Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > Canada
Reload this Page >

step up/down transformer

step up/down transformer

Old Sep 30th 2016, 6:02 pm
  #16  
Stand-up Philosopher
 
caretaker's Avatar
 
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Regina Saskatchewan
Posts: 16,344
caretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond reputecaretaker has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Originally Posted by ShirleyEB
hi Wee Gem that's very much appreciated, and nice to 'meet' another expat when I move to St John's. I'm moving over mid November and would be happy to try yours out
I'll be curious to find out how you get on with the Newfie dialect, and if coming from NI will mean you can understand the hard bits. Some of their speech is impossible for outsiders to decipher.
caretaker is offline  
Old Oct 6th 2016, 10:20 pm
  #17  
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
 
Joined: Jun 2016
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland
Posts: 44
ShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Thanks very much everyone for your help
ShirleyEB is offline  
Old Oct 7th 2016, 4:45 am
  #18  
"In cruce vincam"
 
rivingtonpike's Avatar
 
Joined: May 2010
Location: Mill Bay, Vancouver Island
Posts: 3,232
rivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond reputerivingtonpike has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Just buy a transformer. Believe me, almost EVERYTHING will work. For some things, maybe the Hz thingy might be a bit different, but unless you're running some sort of life enhancing gizmo, in my experience it really doesn't matter.
rivingtonpike is offline  
Old Oct 9th 2016, 6:21 pm
  #19  
BE Enthusiast
 
Joined: Jan 2015
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 311
Farmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond reputeFarmboy1892 has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Hi Shirley,

My Family and I plan to move to Ontario in the New Year. We are also from Northern Ireland. Perhaps we could share our experiences to date as it is a very daunting process.
The chat would be interesting if nothing else.

Thanks

Farmboy
Farmboy1892 is offline  
Old Oct 10th 2016, 3:57 pm
  #20  
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
 
Joined: Jun 2016
Location: St. John's, Newfoundland
Posts: 44
ShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond reputeShirleyEB has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Originally Posted by Farmboy1892
Hi Shirley,

My Family and I plan to move to Ontario in the New Year. We are also from Northern Ireland. Perhaps we could share our experiences to date as it is a very daunting process.
The chat would be interesting if nothing else.

Thanks

Farmboy
Happy to chat!- feel free to PM me
Shirley
ShirleyEB is offline  
Old Oct 11th 2016, 1:32 am
  #21  
Grumpy Know-it-all
 
Steve_'s Avatar
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 8,928
Steve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond reputeSteve_ has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Honestly transformers are such a faff you're better off buying new stuff imx. I've got a whole shelf full of those transformers for things I brought over from the UK and hardly use, e.g. paper shredder. I use them with drills as well and yes they do rotate at a different speed, not exactly a big problem though, just use a different setting.
Steve_ is offline  
Old Oct 11th 2016, 12:08 pm
  #22  
Part Time Poster
 
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Worcestershire
Posts: 4,219
MikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond reputeMikeUK has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

As a kettle is just a fixed resistive element (R) it willwork in Canada , it’ll just take a little longer to boil as the current will belower due to the lower voltage
If any care to post up the resistance of a Canadian kettle,I’m quite will to take a measurement of one here, I’m betting there’s not much difference
Interestingly I used an Old Dyson DC02, for an experimentyears ago I ran it on just 120v/60hz andit still out performed a traditional bag type cleaner J

MikeUK is offline  
Old Oct 11th 2016, 10:31 pm
  #23  
Just Joined
 
Joined: Jun 2016
Location: Dartmouth, NS
Posts: 29
weves is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Re: step up/down transformer

I had an interesting chat with my house inspector about the voltages. This is all subject to further research and confirmation:

He explained that voltages are 240V coming to the house in two live lines, and that only one live line is generally used inside the house. There are two common exceptions, electric cookers/ranges and driers which run on the full 240V!

So in theory, a qualified electrician should have no trouble running additional 240V sockets with full British sockets.

