Phase Converter 101

Confused about phase converters? You are not alone. A lot of people, including qualified electricians, are confused also. But, Phase Converters can be a great thing for your shop. It can bring you the ability to utilize more efficient and compact 3-phase motors for your equipment. 3 Phase motors are smaller, and can pack a lot more horsepower into a smaller space. But, I don't need to tell you about the advantages of 3 phase power, I'm sure. Of course, many of the Logosol products are available in 3 Phase, although some are now available in single phase.

Logosol has recently begun offering a high quality Rotary Phase Converter to our customers at a low price, just so they will be more apt to take advantage of 3 Phase power. So, now it's more incentive than ever to move up to 3 Phase power in your shop.

But, before you order that phase converter, here are a few things to consider. First, do you have enough power available in your shop to run a converter? For our discussion, I will be discussing phase converters sized to run our 3 Phase Planer/Moulder and Chip Extractor, which is a 20 HP Rotary Phase Converter. To install this converter, you need to insure that you have two major things:

1. A Electrical Service Panel Rated at least at 200 Amps


2. A transformer on the electric pole outside your shop rated at 25 KVA(ask your electric company what the transformer feeding your shop is rated)

If you don't have both of these conditions, then you will not get the full use of your phase converter. It will run, but you will not get full power out of your equipment in certain operations. So, if you do not have these criteria met, you will be better off with single phase equipment.

If you have the above two items, you will need to add a 100 amp circuit breaker for the phase converter. This will power the phase converter. Then your three phase wiring will come out of the phase converter and be distributed to the appropriate equipment. One way to do this is to feed a three phase electrical panel box from the phase converter and put breakers in this box for each piece of equipment. I've include in this section a picture of one of our phase converters installed in the Wichern woodworking shop in Missourri. They had an electrician do a great job of installation for their shop. This is what a good installation should look like. The box to the left is the 100 Amp Circuit Breaker. Not shown is the main electrical panel that feeds this breaker. At the bottom of the photo is the phase converter, and then the top right box is the 3 phase electrical panel. Notice the conduit connecting the 3 phase box with the 100 amp circuit breaker. Two legs for the 3 phase box are coming from the breaker, and one leg from the phase converter. You can see a diagram for this on Smith Electric's website.

You can read more about phase converters there. But, overall, phase converters are simple to install. Just make sure you have adequate power to your facility. Find a good electrician who understands 3 phase power, and you should have no trouble getting your converter installed. Be sure to follow local codes for your installation and use a qualified electrician. We are always here for consultation if you need assistance, as well as the manufacturer of the phase converter. Enjoy 3 Phase Power!