Power cord from the ceiling for your longarm?
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: DFW / Texas
Posts: 1,254
Power cord from the ceiling for your longarm?
Pros and cons to having this done? Wondering if it would beat tripping over the power cord and light cord?
Thoughts? Pictures would be great@
Thanks everyone!
Thoughts? Pictures would be great@
Thanks everyone!
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 506
Before we finished the ceiling in my basement laundry room my iron plug was in the ceiling. I loved it. I miss that more than anything else. My cord was up off the floor. I wanted DH to leave it but said he could not do it with a finished ceiling. As he is a retired electrician, I figured he knew best....but I still miss it.
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: in the sticks of PA
Posts: 2,309
Is your cord long enough to go the distance from where you start to the finish point? I do understand about tripping over the cord but is this a problem because you just got your longarm? Sometimes at the beginning things that seem like obstacles just sort of disappear. I mean if your cord is long enough then go for it! Good luck!
#5
When we built my sewing studio, we had two electric outlets put in the ceiling and two in the floor. When my longarm was set up a week ago, I soon discovered that it would be difficult to put a surge protector in the ceiling so I’m using the floor plugs and they are conveniently under the machine so I don’t have cords to step over anything. I guess the ceiling outlets might come in handy if I need to add a light bar or something...
#6
I thought of doing that, but I have my LA plugged in to a Uninterruptible Power Supply. The UPS is plugged into an outlet that is controlled by a light switch on the light bar arm of my frame (it turns on the light bar too). That outlets is actually on a cord that plugs into an outlet in the ceiling. The outlet on the ceiling is also controlled by the main light switch on by the door. If my overhead light is off, all power to the LA is also off. Kind of convoluted, but it keeps from having any cords running across the floor where someone may walk.
My main problem is with the cord hanging around the end rails for the machine. When needing enough length to get to both ends, when I'm working in the middle it sort of gets in the way. That would happen with both above and below cords. Thought about putting them on a bungee cord that would hold them up, but in order for it to be strong enough to hold the weight of the cords, I'm worried it would cause a bit of a "drag" when I'm moving the machine for FMQ.
I have a double cord because my power hookup for the tablet that runs the robotics stopped working, so I have the tablet plugged in by it's own power cord so have that and the LA cord hanging down.
I've never quilted from the back of the machine, so am only working on that side when loading/unloading or trimming quilts. When doing that, my machine is normally to the far end. My cords are attached up under the middle of the table, so when the machine is all the way to one end or the other, I don't have any cords on the floor.
My main problem is with the cord hanging around the end rails for the machine. When needing enough length to get to both ends, when I'm working in the middle it sort of gets in the way. That would happen with both above and below cords. Thought about putting them on a bungee cord that would hold them up, but in order for it to be strong enough to hold the weight of the cords, I'm worried it would cause a bit of a "drag" when I'm moving the machine for FMQ.
I have a double cord because my power hookup for the tablet that runs the robotics stopped working, so I have the tablet plugged in by it's own power cord so have that and the LA cord hanging down.
I've never quilted from the back of the machine, so am only working on that side when loading/unloading or trimming quilts. When doing that, my machine is normally to the far end. My cords are attached up under the middle of the table, so when the machine is all the way to one end or the other, I don't have any cords on the floor.
Last edited by Macybaby; 01-17-2019 at 07:01 AM.
#7
You can put an outlet up on the wall near the ceiling. Like if you were going to mount a tv. I was lucky when I bought my house the people before me had outlets in the wall near the ceiling for mounting tv's. That could be another solution instead of having it in the ceiling.
#8
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 11
The only place in my home I can set a longarm is in my basement. I didn’t want to be tripping over cords, but there was no place to put in an electrical outlet without long cords on the floor. So I had one put in the ceiling and am using a retractable electrical cord reel, so I can easily unhook the longarm and retract the cord when needed.
I have a UPS under the table which plugs into the cord reel cord. My lights and longarm plug into the UPS. For me this setup works well. This got mixed up in the order I want to show you.
but you see that the retractable cord lays Oder the eve of the top pole cradle and hangs down. From the UPS I have hung the power cord to the edge of the longarm to plug into the retractable cord
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606896[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]606897[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]606898[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]606899[/ATTACH]
I have a UPS under the table which plugs into the cord reel cord. My lights and longarm plug into the UPS. For me this setup works well. This got mixed up in the order I want to show you.
but you see that the retractable cord lays Oder the eve of the top pole cradle and hangs down. From the UPS I have hung the power cord to the edge of the longarm to plug into the retractable cord
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606896[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]606897[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]606898[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]606899[/ATTACH]
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Carroll, Iowa
Posts: 3,416
Yes, I had my electrician install a wall socket up in my rafters so I wouldn't trip over the cords. I also added a metal ring onto a galvanized pole so the cords can move with the machine. Here's a pic of my setup. Its not pretty but I haven't tripped yet. I also have a camera on my quilt machine, automatic advancement for the back roller as well as robotics so more cords to worry about so all up in the rafters.
#10
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,071
Before we finished the ceiling in my basement laundry room my iron plug was in the ceiling. I loved it. I miss that more than anything else. My cord was up off the floor. I wanted DH to leave it but said he could not do it with a finished ceiling. As he is a retired electrician, I figured he knew best....but I still miss it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post