Are automatic vac switches safe?

[DynaGlide]

I was looking at getting one of these: https://www.amazon.com/i-Socket-Workshop-Automated-Vacuum-Switch/dp/B07XKBYG21/ref=asc_df_B07XKBYG21/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=416791766299&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13519399481883599136&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014503&hvtargid=pla-872883041911&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=93124985719&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=416791766299&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13519399481883599136&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1014503&hvtargid=pla-872883041911

I'd like to run my Kapex + Flex vac off it:

I'm assuming the power tool port for the miter saw is just a pass through with some sort of sensor for current draw? They would both be off the same 15A circuit.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[kevinculle]

These devices are safe if they are competently engineered and built to comply with electrical certification standards.  You need to confirm that the electrical capacity (peak and running amps) is adequate for the devices you intend to use with it.  I would avoid any that do not show certification to UL or CE standards and any that seem too cheap compared to comparable devices.

 

[DynaGlide]

What I would really like is a device that can plug into the FLEX vac's tool activated port and turn the vac on for me when the saw is running. The auto tool port on the Flex isn't rated high enough to run any serious tools.

I saw Metabo recently came out with this but not in the US, which would sort of accomplish what I'm after but with the vac plugged into the device:

https://www.metabo.com/com/en/accessories/other-accessories/accessories-for-vacuum-cleaners/cordlesscontrol/start-stop-set-cordlesscontrol-type-e-630234000.html

[member=71944]Banana[/member] maybe you can help I know you have some pretty intimate knowledge of this vac.

 

[Birdhunter]

i've used a IVac system for years on my SawStop to trigger a Mini. Works great. The setup was fussy but once set up, it's been flawless.

 

[ChuckM]

If you're going to get one (or two), get this (same price, free shipping and two 15amp supply):
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...013-ivac-automatic-vacuum-switch?item=03J6210

"...use both cords in separate circuits for greater capacity (30 amps maximum). Each cord has a built-in circuit breaker. ETL listed for use in Canada and the U.S." (Bold mine.)

I have used two of them for 7 to 9 years with zero issues; one for the SawStop PCS/Dust collector/shop vac (all at the same time - 15amp for the saw and 15amp for the dc & shop vac). The breakers on the switch work well, tripped a couple of times.

The other one is for the Kapex/shop vac/Dust Deputy. Due to speculations that the Kapex EB motor could smoke if power supply is insufficient, I use this auto switch so that the Kapex is hooked up to a 15amp circuit by itself. In a recent test, I found that at start-up, the Kapex drew 16amp and in regular use (speed dial at 4) 8.5 - 9 amp.

 

[Bob D.]

i've used a IVac system for years on my SawStop to trigger a Mini. Works great. The setup was fussy but once set up, it's been flawless.

Same here. I have had multiple iVac sensors and switches for years. Recently the switch which operates the DC died, but that was after 6 years of use. I bought a new switch and all is good.

The switch that the OP showed has been sold for decades under various labels. I bought one when Craftsman was selling them in the 80s. It's still going. I use it now with a bucket vac and a small cyclone mounted on a 5 gallon bucket with my Kreg Foreman. When I hit the trigger on the Foreman the vac starts and continues to urn for a few seconds afterward. Works great but nowhere near the amp load of a MS and shop vac. I believe mine is rated for 15A total load.

 

[Dr. P. Venkman]

The iVac was recently recommended to me on here, and I've liked it a lot.

Three things I like, in particular:

• The dual inputs give it a larger overall capacity than one plugged into a single 15A outlet.  I have them both on the same 20A circuit, but still, that allows the sum of the tool and the dust collector to exceed 15A, when necessary.
• It delays the start of the dust collector a little bit, so that the initial surge from the tool and dust collector aren't hitting at the same time. It's not a large enough delay to make you feel like it's slowing you down, in my experience.
• I have found the amount of time the collector runs after the tool is turned off to be just about right for my use.

