Pfaff wiring question; some advice appreciated
 

Hi all, i hope someone can help. I recently bought a vintage Pfaff 332 and it arrived looking as scrumpcious as Id hoped. Unfortunately when I plugged it in it blew my socket and tripped out my electrics. The machine cords had apparently been brought up to spec by the seller so I asked an electrician to check my house electrics. To cut a long story short, it turns out that it is merely a matter of incompatability. My house electrics are brand new (renovation) and very sensitive as per the most modern code. This means that the machine is essentially too 'meaty' and powerful for my house! It has been tried in various rooms and on various circuits. I am not conversant with electrics and, as i have young children around all the time, cannot risk getting an electric shock (the first thing the children would do if i got shocked would be to try to help or comfort me). the electrician feels I should return the machine, but i just thought Id ask if any of you have experienced this incompatibility?

if you are in the USA and the machine is a 110v motor there should not be an issue.

as far as there being a difference between "new electricals" and "old electricals", I would be VERY suspicious of that answer. Ohm's law has not changed since the beginning.

If your breaker is "tripping" then either it is too small for the circuit (only seen this in mobile homes before) or the machine has an electrical issue which is causing the breaker to trip for safety.

Unless you have DC and the machine is wired AC (or vice versa) this sounds like a lot of . . . too me. Now, if the machine is wired wrong and is causing a short causing the breaker to trip - its simply that the machine is wired WRONG and not any New/old wire incompatibility. Never even heard someone say something like that, and I've got all new wiring at code for 2012 and run machines wired for back in 1925.

I run a Pfaff 130 with no problems what so ever.

I have never in my life heard of a domestic sewing machine that will trip even a 15amp circuit (about the smallest you will have ) UNLESS it's got bad wiring. They simply don't draw that much electricity.

Though if you've got those arc fault breakers (required for bedrooms and some others) they are very sensitive to surges, we can't run our chop saw plugged into that, but that takes quite a power spike to start up, and that is what trips the arc-fault breaker. A sewing machine should not do that -

And I bet your kitchen outlets are all 20amp, and if to code should have very little else on that circuit, so if you pop one of them, then it's another issue.

I hope the person that told you the machine was too "meaty" is NOT the same one that wired your house during the renovation. That would have me very worried!

I would question the wiring job the previous seller did. Something is not right. My 332 doesn't blow any circuits or flip the breakers. It has nothing to do with it being too meaty. It's a domestic machine and isn't going to draw off your line any more than other larger home appliances. I would return it. None of my other vintage Pfaffs do this either...

I have a Pfaff 332 which is the machine I learned on when I was a little boy. My mother had it for 30 years and I've had it for almost that long. The cordset has been replaced but it has never ever done that and I've lived in 4 different states in old houses as well as new and renovated ones. I smell B.S.

The machine could be wired wrong but "old wires with new wires" being somehow incompatible is bunk and I would never use that electrician again. That just doesn't pass the smell test.

P.S. The only thing that might be the problem is if it is a machine that came from Europe and is set to run 220 but just had wires changed out for American plugs. That would be a problem but you could get a transformer.

I do have an Elna that had an European plug and a switch on the bottom of the machine to change it from 220 to 110 and it had an adapter on the plug for American outlets. The wire had a short so I switched it and have had no problems with it.

I think maybe its my paraphrasing thats mostly at fault - I have no electrical understanding whatsoever so Im using commonplace terms to explain the gist of what i was told.Perhaps something has got lost in translation between the electrician, my husband and finally me. I have every confidence in the electrician; he is thoroughly legit and of first class longstanding reccommendations. He is also independant from the renovation team - deliberatly so as I wanted a second opinion on my house electrics, which are all fine. When i contacted the seller of the machine he suggested a few possible things to try - one of which was removing the grounding - this puts me very ill at ease as firstly I dont want to mess with something I dont understand and then plug it in, and secondly because i presume he rewired it with grounding for a reason. My instinct from the first problem was to return the machine but wanted to be sure as carriage rates are so costly. I adore vintage machines but find the idea of aged electrics very daunting. I have only recently emmigrated from england and didnt have to worry so much there as PAT tested machines could be easily sourced. Im going to replace this machine with a more locally sourced one (after returning the Pfaff); would you reccommend that new leads and foot pedal be perchased as a basic precaution for the next second hand machine?

PS thanks so much for your replies - your swift helpfulness is awesome.

If removing the ground "fixes" the problem, then something is wrong inside the machine. I'd send it back too - well, no, I'd have my husband rewire it.

Is it too late to take this machine to a different site and try it out there? If the same problem occurs, there should be no doubt that the machine is the problem. That information would help you get your money back.

Did this machine also come from England? I'm sure you know that the UK uses 220V mains whereas the US uses 110V mains. The motor's voltage will be printed on it, and needs to match the mains in your house.

US motors and foot controllers would probably burn out and trip the fuse if plugged into an English socket, and UK motors are severely under-powered when plugged into a US socket. Neither situation is recommended, and voltage converters are quite cheap if you do find a voltage incompatibility. As an example, I have a US made featherweight, and coupled with a 240V to 110V converter, it works perfectly.

Thanks heaps. No its a US/german machine (made for S. American market i think) from a US seller..
I did bring my beloved Singer 15 with me from England- its awaiting a new US motor to be bolted on, but i wanted to try something with more decorative stitches hence looking into machines with patterns and cams etc Going to try one of the more mainstream Singer 400 series next probably .... meanwhile the Pfaff is going back sadly.

OK, that's one potential problem eliminated.

If you're going to be FM quilting with it the 400 series might not be ideal due to its horizontal bobbin (apparently causes the tension to be inconsistent) but for general use, the 400s are really nice.

I bought a Pfaff 260 (1959) some time ago and started stitching with it last week. It was absolutely fantastic, and I say "was" because the bobbin case pin was slightly bent and snapped when I tried to bend it back again (sigh).

Bella Biscuit,

Yes, it is sad that you have to return it. The Pfaff 332 is still my favorite machine, not just for nostalgic reasons, but because it would sew just about anything. However, it does have a flaw in that it is powered by a metal-cleated cotton belt which they no longer produce. Mine was starting to need a new belt (last replaced in the 1990s) but there are none. So it's likely you would be disappointed by it sooner or later.

The Singer 400 series would be a good choice for you if you want decorative stitches or even a 500. They will use a Class 66 bobbin, and I'd recommend looking for old metal bobbins to use for it. The good news is that parts are easier to get. A new cord set would not be a bad idea and you can find them at http://www.shop.sew-classic.com/
You wouldn't have to get a new foot controller, you could use the old controller and just attach new wires. There are tutorials available if you need them. However, if you upgrade to an electronic foot controller, you get a little more control and if you use them continuously for an extended time they don't get hot like the old button controllers do.

Good luck in your search.