me. I try not to turn off the DC until all milling is finished or if I'm going to have a set up time of more than 10 minutes for the next operation.
 
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