However, thinking about it more, there is a difference in frequency, 60Hz over 50Hz, so something won't be happy I bet!
weves is offline  
Old Oct 12th 2016, 3:33 am
  #24  
 
Pulaski's Avatar
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,397
Pulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Originally Posted by weves
I had an interesting chat with my house inspector about the voltages. This is all subject to further research and confirmation:

He explained that voltages are 240V coming to the house in two live lines, and that only one live line is generally used inside the house. There are two common exceptions, electric cookers/ranges and driers which run on the full 240V!

So in theory, a qualified electrician should have no trouble running additional 240V sockets with full British sockets.

However, thinking about it more, there is a difference in frequency, 60Hz over 50Hz, so something won't be happy I bet!
That is entirely correct, and is the reason that the breakers in the breaker box (like a fuse box) are lined up in two columns (you should have roughly the same number of breakers on each side) as one of the 120v wires feeds each of the columns, and so anything that requires 240v has a double-width breaker that taps into both of the 120v supplies.

The wiring for a 240v socket in North America though is quite unlike 240v wiring in the UK because in the UK all 240v is in one wire, whereas in North America you need two wires each of 120v to get a 240v socket. ..... So you (ideally) need four wires - two lives, a neutral and an earth, though it used to be acceptable to use two lives and a neutral for clothes dryers, with the ground (if any) connected to the neutral. .... So you are unlikely to be able to just swap out 120v sockets for 240v sockets (they're much bigger anyway), because the existing wire only has one live core. I have heard that some sockets have two lives wires - one connected to each half of a double socket, but I have never seen one installed.

Last edited by Pulaski; Oct 12th 2016 at 3:37 am.
Pulaski is offline  
Old Oct 12th 2016, 3:52 am
  #25  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Dec 2013
Location: Consolacion,Cebu
Posts: 1,928
quiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond reputequiltman has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Originally Posted by ShirleyEB
thanks jukebox widow- useful to know that my machine will be viable. It's good we can take these things rather than paying a fortune for replacement!!
We're in the Philippines where our supply is, supposedly, 220V at 60Hz. I say suuposedly as it is a bit variable!! My wife brought her 5 sewing machines/ overlockers here and they all run perfectly , even the computerised one. Our only problem is they are all Janome and getting service here is difficult as the Janome agent is useless! However, I ship spare parts from UK and the computerised one goes to Singapore every 2 years for a full service. The 50/60Hz thing is not a problem for most items except for the speed - so if you have a speed dependent device it will run faster. We also have a few items brought from Canada, so 110V, but they all work fine on a step DOWN transformer. Oh, two of the sewing machines have 110/240v 50/60Hz brick power supplies so no problem other than changing the plugs!
quiltman is offline  
Old Oct 12th 2016, 5:30 am
  #26  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,274
Davita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Pulaski's post #24 is correct to heed a warning...the 240VAC supply in USA/Canada is different to that in UK and could be dangerous to simply connect a UK appliance to this source....

The Canadian 3-wire 240VAC is supplied as two 120VAC live wires and one safety ground. The neutral is the phasing shift between the two live wires.

Therefore, it will NOT supply a UK 240VAC appliance without some serious re-wire as the internals of these appliances are wired for one live 240VAC, one neutral and one safety ground.

A transformer will work as its 240VAC output conforms to the UK 3 wire system.
Davita is offline  
Old Oct 12th 2016, 11:45 am
  #27  
 
Pulaski's Avatar
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,397
Pulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Originally Posted by Davita
Pulaski's post #24 is correct to heed a warning...the 240VAC supply in USA/Canada is different to that in UK and could be dangerous to simply connect a UK appliance to this source....

The Canadian 3-wire 240VAC is supplied as two 120VAC live wires and one safety ground. The neutral is the phasing shift between the two live wires.
....
Are you sure? The wiring for 240v that I am used to seeing in the US has either four wires (two lives, a neutral, and a ground) or three wires (two lives and a neutral, with NO ground - IIRC this became obsolete in 1994).

If you are correct then the difference only in presentation, because the neutral and the ground are identical any way, as both are at ground potential.
Pulaski is offline  
Old Oct 12th 2016, 1:10 pm
  #28  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,274
Davita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond reputeDavita has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Are you sure? The wiring for 240v that I am used to seeing in the US has either four wires (two lives, a neutral, and a ground) or three wires (two lives and a neutral, with NO ground - IIRC this became obsolete in 1994).

