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Electrical Wiring
Ask questions here about proper wiring and electrical installation here.
4,935 Questions
What is the difference between 208 volt and 220 volt power?
The main difference between the two voltages is that the 208 volts is a three phase voltage and 220 volts in North America is a single phase voltage. If you operate a 220 volt motor on 208 volts the current will be 5% higher that the motor's nameplate rating. If the load is resistive and you operate a 220 volt baseboard heater on 208 volts the true heater wattage will not be reached because of Ohm's law. Current is directly proportional to the applied voltage and inversely proportional to the resistance in the circuit. The following statement is not true as many motors will have the two voltages on the motor's nameplate.
You can operate a 208 volt motor or appliance on 240 volt, but that will decrease life expectancy by 50%.
Yes, a 6 gauge 4 conductor wire is suitable for installing a 240V 50A hot tub more than 50 ft away from the main panel. The heavier gauge wire is necessary to minimize voltage drop over longer distances and ensure the proper power supply for the hot tub. Be sure to follow local electrical codes and consult with a professional electrician for a safe installation.
How do you convert a one phase outlet to a three phase outlet to run my 3phase stove?
A three-phase service comprises three separate single phases. If you have a new branch circuit installed it can be connected to any one of the 3-phase lines and the neutral bus bar. That would be a single phase circuit and would have its own correctly-sized breaker, wiring and outlet(s).
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS. If you do this work yourself, always turn off the power
at the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work
AND
always use an electricians test meter having metal-tipped probes
to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
How do you convert a 4 prong GE dryer power cord to a 3 prong dryer power cord?
There were very important safety reasons why 4 prong outlets were brought in instead of the old-fashioned 3 prong outlets, which had neutral connected directly to ground at the appliance.
The only safe place to connect the neutral wires in a building to the safety ground wires is upstream of all the circuit breakers and fuses, which means it should only be done inside your main breaker panel, nowhere else.
So you can connect your new dryer as safely as possible, the preferred method is to get your existing 3 prong outlet converted to an up-to-date 4 prong outlet which has two hot prongs and a neutral prong plus a separate ground prong.
Connect the green and white wires together on the center connection. The black and red wires are connected to the same outside connecters as the 4 wire configuration.
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For more information see the answers to the Related Questions shown below.
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.
What can you do to connect an old dryer with 3 wires to a new house 4 wire outlet?
You can replace the old 3-wire cord on the dryer with a new 4-wire cord that matches the outlet in the new house. This involves connecting the green ground wire to the dryer's chassis, the neutral wire to the center terminal, and the two hot wires to the outer terminals. Make sure to follow all safety guidelines and, if in doubt, consult a professional electrician.
What is the amp rating for a 3 wire?
The amperage rating of any wire or conductor is determined by its size or gauge. It has nothing to do with whether it is a two, three or four conductor wire. For example, in basic residential wiring, a 14 gauge wire is rated at 15 amps, a 12 gauge wire is rated at 20 amps, a # 10 is rated for 30A and so forth.
In a 120V 24A circuit what amp fuse is needed to protect it?
A 30A fuse would be appropriate to protect a 120V 24A circuit, as fuses are typically chosen to be slightly higher than the circuit load to prevent nuisance tripping.
Shock on a phase wire not on a neutral wire?
That's because the neutral is a grounded conductor.
AnswerThe line (not 'phase'!) conductor has a potential of 230 V (Europe) or 120 V (North America) with respect to the neutral, which is earthed (grounded) at the supply panel.
As you are more than likely 'earthed' (or 'grounded') by virtue of standing on it, this means that if you come into contact with a line conductor you will experience a potential difference of 230 V (or 120 V) between your point of contact with that line conductor and your point of contact with the earth, and you will receive a shock.
However, as the neutral conductor is already at, or close to, earth potential, should you come into contact with the neutral conductor, you will experience no (or very little) potential difference, and receive no shock.
How do you wire a 1 to 3 phase roto verter?
To wire a 1 to 3 phase roto verter, you will need to connect the single-phase power source to the roto verter input terminals (L1 and N). Then, connect the three-phase output terminals (R, S, T) to the load you want to power. Make sure to follow the manufacturer's wiring diagram and instructions for your specific roto verter model.
Volts and frequency are two different values. Amps are found by the following formula; I = E/R, I = W/E, I = square root of W/R. None of these formula use 60 Hertz (frequency) in their calculations.
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In what wattage?
Solving for amps is: A=watts/volts
If you the given wattage and volts then you can compute for amps.
Ex. A=120watts/110Volts
A=1.09Amps
Are light switches required on all lights or are pull strings allowed?
A pull-string or pull-chain switch IS a light switch. Some other types of light switches are called wall switches and cord switches.
For more information see the answers to the Related questions shown below.
If the two switches operate independently and there is no correlation between their failures, then the probability of both switches going bad at the same time would be the product of their individual failure probabilities. So if each switch has a 10% chance of failing, the probability of both failing simultaneously would be 1% (0.10 * 0.10 = 0.01).
What happens when electricity passes through neon gas?
When electricity passes through neon gas, it excites the neon atoms, causing them to emit light. This process results in the characteristic glow of neon lights. Neon gas is often used in neon signs and other lighting applications because it produces a bright and distinctive color when excited by electricity.
How do you wire a 277 volt light to use 240 volts?
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Easy answer, you can't.
Difficult answer, most devices may tolerate a 10% deviation in supply, but some cannot. A 277 Volt ac panel is used primarily for fluorescent lighting, I would not even attempt to use it for anything else.
