220 Volt Question

Also keep in mind that many single phase induction motors (especially those about 1.5 hp and less) can be easily rewired to run on 120 volts.

Ed
 
Paul--I have the same problem as you except mine is much worse---my breaker panel entrance is on the front of my house and my two separate detached shops are on the rear side--neither shop has 220 wiring and only one line of 110 services both shops--that works only nice for lights and small motors--my AC unit is on the rear side of my house but I'm sure it is only for approx 35 amps--I need 220 50amp for my welder and I need 220 for my air compressor and one lathe and two mills--so I will have to run approx 200 feet of underground cable (probably at least #6 or larger)--I figure my cost of materials will be $400-$800 and I can't justify that expense till I sell some things---anyway-If I were you I would definately put the 220 wiring in your shop instead of messing with 110 headaches--they won't help when you need 220 for welders --compressor and other shop devises---you didn't say if your shop or garage is attached to your house or not---hopefully your service panel is in a better location than mine is--I don't even have a basement or crawl space to run it under my house--I will have to go up and through the attic area to get it to the back side of my house----Dave
 
Dave Smith said:
Paul--I have the same problem as you except mine is much worse---my breaker panel entrance is on the front of my house and my two separate detached shops are on the rear side--neither shop has 220 wiring and only one line of 110 services both shops--that works only nice for lights and small motors--my AC unit is on the rear side of my house but I'm sure it is only for approx 35 amps--I need 220 50amp for my welder and I need 220 for my air compressor and one lathe and two mills--so I will have to run approx 200 feet of underground cable (probably at least #6 or larger)--I figure my cost of materials will be $400-$800 and I can't justify that expense till I sell some things---anyway-If I were you I would definately put the 220 wiring in your shop instead of messing with 110 headaches--they won't help when you need 220 for welders --compressor and other shop devises---you didn't say if your shop or garage is attached to your house or not---hopefully your service panel is in a better location than mine is--I don't even have a basement or crawl space to run it under my house--I will have to go up and through the attic area to get it to the back side of my house----Dave
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I have an attached garage (front of the house) and my service panel is in the back. I probably need to add a 220v line in the garage in the future. </SPAN>
For now, I am just looking for a mill, and an ability to add a quick and cheap 220v outlet will expand my search options. When I consider the cost of a mill, I need to consider the cost of adding a 220 v outlet so the less I spend on the electrical work the more I can spend on a mill.</SPAN>
 
If you have a dedicated outlet in the shop area you could rewire it for 220V. All you would need is the receptacle and new breaker.
 
jim18655 said:
If you have a dedicated outlet in the shop area you could rewire it for 220V. All you would need is the receptacle and new breaker.
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That would violate code by making the white wire in the circuit hot. White is, for very good reason, reserved for grounded conductors. Besides, he'll want 120 in the shop for other stuff.
 
John Hasler said:
That would violate code by making the white wire in the circuit hot. White is, for very good reason, reserved for grounded conductors. Besides, he'll want 120 in the shop for other stuff.
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Code calls for marking the wire most wrap black electrical tape on both ends to show it's hot. Been done that way for years. Now most are going to a 4 wire which is a waste neutral and ground go back to the same place it's to be sure it's grounded.

Todd
 
Walltoddj said:
Code calls for marking the wire most wrap black electrical tape on both ends to show it's hot.
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And then the tape falls off or the homeowner messing with the circuit has no idea why it's there and ignores it. Not a good practice at all. I do this with cord sometimes but I use magic marker, not tape. I won't do it with Romex or wire in conduit, though I concede that it is legal.

Now most are going to a 4 wire which is a waste neutral and ground go back to the same place it's to be sure it's grounded.
Todd
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Not sure what you are getting at. The grounded conductor (white) and the grounding conductor (green) are very different and the latter is always needed. It is true that all 220V circuits don't need a neutral. I always install one anyway so it will be there later when I find that I want 110 after all.
 
Walltoddj said:
Code calls for marking the wire most wrap black electrical tape on both ends to show it's hot. Been done that way for years. Now most are going to a 4 wire which is a waste neutral and ground go back to the same place it's to be sure it's grounded.

Todd
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It's not a waste, there are very good reasons.

The neutral does not connect to the frame or cabinet of a supplied piece of machinery, it should not, that's the job of the grounding system. The neutral and the hot wire need to be in balance for circuit load planning to function. In the past metal conduit often supplied the ground connection, but many times conduit can be separated by accident, I've seen it many times. People hang onto conduit, pulling connectors out, forklifts hit it and so on, hence the ground wire.

Once a machine loses the frame ground a fault from the hot wire or some internal device to the frame results in a "hot" cabinet, should someone touch that and any ground (for example, a water pipe) they become a circuit and they can die.
 
John Hasler said:
And then the tape falls off or the homeowner messing with the circuit has no idea why it's there and ignores it. Not a good practice at all. I do this with cord sometimes but I use magic marker, not tape. I won't do it with Romex or wire in conduit, though I concede that it is legal.



It is code compliant to use the white as a hot with marker tape to indicate it is not a neutral. Same as marking a switch leg. Probably more correct than using a marker. Is the marker listed for that use? Most markers are solvent based. What does the ink do to the insulation over time?
I only offered an easy solution to his problem if he had enough circuits in the shop that he could afford to loose one of them.
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I'm not an electrician but I have done a lot of factory maintenance work for about 24 years--I do know the reason that you want 4 wires going to a 220v machine is just not to run the 220 motor--but to also supply a neutral wire for a 110 plug receptical or a simple thing like a light bulb--the ground wire is not to be used for these.--Dave----*your neutral and ground only are connected and meet in your main entrance panel ---not anywhere else--an electrical inspector explained that to me, and I haven't forgotten
 
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