Bought a $400 infrared paint curing system back in 2018

It was a big chunk of change for my small shop in Springfield, but it cut drying time in half on big jobs. The problem was the power draw. My old shop's wiring couldn't handle it and I blew a circuit the first week. Anyone else run into electrical issues with newer gear in an older building?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace6079d ago

Oh man, that brings back a memory. My old landlord in a 1970s strip mall nearly had a heart attack when I plugged in a commercial grade floor buffer. The lights in the whole unit next door dimmed, it was wild. You really don't know what your walls can handle until you trip a breaker at the worst possible time. I ended up having to run that thing only after hours, on its own dedicated circuit. Older buildings just have their own set of rules you have to learn the hard way.

karen_roberts49d ago

My uncle's auto shop in an old warehouse had the same problem. They found out the whole back half of the building was on a single 15 amp circuit from the 60s. They had to rewire just to run a decent air compressor.

brooke7678d ago

Ever think about getting a load study done before you buy new equipment? I had an electrician come out and map my whole shop's circuits... found some real weird stuff the last owner did. Like @grace607 said, you learn the rules the hard way in old buildings. That map let me plan what I could plug in where without blowing a fuse. It cost a bit up front but saved me from a bigger bill later when I added more machines.