john fisher

I have brought out some 240v tools with me in the hope I can use the 220v system in Canada.
I understand that to get 220v you need to use the 2 hot wires, and the ground goes to earth, but what do you do with the neutral wire. or should I give up and replace tools and motor to 110v.

Help anyone.

Novocastrian

a) get an electrician

b) you are mixing up 3-phase 220V with single phase 240V

c) Remember they're imperial volts, not metric volts

d) send an e-mail to Souvenier.....I told him I'd use that line.

iaink

One of your hot lines is in effect the neutral, but your ground is not ground, thats why this is dangerous to do.

The 220 here is really two out phase 110s with a center tap ground. Either hot line to ground is 110, but hot line to hot line is 220.

The "ground" doesnt truly protect you because you would still have either 220 or 110 volts going through you depending on what else you are in contact with at any given time.

I dont think an electrician can do this to code, so if "something" happens you might have some insurance issues to deal with.

john fisher

Thanks for replies, I thought this my cause some trouble so I think I'll change my tool and motor on my compressor.
Or buy a few transformers, any comments on transformers.

windward

When I looked at them they were expensive and heavy. About £35 got me one powerful enough to charge my MD player, and with an extra adapter on the end to fit it to N. American sockets it kinda hung from the two flimsy pins in the wall rather than plugged in :|

The right kind (with a British socket output) was surprisingly difficult to find, even trawling round three separate radio shacks in Montreal, though that may just be my luck

I'm sure someone here has found a decent source...

iaink

You could go down the transformer route, but if the compressor is pulling serious power, you will need a pretty big (expensive) one to have sufficient capacity.

Unless its a particularly high end piece of equipment it might be better to cut your losses and save the shipping costs too. Compressors are not that expensive here, at least those targeting the home user market, and maybe it would cost more to change the motor, who knows?

Sears or Canadian Tire probably have online prices for a replacement.

There is a place thats been mentioned here a few times for transformers, its in the US, but i cant remember the name

lawson44

Hi

The easiest way would be to buy a generator just to power your tools, you will be able to get one with 240v and 110v outlets so you could use your UK tools and Canadian ones when you buy them in the future (if you need to use them away from a nearby power outlet).
Just check to see if yours tools are rated at 60Hz if not they will run faster than they did here which may damage them.

They are going for about $300 on ebay for a 3KW model.

I hope this helps

iaink

But again the "240"V from a canadian or US generator is 120, 120 and floating ground. Hence the different "twist lock" dryer type plug socket.

Buying one in the UK is an option though.

50 vs 60Hz might make a syncronous motor run a bit off speed, but probably wont do any harm. Some are rated for both, so worth looking at the plate. Just replacing them motor on a compressor might be cost effective. Places like TSC (tractor supply co...hardware for farmers or local industrial suppliers might have cheapish replacements.

Posidrive

http://www.voltageconverters.com

Very efficient and they also ship from within Canada

Wild George

Have no idea what the f**k you are on about..how about a few ciders down
your lake this wkend Caroline???
XMrs HerbX

john fisher

There is always someone lowering the tone thread and bring alcohol online there must be a law against that.

Yes a few beers/ciders would be good (if it doesn't rain)and its not our lake .................yet, we still have another 20 days to go before we become members of the piss heads club.

To all who have made sensible replies I thank you, I think I'll change the motor on the compressor, as for the rest of my tools anyone returning to the UK, tools going cheap.

brit_in_fizroy

Sell it all and buy new or used here. You can get the 220 from the 2 hot phases, just forget the neutral, but you will have to wire this yourself or get an electrician. ground is ground so forget the previous posts that say it isn't. The big drawback is twofold:

1. Your tools will die eventually, expecting 240 and only getting 220 means they won't work to their full potential as designed, this will mostly effect the compressor, motors will be labouring to give what you ask of them.

2. You'll only be able to use the tools where you wire them to. So I guess this means the garage or workshop.

Canada loves garage sales and pawn shops. You'll be able to get 110 stuff no problem.

iaink

Perhaps I was unclear. Ground is ground, but the ground on your UK equipment is potentially not going to save your bacon as its floating between the two out of phase 110s, but was designed to be common with a zero potential neutral, which you dont have jerry rigging 220 in canada. It will work, but it wont be safe, and certainly wont meet code.

UK:
wire 1 (hot) 240V AC rel to neutral and ground
wire 2 (neutral) is "return" for the hot line, zero potential to earth
wire 3 (ground) zero potential, back up for

Canada: at the distribution panel
wire 1 (hot) 110V to ground, 220V to wire 2
wire 2 (also hot) 110V to ground, 220V to wire 1
wire 3 neutral (same potential as ground)

All the 220V stuff in Canada like the dryer , cooker etc is wired with the two hot lines (isolated from the outside world), plus neutral return plus ground. The motor for the dryer and the clock and light in the oven for example need 110V, which comes from one hot and neutral, and the real power for heating is 220V from the two hot lines (no neutral). The ground and neutral are at the same potential, with the ground as a safety back up if you like

If you try wiring a UK 3 wire, (hot neutral ground) appliance, you lose the safety of the redundent back up ground. If the insulation somewhere has failed between neutral and ground, there is no consequence in the UK as they are basicaly the same potential, but here worst case you find that anything that is earthed is suddenly at 110V

Another factor in all this is do you want to try and explain what you were doing to your insurance adjuster if your house burns down for an unrelated reason?

MikeUK

Its do'able

but read up on how both systems are supplied..to the home, phase, earthing,

if you understand this then proceed, other wise stop, buy a tranformer, or a new motor

(in simple terms NA power is a centre taped earth, Uk is a side taped earth in terms of the supply end tranfomer)

If your system is "double insulated"(square in square symbol) then the ground is irrelevant

macmike41

Isn't the phase important too - if both the 110v lines are the same phase how do you get 220v.