[hellfire]

I bought a bunch of products from China.. Unfortunetly they are all for 220V. Is there something I can rewire inside the unit for it to use 120V?

The plug is a standard plug that will fit in our outlets.. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Tyler

 

[Scuba_Dave]

A bunch of products such as ??
Do the instructions indicate they can be switched to 120v ?

 

[hellfire]

Well, they are powerheads for a fish tank. I bought multiples of them to test them out.

Ends up somewhere in my order I didn't specify correctly, and well, now I have them.

The box says 220-240V, so no, it specifies nothing about being converted.

It is a 2 prong plug, and will fit into our outlet. I've been reading and it seems that they use 240V to one prong, and neutral to the other.

I know that american wiring has the two 120V sources 180 out of phase. But what exactly will happen if I connect the two, and run it to one prong, and the neutral to the other?

Tyler

 

[wirenut1110]

It'll blow up in your face. Basically a dead short between the 2 legs.

 

[nap]

It'll blow up in your face. Basically a dead short between the 2 legs.

and that's the truth pphhtpppthppP!!!!

lily tomlin

 

[Speedy Petey]

But what exactly will happen if I connect the two, and run it to one prong, and the neutral to the other?

It will go BOOM, and will continue until you stop.

Actually you would be crating a direct line-to-line short and the breaker would trip as soon as you turn it on.
The two 120v line-to-neutral phases would NOT be combined to give you 240v line-to-neutral. You can only get 240v line-to-line and 120v line-to-neutral.

 

[hellfire]

Ok, well how can I provide a 240V source, to one plug, correctly?

Instead of telling me what won't work, can someone tell me what will?

Tyler

 

[hellfire]

It will go BOOM, and will continue until you stop.

Actually you would be crating a direct line-to-line short and the breaker would trip as soon as you turn it on.
The two 120v line-to-neutral phases would NOT be combined to give you 240v line-to-neutral. You can only get 240v line-to-line and 120v line-to-neutral.

Ok, well do the Euro appliances have each plug get 120V, or does one get 240v, and the other Neutral?

Tyler

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Yup, move to China

 

[hellfire]

Yup, move to China

Was thinking about that, but moving to China would hardly be cost effective.

Tyler

 

[Wildie]

Well, they are powerheads for a fish tank. I bought multiples of them to test them out.

Ends up somewhere in my order I didn't specify correctly, and well, now I have them.

The box says 220-240V, so no, it specifies nothing about being converted.

It is a 2 prong plug, and will fit into our outlet. I've been reading and it seems that they use 240V to one prong, and neutral to the other.

I know that american wiring has the two 120V sources 180 out of phase. But what exactly will happen if I connect the two, and run it to one prong, and the neutral to the other?

Tyler

You are misinformed about American sources being out of phase.
All residential power in North America is single phase, as far as I know.
If you connect two in series and connect to 120 volts, you will have 60 volts applied to each one.
Not the scenerio that you are looking for.

I would suggest that you would get in touch with the people that supplied these and ask if you can exchange these for 120 volt units.

 

[nap]

there are several problems with this situation.

1. their 240 plug should not fit in our 120 volt recep

2. hooking up 240 volts to a 120 volt recep is against code and as such, illegal in most areas of the country.

3. asia and europe often use 50 hz frequency where we use 60 hz. That can make a difference with your devices and we know nothing really about them and as such, cannot recommend you use 60 hz freq.

4.you sound like you know very little about electricity and telling you how to kill yourself has never been a goal of mine.

 

[Speedy Petey]

You can most likely have 240v circuits and receptacles installed and change the plugs on the cords.

This is done quite frequently with European appliances.

 

[nap]

=Wildie;290517]You are misinformed about American sources being out of phase.
All residential power in North America is single phase, as far as I know.
If you connect two in series and connect to 120 volts, you will have 60 volts applied to each one.
Not the scenerio that you are looking for

.what the dickens are you talking about? You are wrong, whatever it is.

I would suggest that you would get in touch with the people that supplied these and ask if you can exchange these for 120 volt units.

very good advice

 

[Speedy Petey]

3. asia and europe often use 50 hz frequency where we use 60 hz. That can make a difference with your devices and we know nothing really about them and as such, cannot recommend you use 60 hz freq.

4.you sound like you know very little about electricity and telling you how to kill yourself has never been a goal of mine.

Two VERY good points I neglected to make. :thumbsup:

 

[hellfire]

there are several problems with this situation.

