Hot Air Station Pops GFCI outlets / Which is best high End Hot Air? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: daveyk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2020, 07:24:18 pm
content: Okay, I've had one of those $50 862D+ air stations for maybe a year and a half, or two. I use it sparingly as after it's been running for several minutes, it pops my GFCI outlets.My shop in built in my finished basement. When I wired it, I made the outlets 20 amp GFCI (there may be a few daisy changed from each one). Since I only used 12 gauge wire when building the shop down here, all breakers are 20 amp. Nothing so far trips these GFCI outlets, no how much equipment is running, and I've run quite a bit at once, along with computers....Back to the 862D+, it always trips the GFCI outlet, shutting everything else down. It will run several minutes and allow me to get a part desoldered, but it always trips the GFCI after several minutes of operation. It does NOT trip the 20AMP breaker and it does NOT blow its own 6AMP fuse. On the 862D+ cord, between hot and ground, no resistance can be measured with my 34401A. Between Neutral and Ground, no resistance can be measured (with the 826D+ Hot Air switch on). I don't have the standard solder iron even hooked up to it as I use Hakko ironss to solder. I've been temped to break the round ground prong off its plug to see if that cures the issue (standard soldering iron is never hooked up or used, so it shouldn't really hurt anything).I think I am ready to give up on it and buy a good names brand hot air station. What one would anyone recommend that actually uses one and does not experience GFCI trips with it?https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B006FA481G?th=1#??

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2020, 08:16:01 pm
content: Quote from: daveyk on May 21, 2020, 07:24:18 pmI would not do this, too much risk of the heater coil coming in contact with the metal outer shell and either shocking you or destroying a board. Maybe that is what is already happening now.Do not buy that 968, or any other "dual" station. Its garbage.You are asking for high end, at that point you are looking at something like the Quick station:https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/861DW/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/SDG has done some recent reviews.But personally I've had no issues with multiple 858D clones. All work perfectly for years so far.

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2020, 09:28:55 pm
content: Well, in my newly unboxed 853D there is a washer somewhere sliding loose in the case... i am worried if it fell in or something is loose.It does not take much to trip a GFCI... so if it occurs only after a couple minutes of use could indicate that thermal expansion clamps something to ground (or the grounded case).

author: daveyk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2020, 10:28:57 pm
content: "You are asking for high end, at that point you are looking at something like the Quick station:https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/861DW/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/SDG has done some recent reviews."Why. thank you. At $265, that's not too bad; it isn't $1000 HAKKO price."But personally I've had no issues with multiple 858D clones. All work perfectly for years so far."It does work, I pulling my hair out with the damn GFCI popping with it all the time. I have been so tempted just to replace those outlets with standard outlets.I might order your recommended one and another cheapo, like I have and see if it pops the GFCI and then figure out why the original one does. I mean it produced hot air, has plenty of airflow for just a fan in the handle) but I am sick of the outlets popping.Dave

author: daveyk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2020, 10:34:37 pm
content: "thermal expansion clamps something to ground (or the grounded case)."I've been through it pretty good and had the handle apart. Earth ground is run to the heater case. I can find no conductivity from either hot prong or neutral prong to earth ground prong or the case around the heater element. There is a bunch of MICA (some sort of silica) coming out of the hot air gun when it was shoo, but there still seems to be no leakage that I can tell but I might need a mega-ohm meter to see real leakage. I thought I it was drawing too much current, but then it does not blow its own fuse or the breaker. Both the ground fault outlets are about 20 years old. I may have to replace them, or just replace them with non-GFCI outlets for the bench.

author: daveyk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2020, 10:36:52 pm
content: "the Quick station:https://www.tequipment.net/Quick/861DW/Desoldering-Equipment/Rework-Stations/"Question at that link it is $265. Amazon wants $309. It is still Chinese. Is it really worth the bigger bucks (for a Chinese station)? Is Quick considered a good "Name" brand?Dave

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2020, 10:59:06 pm
content: Quote from: daveyk on May 21, 2020, 10:28:57 pmYeah don't waste your time, either use a normal outlet if there is one close by or replace the hot air station.Hakko seems to have a built in vacuum tool, but other than that I don't see how its significantly better or worse than the quick for 3x the cost.https://www.hakkousa.com/products/rework/fr-810b-smd-hot-air-rework-station.htmlQuote from: daveyk on May 21, 2020, 10:36:52 pmtequipment should be a good vendor, has free shipping too.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/eevblog-members-discount-at-tequipment/Quick is a decent brand. There were quite a few clones of their products.