Air Blower Cyclone Pro electrical requirement? (do I really need 20amp?)

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A

abourget

Member
Jun 15, 2022
5
Montreal
Hello!

I bought an air blower cyclone pro... you know, the overpriced big 3hp orange thingy to blow out pipes when winterizing...

Do you really need a 20amp GFCI outlet to operate it? I do have a 15amp GFCI outlet and it's rated at 13.7amp so I'm wondering...

Anyone have experience (good or bad) using a dedicated 15 amp outlet?

Thanks...
 
The NEC requires no circuit to be loaded at more than 80% of its rating. For example, a 15-amp breaker should not have more than a 12-amp load.

The Cyclone Pro specifications say it pulls 14 amps and requires a 20 amp circuit.

Air Supply – Cyclone Pro

www.airsupplyflorida.com www.airsupplyflorida.com

1736373877366.png
 
Yeah I understand this is the logical and proper response. But you can usually ask for more than 80% for short periods... I'm pretty sure the blower is gonna run for 20 seconds maximum so I'm just trying to know if people have been running it on 15A breakers without tripping it. Or did most people who did try it have their breakers trip all the time.
 
abourget said:
Yeah I understand this is the logical and proper response. But you can usually ask for more than 80% for short periods... I'm pretty sure the blower is gonna run for 20 seconds maximum so I'm just trying to know if people have been running it on 15A breakers without tripping it. Or did most people who did try it have their breakers trip all the time.
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You have received the correct and safest answer.
Better to be safe than sorry.
If you choose to do differently, that's on you.
 
You can use the blower on a 15 amp circuit.

The 80% rule applies to continuous loads.

According to the National Electric Code (NEC), Section 210.20(A) states that when a branch circuit supplies both continuous and non-continuous loads, the rating of the overcurrent protection device (circuit breaker or fuse) must be no less than the sum of the non-continuous load plus 125% of the continuous load

According to the National Electrical Code (NEC), a "continuous load" is defined as a load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more; essentially, any electrical appliance or circuit that operates at its full capacity for an extended period of time is considered a continuous load.

Key points about continuous loads in the NEC:

Definition in Article 100: The definition of "continuous load" is found in Article 100 of the NEC.

Sizing requirement: When calculating the size of a circuit for continuous loads, the NEC typically requires sizing the conductors to handle 125% of the expected continuous load current.
 
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Telling people to ignore manufacturers safety protocol is against our mission, and for good reason.

That said, if I had to guess how many new cyclone owners went to inspect their outdoor plug for 20A, I'd guess very very few of them. Like 6.
 
As long as the appliance is being used for less than 3 hours, and it does not use more than 15 amps, it is ok to use and there are no manufacturer's requirement that I am aware of that say that you need a 20 amp circuit.

Edit - It does say on the blower to:

1 ) Connect blower to a 20 amp G.F.C.I. receptacle.
 
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If you were using it as a liner vac, then it would require a 20 amp circuit because it would run continuously for more than 3 hours.

You can ask the manufacturer if you want more clarification about the requirements.

Technical Support
Paul Bedard
954-977-0877 ext. 104
[email protected]

[email protected]

1950 NW 15th Street • Pompano Beach, FL 33069 • Phone 1-800-848-3077 • Fax 954-907-0280 • www.airsupplyflorida.com

Air Supply – Contact Us

www.airsupplyflorida.com www.airsupplyflorida.com
 
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Builders and service people use it for installing liners and that requires the blower to run for over 3 hours continuously, which would require a 20 amp circuit.

For use at less than 3 hours continuous operation, a 15 amp circuit should be fine.
 
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For a mixed load case, you have to do the calculation to see how much noncontinuous load can be added.

For example, a 20 amp circuit with a 12 amp continuous load.

12 amps (1.25) + X amps = 20 amps.

X = 5 amps noncontinuous (Less than 3 hours).

So, the maximum load would be 17 amps on a 20 amp circuit with a 12 amp continuous load with a limit of 3 hours at 17 amps.

The maximum continuous load on a 20 amp circuit is 16 amps.
 
I use it on various rated circuits, on various extension cords (all heavy duty), blowing out accounts for winter. Have never check the amperage rating of a circuit that I’ve used. Haven’t experienced an issue. Granted my use hasn’t been installing liners.
 
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Late to the party but I am going to go out on a limb here and saying that if it required a 20A circuit, they need to fit it with a NEMA 5-20p plug on the end of the cord so that you can't plug it in to a 15A receptacle. I don't know what plug it has but I'm guessing it is a NEMA 5-15p plug. Which means that it will get plugged in to a 15A receptacle all day long.

1736711472300.png

--Jeff
 
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