Got a new lathe, 220 vs 110?

[Cadillac STS]

I got a new to me lathe, Prazi/Wabeco D6000e. All I read is it is built for 220 volts and I planned for that. It came with 110v power.

Is there any reason to go to 220 volts? It seems to run fine. The prior owner said "It can go 220 or 110 and it runs fine on 110v."

If I were to go into the motor windings and convert to 220 is there any advantage?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

No theres no advantage. Some people think that by switching a motor from 120v to 240v, their electric bill will be less. But this is a misnomer because electricity is billed in watts NOT amps! When a single phase motor is supplied 240v vs. 120v, the current draw is halved but the wattage stays the same!

 

[Full Size 66]

Exactly as the last poster says. Only concern is making sure your wire size is adequate as well as breaker for that circuit. I would suppose 20amp with #12 wire for something like that.

 

[kngelv]

Running at 220v or 240v will utilize less amps and thus generate less heat.

James

 

[Falcon67]

Running at 220v or 240v will utilize less amps and thus generate less heat.

James

The current is the same, it only loads the power line less on each leg because of the higher voltage.

1 HP = 745W = 6.2A on a 120V line, 3.1A on a 240V line. Same draw, can use smaller wire is all.

 

[wileybelch]

Don't you get better torque performance from the 220V setup of the motor? For the same HP rating?

 

[Speedy Petey]

Running at 220v or 240v will utilize less amps and thus generate less heat.

James

Amps do not create heat, resistance does.

 

[Speedy Petey]

Don't you get better torque performance from the 220V setup of the motor? For the same HP rating?

No, for the same motor able to run @ 120V or 240V the performance is the same.

 

[James-W]

On my table saw I can run the motor on 110 volts or on 220 volts. It was running on 110 volts for many years, then I bought a longer 12 gauge power cord, 15 feet, so that I could run the saw outside the garage during the Summer months on nice days.

With the longer power cord running the motor on 110 volts the motor would tend to slow down when I cut thick pieces of wood. When I run the motor on 220 volts I don't get as much slowing down of the motor as I did when it was running on 110 volts. I suspect the reason is because when the motor is under load the amperage goes up a bit, but because it is running on 220 volts the amperage is half of what it is when running on 110 volts and the 12 gauge wire can handle the increase easier. If I had purchased a heavier gauge wire for the longer power cord, I doubt changing the voltage would have made any difference at all.

I understand what you guys are saying, the power is the same either way, but in some situations I think you may be better off with the higher voltage and less amperage. In the case of the opening poster, I doubt he would see any difference.

 

[Speedy Petey]

The main issue is voltage drop.
VD is 1/4 as severe @ 240V than it is @ 120V.

 

[Kevin C]

Good read on the subject.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/tech_deployment/pdfs/motor_tip_sheet9.pdf