I picked up a dust collector for a song last year. It is
overkill for my small shop, but the price was right. The
footprint is like your average washer, but 18" taller. I spoke
with Torit-Donaldson a couple times last year. They were going
to check out the conversion I needed and get back to me. They
haven’t yet. That is a tough thread to retrace. It would be
simpler for me to work with suppliers and an electrician locally
(Seattle) as components are required. and I thought maybe one of
you may have run across 3-phase conversion before. The motor in
place is a 1.5hp – 3450rpm. I need to convert to the system to
220. The motor as I recall when researching before, could easily
run $600 to $800. The other snafu is in the necessary (if any)
rewiring of the system. Being quite near illiterate
electrically, your suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks, Tim
Hi Tim, I have a Torit about three years older than God. It is
110 volts and works great. Why don’t you just plug in the one
you’ve got instead of doing a conversion. Tom Arnold
I thought maybe one of you may have run across 3-phase
conversion before.
Tim: Your present thinking is right. Feed the equipment the
electrical supply it wants. Don’t modify the equipment to utilize
what you now have. All homes are wired with at least two 120 volt
lines to the main. Two of these lines will give you the 240 (or
220) volts you need. The only problem is that it’s single phase.
To convert to 3 phase you will need a 3 phase converter. There
are two types of converters - Static (electronic) and Rotary
(mechanical). The static type is less expensive than the rotary
and is more than adequate for your requirements. It can be
purchased from an industrial supply house (MSC, Grainger etc.) I
suggest that you buy one with greater capacity (amperage) than
you now need. You may come across another 220V 3 phase bargain.
The installation MUST be done by a licensed electrician. While the
electrician is there, ask him/her to also give you a 220V single
phase outlet. This is a simple matter of tapping off 220V before
the converter. Then you will be ready for any bargain. The whole
deal should cost you about $500. Good luck.
If I understand the nature of the problem correctly: You have a
3 phase unit and you wish to use it on a single phase circuit
(commercial/industrial vs. residential power). I am not familiar
with that unit but I suspect that the motor may be the only thing
which is 3 phase in the unit, with the rest 208/230 volt single
phase. If so you will probably need to buy a single phase motor,
have it replaced and the wiring checked for proper tapping on
the transformers for control voltages etc.
As you are not electrically inclined I would recommend you find
someone who deals with motors and motor controls to do the work
for you. There are probably some shops near you who specialize
in motor rebuilding. They usually will give an estimate for a
nominal fee, but you will probably have to take it in to them,
if they come out the cost increases substantially.
Dan Wellman PS If you know the hp, voltage, rotation (e.g.
Clockwise Shaft end), frame size, mounting, shaft size (dia x
length) type (keyed, flat etc), amperage, model #, manufacturer,
if a high starting torque is required, etc you can probably
find a single phase replacement motor from WW Grainger etc.