How do you replace a 120volt outlet to a 240volt?

Answer 1

Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.

As you asked this question here the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to install a new 120 Volt socket outlet for you.

He will use the correct size of wire for the 120 Volt appliance you want to use and connect it to the correct size of circuit breaker on the main panel and also a GFCI safety device to protect users from electrocution if the room is likely to be damp or have water spray or wet floors, walls or ceiling, such as a laundry room or a kitchen.

Then you would be able to use a 120 Volt appliance safely in the room in question.

The answer given just below here is highly dangerousadvice. The reason it would be dangerous to simply do what it says is that the circuit breakers on a 240 Volt circuit are big enough to protect a clothes dryer, a kitchen range, or whatever the 240 Volt receptacle was intended to supply.

Those breakers are way too big to protect a 120 Volt socket outlet, because, if any small appliance plugged into that socket outlet were to develop a fault, it could catch on fire - or electrocute somebody - and the circuit breaker would never trip to cut the supply of electricity!

Also, if the 120 Volt appliance takes a higher current than the old 240 Volt appliance, the wiring from the breakers to the wall box may be way too thin to carry the 120 Volt appliance's current safely and the wiring itself could catch on fire. That could easily cause a serious house fire.

Answer -- BUT THIS IS DANGEROUS SO DON'T DO THIS! --Just use one leg of the 220. Should be black, red, white, wires in the box. Depending on age of wiring, there may be green and bare wires also. Black, white, and green SHOULD give you power, neutral, and ground in that order, but check to make sure.

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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

Answer 2

Hi,

They're shaped differently, so probably not. Besides, plugging in a 120 volt device into a 240 volt power source would be disastrous to the device and not a good idea.

Hope this helps,

Cubby

Answer 3

You rewire the outlet. The maximum voltage rating of devices comes into play here. A 120 volt device can only be used on voltages up to 120 volts as per the manufactures specifications. These maximum voltage ratings come from regulations that state there can only be certain minimum distance clearance between live parts. These minimum clearances become greater as the voltage level increases. This is why you would have to change to a 240 volt rated device if you supply 240 volts to it.

Answer 4

Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.

Please read this explanation thoroughly twice before doing any electrical work. Do this electrical work only if you feel confident that you can do it safely. If not, then this is the procedure that an electrician would use and you would be able to follow what he is doing. Again an electrician should be your first choice.

If you consider doing this the first thing is SHUT THE MAIN BREAKER OFF. Use an auxiliary light source to see when working in a dead panel. Always keep in mind an ARC FLASH ACROSS HOT MAINS HAS ENOUGH HEAT TO PEAL THE SKIN OFF OF YOU.

Before an explanation of how to do this you should keep in mind that this is for a single receptacle only, rated at 15 amps at 240 volts. It can only be a 15 amp receptacle because of the existing house circuit wiring is probably a #14 wire that is only rated at 15 amps. If any other receptacles are on the same circuit they also will also be changed to 240 volts. That said OK, any 120 volt outlet can be changed to 240 volt.

Locate the white wire from the circuit that you are going to change and remove the white wire from the neutral bus bar.

Remove the black wire from the single pole breaker that feeds the circuit that you are going to change.

Remove the single pole breaker from the breaker panel.

Install a two pole common handle 15 amp breaker into two spare panel slots. If you have no spare slots use the hole left by the old single pole breaker.

At this point you will have to relocate an adjacent breaker to make a space for the two pole breaker.

Move the single adjacent breaker to a spare slot if you can find one. If there are no spare slots, stop the project, as the project will get complicated and you should leave it to an electrician. It has to do with load balancing.

If you are continuing, leave the new two pole breaker turned off.

Connect the black wire that came off of the single pole breaker on to the top terminal of the new two pole breaker.

Connect the white wire that came off of the neutral bar to the lower terminal of the two pole breaker.

Install a piece of black electrician's tape for an identification marker on the old neutral wire.

Re install the cover to the electrical panel, this end is finished.

At the receptacle end remove the 120 volt receptacle and replace it with a 240 volt 15 amp rated receptacle.

Connect the existing two wires to the new 240 volt receptacle and connect the ground wire to the green terminal screw. Materials can be purchased at local building supply store.

Remember to take the electrical panel data with you so you have the information for the new two pole breaker.

Once you have the receptacle installed, identify on the electrical panel door what the new breaker is used for.

Turn the main breaker back on. Test the new receptacle with a voltage tester to make sure you have 240 volts and that every thing is OK.

Note; to be compliant with the electrical code, black tape both ends of the old neutral wire to identify it as a "hot" current carrying conductor and not to be mistaken for a neutral wire.

As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

Answer 5

Run a new and much larger 3 wire line to the outlet and replace the 110 outlet with a 220 type outlet that matches your new air conditioner.

Answer 6

You don't. The plug (cap) has a different configuration between the two voltages. This is to prevent plugging a device of one voltage into a supply of a different voltage.

Answer 7

Yes, the 120 volt rating on the appliance is well within the using range of a 115 volt system