A Learning experience

Had pressure switch fail on one here just a month or so ago...it had been practice to leave it 24/7 for some 50 years until...

Again, fortunately no apparent permanent compressor damage and didn't overheat to the point of causing fire before finding...

Did educate the missus who was home while I was not during much of the day it was running to pull the plug if ever does happen again...

I believe there are timer that can be wired into the house electrical system.

A back up to for the compressor may be to wire a timer into the circuit so it would shut the house power off after a reasonable time.

Reasonable would depend on how you use your compressor. If the normal time that you use it causes it to run for and hour, set the house power time to an hour and a half.

How about coming into the shop monday morning to find the compressor smoking and an air hose flying around like a cobra on meth, knocking everything off worbenches and beating the heck out of toolboxes. Thankfully unable to reach the glass in the garage doors or the customer's car in the far bay - - -

Despite having whole house surge suppressors for both my electrical panels I don't leave any of my equipment plugged in. Surprised the pop-off valve in the [25 year?] old 5hp Black Max still functions.

Dave in SoTex

I never leave any of my compressors on, usually always turn them off when I finish a particular job and always when I leave the shop for the evening. This applies for both the wood and upholstery shops. For large tanks, I can understand that someone might leave the unit turned on, takes a while t o pressurize a large tank. For small tanks, turn it off.

Similarly, I never leave my industrial sewing machines running, always turn them off after a session of sewing, before getting out of the chair.

I use a torpedo diesel fuel heater in the shop. I never leave it plugged i n when not in use, always unplug it from the power when not in use.

I always lower my table saw blades below the table tops, when finished cutt ing. I never leave the blades exposed above the table tops.

Some folks leave the tension on their band saw blades when not in use. I a lways reduce the tension on my band saw blade when not in use.

When applicable, I oftentimes look around for someone to blame my mistakes on and/or blame someone for stealing a tool (more often my pencil) when I c an't readily find the one I need at the moment.

Sonny

Same, though it's because SWMBO doesn't like the things coming on when I'm not home (or in the middle of the night).

The only time I've been cut by a saw blade was when it was stopped. I dragged my hand across the blade. Those tooth tips are *sharp*.

I find someone to blame too. Me. I've had fightin' words with that SOB too.

I walked out of the shop one day and when I came back a couple of days late r, I found I had failed to turn my lathe off. What I had done was hit the Emergency Stop instead. That cost me a new inverter. There is now a brigh t red LED on the lathe side of the power switch. It goes off before I leav e the shop.

One of those reasons to have the shop wired to a switch at the door. Or in my case, everything plugs into a swtichable power bar, which doubles as light switch for the shed. Which is not to say that I haven't come back to find I've left the lights on. "For me" it works, mostly because I have no place to put power tools where they can be left on and "overlooked".

I'd also like a light on the heater so that I can tell when it is "heating" and not just plugged in.

ter, I found I had failed to turn my lathe off. What I had done was hit th e Emergency Stop instead. That cost me a new inverter. There is now a bri ght red LED on the lathe side of the power switch. It goes off before I le ave the shop.

I've never left the drill press running. Nope, not me.

Leaving the Lincoln Tombstone turned on helps keep the frost out of the shop - - -

I follow this mantra too. Probably just because its neater to have everything put away and no electrical cords running on the floor.

Do you unplug your TV when you turn it off? Toaster?

Do you run power cords across the room to plug in your TV/Toaster/charger?

The issue is not so much "leaving equipment plugged in", as it is "leaving equipment turned on" which has its own set of bad things happen.

How does one prevent oneself from leaving equipment powered up resulting in expensive repairs?

One option: unplug them before locking up.

...

The one in Q? is 80 gal. I do cut off the little portable.

I have an inline thermostat on the space heater; I turn it to the off position altho may leave plug in the wall...

Now that is overboard... :)

I should but rarely actually bother to..

Goes without saying it was never _my_ fault...

In a shop as small as mine, the table saw often becomes extra workbench or counter space.

I always lower the blade and the router bit (router table built into the table saw). The router hole gets the solid Woodpecker insert. The fence and miter gauge get hung on the wall.

As for the compressor, it's a 6 gallon pancake, kept in the garage. Somewhere in the PEX that is run around the garage and down to the basement shop, there is a minor leak. If I leave the compressor on, it will recharge about once a day. I try to turn it off when I'm done using it, but if I don't, it will remind me that I forgot. It usually does that at the most inopportune time, like as soon I step into the garage, totally not expecting it. ;-)

ything put away and no electrical cords running on the floor.

TV is sitting on a box/shelf I built myself on top of the fireplace hearth. All its cords including the separate speaker, DVD player, and router/mode m are behind the TV or off to one side. All on top of the hearth and kind of hidden, so not much of a problem. Does not bother me mentally. My toas ter also stays plugged in. Its cord is behind the toaster up against the b ack splash. It is NOT out on the counter top. So it does not bother and i rritate me either.

Unplugging the TV would also introduce other problems. My TV has a clock i n it. Same with the router/modem. So unplugging them each time I used the m would add lots of work reprogramming them. Guessing its kind of like tho se fancy panel saws with computers inside them. You would never unplug the m because it would mess up the saw and take a few hours to get it running a gain. So it always stays plugged in. My saw is a Delta Contractor saw. B asic. Unplugging the motor does not harm the saw at all.

Not the question. I don't run them across the room for my compressor either.

No, that's not the issue we were discussing.

No, but we watch TV off and on throughout the day till bedtime. I might not use the table saw or compressor for days if not weeks. I don't leave the iron plugged [rarely use it] and when we travel I'll unplug any appliance that has a heating element, ie. the Keurig. A friend, retired electrical engineer, advises turning the water supply to your toilets off when we travel. But, he thinks lke an engineer.

Dave in SoTex

Best to turn off the water to the washing machine.