 

[rst]

I've been using 15 amp rated remote triggered relays for a long time.  Currently I use a triple circuit buttons to trigger my lights, and vacs...less than $30.00/ set.  I sell and service commercial automatic swinging and sliding doors and invariably use commercial remotes for these but for the price the cheap sets work great.  I use one of my commercial remotes to trigger my backyard led flood along with a 20 amp relay.

 

[ChuckM]

I use remote controls for some lighting in my shop (i.e. when I forget to turn the lights or radio off in the shop, I can do so when in the house). But they aren't the same as auto switches which require no user intervention as long as the tools and accessories are hooked up to them.

 

[Birdhunter]

My IVAC senses the current flow in the cord to my 220v SawStop and turns on the Festool Mini that’s hooked up to the overarm dust collector/blade guard. When the saw stops, the vac runs for 10 seconds and then stops. Neat!

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I used one for several years in the shop where I work. It was connected to my router table with a large Triton router and a 10 gallon shop vac. The only real disadvantage is that it's not really portable. It work great in a static situation, but moving it and locating 2 circuits is a hassle.

 

[Vondawg]

Agree...finding two (close enough) circuits not an easy task. I’ve enjoyed the IVac for some time now on my Kapex, works great

 

[ChuckM]

A bit surprised to hear that I'm not alone with regard to not having more than one circuit in the garage-turned shop, or easy access to another circuit.

I have only one 15 amp circuit in the garage, and to use the auto switch, I plug an extension cord to an exterior outlet located just outside the garage door.

I'm adding two 20 amp outlets to the shop, and once completed, I'll have access to three circuits.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Yeah ChuckM, at home is enough of a challenge, but I was actually referring to on a jobsite. Power can be difficult enough in the first place, but the trying to fine 2 separate circuits?

 

[Dr. P. Venkman]

I'm adding two 20 amp outlets to the shop, and once completed, I'll have access to three circuits.

I recently did this, and I love it. One circuit has two outlets on the ceiling, each of which has a 12 gauge retractable extension cord plugged into it. And one circuit with a quad outlet under the miter saw that serves the miter saw and (when I get around to installing it) a power strip on the adjacent bench.

The previous 15A circuit that had an outlet about 4 feet high on each wall is still there also.

 

[Cheese]

A bit surprised to hear that I'm not alone with regard to not having more than one circuit in the garage-turned shop, or easy access to another circuit.
I'm adding two 20 amp outlets to the shop, and once completed, I'll have access to three circuits.

Our basement was originally wired with a single tan/almond 15 amp circuit. When I took over the basement to turn it into a shop, I decided to run 2 separate 20 amp circuits. One's what I refer to as the white circuit and the other is the black circuit. With a little color coding it's really simple to keep track of what tools are on what circuits. The color coding is continuous whether the circuit is on the wall or on the ceiling.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Jeff Zanin]

I am also using iVac with the dual inputs for a Bosch 4000 table saw + Shop-Vac.  It has a built-in circuit breaker that will cut power if the tools are drawing more current than it can safely handle.  I have been happy with it especially since I added a 20A split duplex receptacle to provide the power.

 

[DynaGlide]

I'm in the middle of adding separate 20A circuits to where my Kapex and FLEX vac will live in the shop.

Looking into the literature on those iVac units, the basic one that runs off one or two 15Amp outlets, seems to have limited internal breakers according to some reviews on Woodcraft's site. Something about the literature saying 12A per tool, then a sticker inside the box that says 9A.

Now that has me considering to get the Pro Switch and Pro Tool Plus unit which clamps onto the tools power cord. They run off 20A circuits. What appeals to me about that setup is the Kapex wouldn't run through any other circuit. .straight to the 20A outlet. Then when it powers on the current is sensed by the clamp on unit and wirelessly signals the vac to turn on. Added bonus of that setup is you can get a remote control and strap it onto the vac.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.
Looking into the literature on those iVac units, the basic one that runs off one or two 15Amp outlets, seems to have limited internal breakers according to some reviews on Woodcraft's site. Something about the literature saying 12A per tool, then a sticker inside the box that says 9A.