277 volts is the star point voltage of a three phase 480 volt system. This voltage is too high to try and connect any 240 volt device to it.
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 REALLY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
In the UK and Eire (Republic of Ireland) a wall socket outlet would normally be on a ring main. The fuse or, in modern installations, a Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB), would be 30A or 32A for the ring. All plugs are fused - and should be of an amperage appropriate for the appliance and its flex - 13A, 5A, 3A and 1A sizes are available - but commonly the 13A size is used anyway, in error/ignorance.
The rest of Europe uses branch circuits protected by individual fuses or, in modern installations, Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB), of an appropriate size to protect the circuit and its intended load(s).
<><><> The correct answer to your question will depend entirely on the location in Europe.
Answers depend on the Wiring Regulations for the locality (Town/County/Country) and what they say about the locations where wall socket outlets and fixed electrical appliances are to be installed. In some countries - not the UK and Eire where very different rules about socket outlets apply solely to bathrooms - protection using a GFCI/RCD is needed if the location is subject to water splashes, water spray, dampness or humidity. That applies to any room supplied with running water pipes, like a kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, shower room, etc., or in a workshop, garage or anywhere outside a building in the open air, such as along an outside wall or a pool-side area. In many places nowadays it is actually illegal to attempt to do any kind of electrical installation or repair work in such areas unless you are already a licensed electrician.
Electricity is far too dangerous to handle if you have not been trained how to electrical installation or repair work in safe manner which recognizes the hazards involved and how to avoid them. You could start a house fire if you use the wrong size and type of breaker and/or the wrong size and type of cable for the job. You - or another user of the equipment - could risk being killed by electrocution if you put just one wire in the wrong place.
If you get any other answer here, you might attempt to do something you shouldn't be doing, and that may cost someone a shock, a home fire, or even their life.
<><><> 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.
What is 400 amp 3 phase 380 volts converted to KW?
Whenever we specify voltages and currents in a three-phase system, unless otherwise stated, we always refer to line values. 'Lines' (or 'line conductors') are those conductors that connect a three-phase supply to its load.
So the '400 A' and '380 V' quoted in the question are line values (as opposed to phase values).
The equation for the power of a three-phase load is given by:
P = 1.732 x line voltage x line current x power factor
Since, in your question, you make no mention of power factor, we shall assume that the power factor is unity (i.e. the load is purely resistive) and, so:
P = 1.732 x 380 x 400 x 1 = 262 272 W (or 262 kW)
What is a 12 volt rail on a power supply?
The 12 volt rail on a power supply is a circuit that provides a steady flow of 12 volts to components like the CPU, GPU, and other high-powered devices in a computer. It is essential for powering these components efficiently and reliably. Variations in voltage output or instability on the 12 volt rail can impact the performance and stability of the connected hardware.
Does a hot day trip a circuit breaker?
The ambient temperature does have an effect on the tripping point of a breaker. If a breaker is operating at near capacity the additional ambient temperature will lower the breaker trip set point.
Can you hook up a 110 volt ac to 220 volt outlet?
This is a VERY open ended question. Yes you can tap 110v, but since you have asked the question here, i would assume you know little about what you are doing and have the potential to hurt yourself. Be sure you have turned off the power at the breaker box befor you "tap" and then stand back when you are turning back on the power to test your idea.
Better yet do it at a friends house 1st so they have to clean out the smoke and not you lol.
No, you'll burn your lathe motor up immediately. (it might last 30 seconds before it literally smokes.) You'll need to buy and install a "buck-boost" type transformer to drop the voltage from 480 to 420V. Best to have a qualified commercial electrician wire it up if you value your lathe.
Can an electromechanical energy meter work without the neutral wire provided in the meter?
If the meter has 208-240V coming to it, no the neutral doesn't go through the meter. If the meter has only 120V incoming power such as many RV parks then the neutral does go to the line side of the meter or it won't work.
Can a ceiling fan be installed without the blue and green wires only the black and white ones?
Assuming the ceiling fan also has lights then that is what the second lead is for. You can tie the black & blue together and attach them to black lead in the lighting box. The light and fan will come on together when you flip the light switch and you have to use the pull chain on it for control. ALWAYS connect the green ground wire to the house wiring ground. This is a SERIOUS safety and fire hazard issue if you do not.
The loss of static electricity as a charge move off an object?
The loss of static electricity as a charge moves off an object is known as discharge. This discharge occurs when the excess electrons in the object move to another conductor or the surrounding air, neutralizing the object. This can happen through processes like conduction, induction, or even sparking.
Convert single phase to three phase formula?
One common method to convert single phase to three phase power is by using a rotary phase converter. The rotary phase converter works by using a single-phase power source to generate a third phase, creating a balanced three-phase output. It typically involves using capacitors and an electric motor to create the additional phase needed for three-phase equipment.
When are Capacitors used with single phase motors?
The capacitor is used to produce a phase shift to create a rotating magnetic field so the motor will start turning. 3-phase motors do not need one because of the phase difference inherent between the phases.
While a capacitor connected external to the motor does affect the power factor of the overall system (as mentioned below), an internal start capacitor is not used for that reason in a single-phase motor.
Another answer
There is inductive reactance and capacitive reactance. (Look these terms up, it is good stuff). Think of them as opposites in a sense. The operation of the induction motor is inefficient in a power factor sense due to electro magnetic field properties that affect the power factor in an inductive sense. The capacitor is an "offset" to the inductive reactance which, when sized accordingly, affects the power factor as a correction towards unity.