1. their 240 plug should not fit in our 120 volt recep

2. hooking up 240 volts to a 120 volt recep is against code and as such, illegal in most areas of the country.

3. asia and europe often use 50 hz frequency where we use 60 hz. That can make a difference with your devices and we know nothing really about them and as such, cannot recommend you use 60 hz freq.

4.you sound like you know very little about electricity and telling you how to kill yourself has never been a goal of mine.

1. Well.. It does?
2. Explain to me how it would harm anything. As 120V systems use more amps then a 240V system would. 240V system would use half that in fact, so the wiring ran through my house for the 120V system would be more then enough.
3. Yes, I know this. Looking into how to resolve this issue as we speak.
4. I'm a fast learner, and very mechanically inclined. I can do this with no issue, if I was provided with instructions.

You can most likely have 240v circuits and receptacles installed and change the plugs on the cords.

This is done quite frequently with European appliances.

I do know that.

Tyler

 

[Scuba_Dave]

2. Explain to me how it would harm anything. As 120V systems use more amps then a 240V system would. 240V system would use half that in fact, so the wiring ran through my house for the 120V system would be more then enough.
Tyler

Are you serious ??? Running 240v on a 120 outlet? :jester:

 

[Speedy Petey]

2. Explain to me how it would harm anything. As 120V systems use more amps then a 240V system would. 240V system would use half that in fact, so the wiring ran through my house for the 120V system would be more then enough.

I know you say you are trying to lean, but this statement is downright scary.

This just proves you have A LOT to learn.

Yes, a given load (in watts) would use more amps at 120v than at 240v. Thing is the load MUST be designed for the voltge supplied. You cannot simply connect a 120v load to a 240v source, or vice versa. Either way you'll fry what ever it is.

 

[nap]

2. Explain to me how it would harm anything. As 120V systems use more amps then a 240V system would. 240V system would use half that in fact, so the wiring ran through my house for the 120V system would be more then enough.


Tyler

i told you why you do not do what you are suggesting in my second post. I do not tell people how to install systems contrary to NEC specs.

Now, there are ways to make it right but in response to your question, the answer I gave is correct.

I did a little research and China does not use a configuration that will plug into our 5-15R receptacles that I could find.

On top of everything else, we have no idea what kind of current draw this thing is either.

 

[micromind]

Generally speaking, 220 volt 50 HZ devices will operate on 240 volt 60 HZ systems, with a few possible issues.

1) If there's an induction motor involved (washer, dryer, etc.), it'll run 20% faster. Current and heat-wise, the higher voltage and higher frequency will somewhat balance. I've connected quite a few 220 and 415 volt 50 HZ industrial motors to 208, 240, and 480 volt 60 HZ systems with very few problems.

2) If there's a universal motor involved (the kind with brushes, like a portable power tool, or kitchen appliance), it'll run about 5-10% faster. Current and heat will be slightly increased, but not to damaging levels. I have a bunch of 220 volt 50 HZ drills, saws, etc., that I run on 240 volts 60 HZ without problems.

3) If there's a transformer involved, frequency will make very little difference, but voltage of the output will rise by about 10%. Not a problem in most cases.

4) If there's a switching power supply involved (like a computer type), there's no difference at all.

The reason to not connect a standard receptacle to a non-standard voltage is because in your absence, there's an almost certain chance of someone plugging something standard into it, and destroying the device. Even if it were labelled, some nit-wit would likely figure 'Hey, it's 220, my (insert name of macho tool here) will be twice as strong now!! It actually will...... for about 1/2 a second!

There are receptacles and plugs available that are rated for 250 volts. They are the same physical size as the standard ones, but the prong configuration is different, so as to prevent sending the wrong voltage to anything. A 15 amp 250 volt receptacle and plug has the two power prongs horizontal instead of the standard vertical. They come in single or duplex, and fit standard boxes and use standard cover plates. When connected to a 15 amp two pole breaker, they're also completely code compliant. You'll most likely need to run a dedicated circuit from the panel though. Google nema 6-15 and look at some of the pictures, and you'll see the difference.

Another possibility, if the load is small enough, is a transformer to go from 120 to 240. If the load is more than a couple of amps, these get expensive though.

Rob

P.S. Like nap, Petey, and just about all the other pros, my advice is also based on code. It's not all that difficult to comply with, and it insures a reasonably safe installation.