Woodstock SHOP FOX W1816 - Manual (Page 36)

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W1816 Owner's Manual (Mfg. Since 10/09)
O
PE
R
ATIO
NS
System Grounding
Since plastic hose is abundant, relatively inexpensive,
easily assembled and air tight, it is a very popular
material for conveying dust from woodworking machines
to the dust collector. However, plastic flex-hose
and plastic duct are an insulator, and dust particles
moving against the walls of the plastic duct create a
static electrical build up. This charge will build until
it discharges to a ground. If a grounding medium is
not available to prevent static electrical build up, the
electrical charge will arc to the nearest grounded source.
This electrical discharge may cause an explosion and
subsequent fire inside the system.
To protect against static electrical build up inside a non-
conducting duct, a bare copper wire should be placed
inside the duct along its length and grounded to the dust
collector. You must also confirm that the dust collector
is continuously grounded through the electrical circuit to
the electric service panel.
If you connect the dust collector to more than one
machine by way of a non-conducting branching duct
system and blast gates, the system must still be
grounded as mentioned above. We recommend inserting
a continuous bare copper ground wire inside the entire
duct system and attaching the wire to each grounded
woodworking machine and dust collector.
Be sure that you extend the bare copper wire down all
branches of the system. Do not forget to connect the
wires to each other with wire nuts when two branches
meet at a “Y” or “T” connection.
Ensure that the entire system is grounded. If using plastic
blast gates to direct air flow, the grounding wire must be
jumped (see Figure 50) around the blast gate without
interruption to the grounding system.
We also recommend wrapping the outside of all plastic
ducts with bare copper wire to ground the outside of the
system against static electrical build up. Wire connections
at Y’s and T’s should be made with wire nuts.
Attach the bare ground wire to each stationary
woodworking machine and attach to the dust collector
frame with a ground screw as shown in Figure 51. Ensure
that each machine is continuously grounded to the
grounding terminal in your electric service panel.
ALWAYS guard against static electrical
build-up by properly grounding all dust
collection lines.
Copper
Ground
Wire
Plastic Blast
Gate
Metal Duct
Figure 50. Jumper wire connected to both
sides of a plastic blast gate and metal
ducts.
External Ground Wire
Internal Ground Wire
Flex
Hose
Ground
Screw
Figure 51. Example of a plastic flexible
hose grounded to the machine.