The iVac unit is printed 12A on the outside; no sticker of any kind came with the two units I bought. I hook up the iVac units to two separate 15A circuits whenever in use.

The Kapex is rated 13A on the machine, but my current meter said: 8.5A (set to dial 4) and 16A on start-up. As I stated in an earlier post, one of the iVac units is used for the Kapex and a shop vac/DD (which was found to draw 6.6 amp on full speed; 10 amp on start-up). Over the past 4.5 years of use, the unit's breaker hasn't tripped even once.

The other unit has tripped a couple of times over the past 8 years or so, but that one is for the SawStop PCS and Dust collector plus a shop vac, all at the same time.

A 20A iVac unit should meet any machine's needs.

 

[Bob D.]

I'm adding to this thread because of the topic title "Are automatic vac switches safe?".

Yesterday evening when I was shutting things down and closing up my garage shop for the day I happened to have a tool plugged into the duplex outlet where my miter saw is also powered from. I have an iVac Tool installed there to activate the dust collector when the MS starts. It has worked fine for years, and still does.

Note: I want to say up front that my iVac system is old, very old. Most of the sensors are over 10 years in service with me and I bought all of them new. I may have bought them as far back as 2005. The serial numbers on my devices are low, only three digits, so I think they are very early models. I did replace the iVac Switch not long ago (see my post above). I don't think they even make the same model tool sensors as I have today. It is possible the condition I am seeing is due to aging of components in the sensors and not any design flaw or other issue with the iVac system. I'm not faulting iVac in any way here.

But what concerned me was when I went to unplug the other tool my hand brushed up against the plastic box of the iVac Tool sensor and it was warm. Problem is it is NOT warm in the shop. It was at that time about 59°F in the shop but this felt warm to my hand so certainly warmer than 59 and probably more like 90°F. I had not used the MS all day, so I knew it was not from current flow to the tool that was causing the sensor to feel warm.

I unplugged the iVac sensor from the wall and went in the house to retrieve my IR thermometer. By the time I got back and measured the outside of the sensor box it was 84°F. I then opened the box to see if I could identify the bad component. I was thinking there is probably a voltage regulator for the transmitter (that sends the start signal to the Switch on the DC) that might be ready to fail after 10+ years. I wanted to see if I could visually ID the overheating component or possibly use the IR thermometer to locate it. There is plenty of room in the box as I found out and narrowed the hot spot to that where you see the red from the aiming laser of the thermometer in the photo. Now 76°F is not hot I know but this is after being unplugged for at least 10 minutes, so it has cooled off from when I first discovered the issue. It's out of focus but if you look at the display on the thermometer closely you'll see at the bottom the max temp recorded was 80.4°F for that scan. When I plugged the iVac sensor back in with the back cover off the temperature started to rise after a couple minutes so I unplugged it. I went around the shop and unplugged all the other tool sensors and the DC switch until I figure this out.

I checked my other 4 iVac Tool sensors I have in the shop and they were all cold. So I think this is an isolated incident related to age of my particular devices. I've removed this iVac Tool sensor from service and will be looking for a replacement. I might have one spare that I bought in the original batch but not sure. If not I will get one of the new sensors which clamp over the tool's power cord. Only thing I don't like about the new design is now you need an additional receptacle to power the sensor since the sensor no longer passes power through to the tool.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/sho...o-dust-collection-control-system?item=03J6225

If anyone else has any of the older sensors or switches, it might pay to check on them. I'm going to email iVac and see what they think and I will add their reply to this post when I hear back from them. Until then I won't be leaving any of my iVac devices plugged into the receptacles when I am not in the shop. It will be a PITA but not as much as dealing with a fire however how small it might be. I wish I had a sub-panel for all the shop power that I could throw one lever and disconnect the whole shop when I walk out of there but it's not wired that way. I am lucky in that there are three 120V, 20A circuits for tools and one 240V, 30A circuit for the table saw plus the lighting circuit in there so can't complain.