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If you have 240V going to a panel can you wire two 120V breakers for a 240V appliance?
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Overcurrent devices cannot be doubled up for higher voltages.
You need breaker designed for 220V. While you are technically correct, you need the 220V breaker because it is designed so that you always get 220V from the two phases (as opposed to 0V from one phase) and so both "breakers," so to speak, always trip together. Don't just use two 110V breakers you have lying around, it is not safe.
The approved method is to obtain a 2 pole breaker of the right amperage to run your 240 volt appliance. Also approved but not used as much is a common tie bar that incorporates the two breaker toggle handles into one. The reason for this is safety, if just one breaker trips there will still be 120 volts to ground on the un- tripped breaker. Anyone working on the appliance thinking that the power was off could get a severe shock. This holds true also with switches to turn off 240 volt loads, don't just use a single pole (SPST) switch which just shuts off one leg, use a double pole single throw (DPST) switch which isolates the load completely.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe real question is what is the feed of the sub-panel? Sure, you can add as many circuits to the sub-panel as you want, but if you exceed the feed to the subpanel it's master breaker will blow and everything connected to the subpanel will go dead. Let me put it this way: I have a 30A feed to the subpanel for my irrigation system. It has 50A of breakers on it. I haven't had a problem with this, as I have never come close to drawing 50A off that panel. However, if I tried to run the well pump, and the air compressor, and the lights, and, say, some power tools off this panel, I would blow my main breaker. To do that on a regular basis I would have to upgrade the 30A feed. So yes, you can, but you may have to upgrade the feed to the subpanel. It depends on how well you future-proofed the panel when you installed it. Also, even if you do upgrade the feed, make sure you don't overload the subpanel or its wiring. It's pretty common sense, but you would be amazed how many people want to dangerously overload their wiring! == == <><><>
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.
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
(not a simple proximity voltage indicator)
to insure 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.
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A system has 220v ac L and neutral can be possible two hot leg 120v ac be used?
yes, but the two 120v legs would have to come from breakers that are on the two different bus bars in the panel box, otherwise, you will get zero voltage between the two hot wires and 120 volts to neutral.
If you use a 120V appliance out of the US will you still be able to use it in the US after?
Of course, unless somehow you destroy it by plugging it into a voltage it can't handle.
How do you wire a 15 amp 120V breaker in a 240v 30 amp breaker panel?
Look to see if the 30 amp panel is fed with a two wire or a three wire. If it is a two wire then you are out of luck. If the panel is fed with a three wire then the panel should have the neutral terminated in the panel. It is this neutral that you need for 120 volt connections. You didn't state how many panel slots there are in the panel. If you are able install a 15 amp breaker into the panel and connect the wires going to the load. The black wire will go to the breaker and the white wire will go to the neutral bar in the panel.
If a 120 volt current is protected by a 25 amp circuit breaker What is the largest number of watts an appliance can safely use?
if its a single current its 120v X 25 amp = 3000 watts
How do the two 120 volt lines from the power grid become 240 volts when joined together?
Canada and US - Visualize it the other way around. The transformer that feeds your house has a primary of 7200 volts. The secondary voltage is 240 volts. This secondary voltage is a split voltage. There are 3 bushings coming out of the transformer on the secondary side. The two outside bushings have the 240 volts on them. The position of the center bushing splits the 240 in to two 120 volts. This center tap is then grounded and becomes the neutral of your house wiring service. L1 to N = 120 volts, N to L2 = 120 volts, and L1 to L2 = 240 volts.
What happens if you plug a 120V appliance into a 240V outlet?
You will burn up your appliance!!!!!
Can 120V appliance work with 220V?
120V appliance will not work on 220V. Use an instrument transformer or voltage regulator to adjust the high voltage to the desired level.
In a home has 120v service there is an electric appliance that a risistance of 12 how much power will this appliance consume?
1440 Watts
A system has 220v ac L and neutral can be possible two hot leg 120v ac be used?
yes, but the two 120v legs would have to come from breakers that are on the two different bus bars in the panel box, otherwise, you will get zero voltage between the two hot wires and 120 volts to neutral.
Can you buy a 120v appliance and use it with a 220v outlet?
A high voltage will certainly damage a low voltage appliance and perhaps set fire to other things nearby.
If you have a 240V dryer and installed 30A breakers on both sides of the line reads 120 and 120 how do you get 240 and you have a receptacle that reads 30A 125250 and still does not work?
you do NOT put two 110v breakers in. you put 1 two pole breaker in. the panel is designed to give you 220v off one side OR the other side if you use a 2 pole breaker on one side or the other side. If you look at both 120V lines on an oscilloscope you will notice that they are both 120V to the neutral, but they are 180 degrees out of phase. This means that when one hot is at +120V the other is at -120V. So between the two you have 240V. If you put your meter across both hots you should see 240V. If you do not see 240V across both hots you (or an unlicenced electrician) has wired the outlet without using a proper 220V breaker. You do not see 240V because the hots are in phase, to the voltage differential is 0V, not 240V. 220V breakers cannot do this, unless forcebly installed in the wrong type panel. More than likely someone tried to wire it with 110V breakers.
Can a kitchen stove be on the small appliance circuit?
No, unless it's a gas range. An electric range requires 240V and 40A while a small appliance will be 120V and Max 15A.
Can you plug in a 120v appliance into a socket in UK?
No, the cord ends have different configurations to prevent this sort of thing from happening.
What are the steps in connecting 120V to a 240V 60A air condition panel?
you should have three wires into the panel. two of them go to the double breakers or pull switch and the last is the ground lead. You can pick up 110 vac from one side of either breaker and that ground connection. DO NOT connect to the both breaker wires as that will be 220 vac
Considering 100A 240V service has 2 poles at 100A each is the total usable power actually 200A at 120V?
No, amperage is not additive, but a constant. Think of power as water, its always the same temperature, hot (amps). The pressure is variable (volts). The true answer is undoubtedly more complex, but you get the point. If you need to draw 200 amps you would actually need a 400 amp service because code states you cannot have more than an 80% load on a breaker That's an interesting question and I had to run the theory through my brain a few times to confirm my answer. The answer is if you have a 100A 240V service, you could draw what appears to be 200A from that panel at 120V. If you install 100A 120V single pole breakers on each side of the panel (in reality this would be many breakers but let's keep it simple) then both breakers will operate just fine, giving the appearance of 200A. In reality, however, one breaker actually feeds through to the other breaker. The neutral only carries the unbalanced load so in this hypothetical situation the neutral at the panel carries 0A. So the answer to the question is...if you install ONLY 120v single pole breakers, you can run up to 200A on those circuits (or 80% of that as we have discussed.) But you are only running 100A on each leg of the service conductors and breaker.
If you use a 120V appliance out of the US will you still be able to use it in the US after?
Of course, unless somehow you destroy it by plugging it into a voltage it can't handle.
Can you use UK appliances in the us?
Not unless the appliance is rated to be used with the two different power supplies. The US uses 120v, 60 Hz if it plugs into a receptacle, and possibly 240v, 60Hz if it is hard wired. The UK uses 240v, 50Hz whether it plugs in or is hard wired. These two power systems are NOT compatible. You may use a US appliance in the UK, and vice versa, only if the appliance is dual rated, i.e. the appliance says 120v/60Hz AND 240v/50Hz on the nameplate. If the appliance only specifies one power supply, it can only be used on that power supply. If this is the case, you may be able to use a travel adapter to operate the appliance.
