240v wiring question

[turbodtank]

first off i would like to say im glad to be part of the forum! ive been a guest for a long time now but decided i needed to start taking part!

this one might be a little confusing, atleast in my head it is.

Ok so i am active duty military stationed in the UK right now i have quite a few UK 240V tools with UK 240V plugs (picture to follow)

when i come to the states the only 240V item i am planning to buy is an air compressor. so i want to put a UK 240V plug on the compressor and have a UK 240v wall outlet so i can use all the 240v tools i currently have instead of changing the plugs on all of those...

i know that the US has
2 "hot wires" (each being 120v),
1 neutral
1 earth....

the UK plug has
1 "hot" wire which is 240v
1 neutral
1 earth

could i combine both 120V wires to the "LIVE/HOT" terminal of the UK plug and it work out as advertised..?????

example..
coming off the dual breaker in the US breaker box there will be 2 hot wires both of these hot wires will go through the wall and be spliced together to the back of the LIVE receptacle on the female outlet... and also route the earth through the wall to install in the back of the receptacle in the earth loaction.. same with neutral... IF I DO THIS... could i plug a 240v UK plug into it????? and then on the back of the male plug could i split the "240v" into 2 seperate wires and put each one to the 2 live terminals of most US 240v compressors..




i hope everyone understands.. very simple in my head thanks for the responses.. and i know there is a 50hz-60hz power difference but take that out of the question

 

[turbodtank]

here is the UK plug

the brown wire is 240v ... so could i use the 2 "live/hot" wires coming off the dual breaker such as the attached photo... combine them and attach to the brown wire screw like in the picture


EXCUSE ME IF ITS A DUMB QUESTION>> AND WHAT WOULD ANYONE ELSE RECOMMEND

 

[Rookie2]

no ! no combining ! Their neutral wire would now be hot #2

receptacles are on ebay i believe.

on second thought ,buy a receptacle over there

 

[Kmt803]

No, if you came off a 2 pole breaker and spliced it and turned on breaker it would trip immediately you would be splicing 2 phases together which is a no no,it seems in the UK they have 240 volts on 1 wire , a lot of commercial buildings in the U.S. Use 277 volts for lighting that's 277 volts between a hot and a neutral like UK but 277 volts instead of 240.

 

[Kmt803]

You would need a converter like this ,this one is sold on Ebay. This one is only good for 500 watts though

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

As already stated, you cant combine 2 120v wires to get a 240v.

Also, UK AC has a frequency of 50Hz. In US AC is 60Hz. for some equipment, frequency is not a critical issue but for some it is.

You need a transformer. You also need an electrician. Don't combine live wires on you own, EVER!

 

[altersaddle]

I recommend seriously balancing the cost of moving your 220V power tools versus selling them off and buying new ones when in North America.

Then you won't have to carry around an extra suitcase just to use a drill.

 

[dogdog]

you can always get a motor here right if you love that compressor that much.

 

[turbodtank]

well my biggest concern is i can get all new items stateside... BUT i have a corghi tire changer that needs 240V and uses a british plug .. ok if this makes it easier... how can i put an american 240v plug on the 3 wire british cord so i could plug it in to the same outlet as whatever 240v compressor i buy

 

[Rookie2]

You go to any ace/home depot/lowes/ electrical supply. A 240v plug is sized by your amp draw. wall plug or range connector (dryer)

 

[Rookie2]

well my biggest concern is i can get all new items stateside... BUT i have a corghi tire changer that needs 240V and uses a british plug .. ok if this makes it easier... how can i put an american 240v plug on the 3 wire british cord so i could plug it in to the same outlet as whatever 240v compressor i buy

I would check with the manufacturer or at least look at the wiring diagram to make sure the (their) neutral is not tied to their ground in the motor.

60Hz may cause an increase in motor speed ! Talk to the manufacturer !

http://www.eng-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=1224

 

[turbodtank]

i think my best bet is to just use a power converter to step up 120v to 240v to use with my UK Tools such as welder and tire changing machine.... then i can just run a US 240v wall socket to plug in and use whatever air compressor or other US 240v items i buy

 

[wyliesdiesels]

As already stated, you cant combine 2 120v wires to get a 240v.

Also, UK AC has a frequency of 50Hz. In US AC is 60Hz. for some equipment, frequency is not a critical issue but for some it is.

[b}You need a transformer.[/b] You also need an electrician. Don't combine live wires on you own, EVER!

A transformer will NOT change the frequency of its input. A transformer only changes voltage...

 

[turbodtank]

I'm not worried about the 10hz difference to be honest

 

[wyliesdiesels]

u might not care but your machines might!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

240V here is two hots, the power tool doesn't care if its two hots, or a hot and neutral like over there, it will work just the same. The issue is the Hz. Some tools can stand the difference between 50 and 60 Hz, some cannot.

Over here, we use a transformer on the pole with three taps, one on each end of the secondary winding (the two hots) and one tapped out of the middle of the secondary winding, and it is tied to the high voltage neutral on the power lines, plus grounded to the earth with a copper wire running to the bottom of the pole. Here one hot and neutral makes 120v because its half of the secondarys winding. The two hots, being at opposite ends of the winding are exactly opposite in the cycle of the current, thus they make 240.

In the UK, essentially the same transformer is used, it just doesn't have that middle tap. one end of the secondary is the hot, the other end of the secondary is a neutral because they tied it to the high tension neutral of the power lines, and also grounded it at the base of the pole.

Bring a couple of UK receptacles with you, boxes and face plated too, and hook them up. As noted, cycles may be an issue. If you have a toaster, it doesn't care, but motors do.

 

[turbodtank]

so basically then... put one hot wire to the live power ... then put the other hot wire to the neutral on the uk plug??..

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

I work for a pump manufacturer and we make our motors in 50Hz & 60Hz for a reason.

My guess anything intended for 50Hz will not run long on 60Hz and vise versa.

 

[turbodtank]

its for a tyre changing machine... and im trying to source a motor that is the same but 60hz having some trouble...its not something that runs for a long period of time or runs fast in general... now it will just be going 20% faster unless i find another motor..


but 120v hot to hot??? and 120v hot to neutral to make the 240v correct ?

 

[Charles (in GA)]

This is the typical US transformer you see hanging on the pole. The center tap, marked ground, is a hot conductor (aka neutra), but it is grounded. In the UK you don't have the center tap, but one of the end taps is grounded, that is your grounded conductor (aka neutral).

The power tools don't car if the conductor is grounded or not, the grounding is added to add stability to the current. So you take a US two opposing hots (using a double pole breaker) and you supply that UK receptacle. Indeed, hook one hot to one side, the other hot to the other side, and ground to ground. Done. Only issue is the 50 vs 60 hz and many power tools here are dual rated.

Charles