If you are correct then the difference only in presentation, because the neutral and the ground are identical any way, as both are at ground potential.
You are correct in that a 3 wire 240VAC neutral is also grounded...but it is considered neutral as it completes the circuit to the centre tap of the grid split-phase transformer that sources the 240VAC and the 120VAC simultaneously. If the third wire just went to ground it would not allow the 120VAC to be used...that's why it is recognized as a neutral. i.e. return circuit wire to the center-tap.

I thought the 4 wire system was gradually phased out...I had those plugs in my own house but that was from 30 years ago. My understanding is they used 2 phases of a 3 phase distribution system....but I'm not sure.

Copy from internet...
"First we do not use a 2 phase system, that proved ineffective years ago or maybe it was politics.... What we use in residential is a transformer with a secondary of 240 volts single phase center-tapped step down type. Primary voltage is generally around 2.4 KV to 7.2 KV from a 3 phase source. This allows us to serve both 120 volt loads and 240 volt loads. So our systems for single family dwellings are actually 120/240 volt single phase 3 wire sometimes called the edison system."

Last edited by Davita; Oct 12th 2016 at 1:13 pm.
Davita is offline  
Old Oct 12th 2016, 1:28 pm
  #29  
Proudly Scarberian
 
Pizzawheel's Avatar
 
Joined: Aug 2014
Location: Scarberia
Posts: 2,195
Pizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond reputePizzawheel has a reputation beyond repute
Post Re: step up/down transformer

The subtle difference is that the neutral conductor is intended to carry a current during normal usage. In UK wiring code it's treated the same as a live conductor. The ground isn't and can in some cases be bare- and is also directly connected to the casing.

Because a UK-spec neutral is treated as a live you should get away with connecting it to one leg of a 120V system to yield a net 240V. I'm just deeply unhappy with people blithely doing it without understanding exactly what they've done.



Originally Posted by Davita
You are correct in that a 3 wire 240VAC neutral is also grounded...but it is considered neutral as it completes the circuit to the centre tap of the grid split-phase transformer that sources the 240VAC and the 120VAC simultaneously. If the third wire just went to ground it would not allow the 120VAC to be used...that's why it is recognized as a neutral. i.e. return circuit wire to the center-tap.

I thought the 4 wire system was gradually phased out...I had those plugs in my own house but that was from 30 years ago. My understanding is they used 2 phases of a 3 phase distribution system....but I'm not sure.

Copy from internet...
"First we do not use a 2 phase system, that proved ineffective years ago or maybe it was politics.... What we use in residential is a transformer with a secondary of 240 volts single phase center-tapped step down type. Primary voltage is generally around 2.4 KV to 7.2 KV from a 3 phase source. This allows us to serve both 120 volt loads and 240 volt loads. So our systems for single family dwellings are actually 120/240 volt single phase 3 wire sometimes called the edison system."
On that quote, you do sometimes see 208V single phase here, which I'd think of as two-phase, ie two legs of a 3phase 208 supply connected to a motor or somesuch. Conceptually it horrifies me but the continent hasn't burnt down yet so I guess in practise it works.
Pizzawheel is offline  
Old Oct 12th 2016, 1:45 pm
  #30  
 
Pulaski's Avatar
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,397
Pulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond reputePulaski has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: step up/down transformer

Originally Posted by Pizzawheel
The subtle difference is that the neutral conductor is intended to carry a current during normal usage. In UK wiring code it's treated the same as a live conductor. The ground isn't and can in some cases be bare- and is also directly connected to the casing. ....
That is exactly my understanding.
.... Because a UK-spec neutral is treated as a live you should get away with connecting it to one leg of a 120V system to yield a net 240V. ....
I understand that to be correct, but have never done so myself.
.... I'm just deeply unhappy with people blithely doing it without understanding exactly what they've done.
I agree 110% with this!

Last edited by Pulaski; Oct 12th 2016 at 1:49 pm.
Pulaski is offline  

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.