100v or 220v?

chuck estevez said:

you totally don't get it. THERE ARE 2 LIVE WIRES IN 220V, EACH 1 CARRIES HALF THE AMPS. 220 volts running 4 amps per wire is 8 amps. The same thing in 110 would be 8 amps in 1 wire. 110 only has 1 live wire and 1 return wire, this is why you must run heavier gauge when running 110 volts

I have over 20 years working with electricity.

your 1000 watt pulled 8.9 on 110 and 4.6 TIMES 2 on 220v

if it used half the amps on 220, My electric bill would be less, BUT IT ISN"T!!!

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20 years and you are saying this??? If it didn't change the amps people would be blowing fuses and breakers all day and night.

Amps x Volts = Watts...1000=240v x 4.166amps 1000w=120v x 8.333

It won't be dead on these numbers because nothing is 100% efficient inside ballast. Because of electrical components in digital ballast and led drivers...they will run actually a few watts less total(still said wattage at the bulb) because they are losing less in the process. Simply running their components more efficiently on 240v...I have tested it with a meter myself. And you can look at any spec sheets and they show it.

From the way you are talking it sounds like each wire will carry half of the half...so actually 25% in each hot wire on 240v compare to the 100 % the 120v way.

chuck estevez said:

you totally don't get it. THERE ARE 2 LIVE WIRES IN 220V, EACH 1 CARRIES HALF THE AMPS. 220 volts running 4 amps per wire is 8 amps. The same thing in 110 would be 8 amps in 1 wire. 110 only has 1 live wire and 1 return wire, this is why you must run heavier gauge when running 110 volts

I have over 20 years working with electricity.

your 1000 watt pulled 8.9 on 110 and 4.6 TIMES 2 on 220v

if it used half the amps on 220, My electric bill would be less, BUT IT ISN"T!!!

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You should be aware that in a 120 volts branch circuit, current is flowing through both the hot wire and the neutral wire of equal amperage. Same applies with current flowing through the two wires of a 240 volts circuit. Now understand this...what I have said above is only true of a branch circuit (2 wire circuit), as opposed to neutral carrying the unbalanced proportion of the current on the bus bar or feeder wire to a breaker panel with split phase 120 volts circuits.

Folks this is not rocket science. When it is known what the applied voltage is, the amperage through a circuit will be govern by the impedance or resistance of the load. When someone states that a piece of equipment is capable of consuming the same wattage of electrical power when configured for either 120 volts or 240 volts, it becomes obvious as to what is happening inside that equipment to make this possible...the impedance or resistance of the internal circuitry was changed. Ohm's Law even states that when voltage is doubled (from 120 volts to 240 volts), and the impedance or resistance (ohms) of the load was not changed, the current (amps) through the load will double, and thus the wattage of the load is quadruple.

The 220 isn't needed. Also, I'm not sure if you would need to buy a special timer? If your only running a 400w light, stick to the basics and plug it in the regular 120 outlet.

220 runs off both phases running into your box instead of one no savings in electricity but if we have to have a 3 page thread about this topic then for god sake don't try doing any wiring yourself because you shouldn't fuck with something when you don't know what the fuck you're doing

covert222 said:

220 runs off both phases running into your box instead of one no savings in electricity but if we have to have a 3 page thread about this topic then for god sake don't try doing any wiring yourself because you shouldn't fuck with something when you don't know what the fuck you're doing

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Right, Because, kilowatt = amp × volt / 1000
so,

4.333 times 240 divided by 1000 =0.999KW AND
8.333 times 120 divided by 1000 =, wait for it,



0.999KW, but how can this be if you are only using half the amps? HMMM?

Electricity is Magic, don't fuck with it.


Why do you think it takes so long to become an electrician? They are teaching more than wire nuts and light bulbs.

One of the inherited characteristic of a voltage step-up or voltage step-down transformer is that there is an inverse relationship between voltage and current. When a step-up transformer increases input voltage, it actually results in a lowering of electrical current. When a step-down transformer decreases input voltage, it actually results in a raising of electrical current. A power plant will use a step-up transformer to raise the generator output voltage of 12,000 volts to 765,000 volts, to enable it to travel longer distances. When there is less current flowing through the wires, there is an accompanying reduction in power loss over the long length of the transmission line. A substation many miles away from the power plant use an intermediary step-down transformer to lower the voltage and at the same time to raise the current. The substation convert the 765,000 volts being sent by the power plant to the 25,000 volts needed to feed distribution power lines. The utility pole step-down transformer located near your house is to lower the 25,000 volts which it receives into a more manageable 240 and 120 volts, which is then fed into your home.

So after all this reading it basically comes down to them being the same? cause i had a couple 240s installed in my room but the ballasts that i bought came with the 110 adapters so I'm not losing anything by not buying the 240 adapters? sorry to keep this thread going lol

240V circuits will draw half the current as 120V circuits given the same power load.

This can be easily proven with P = IV.

Assuming you have a 1000W load and a 120V circuit, you will have the following current draw:

I = P/V = 1000W / 120V = 8.333A

Since this is a linear relationship with no coefficient, doubling the voltage while keeping the power load the same will half the current draw.

I = 1000W / 240 = 4.166A

This means higher voltage allows you to get away with thinner gauge wires and reduces fire risk, but increase shock risk.

chuck estevez said:

you totally don't get it. THERE ARE 2 LIVE WIRES IN 220V, EACH 1 CARRIES HALF THE AMPS. 220 volts running 4 amps per wire is 8 amps. The same thing in 110 would be 8 amps in 1 wire. 110 only has 1 live wire and 1 return wire, this is why you must run heavier gauge when running 110 volts

I have over 20 years working with electricity.

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20 yrs working with electricity and you can't explain how AC power works correctly? There isn't a live wire and a return, the power alternates from one leg to the other. Amperage usage has nothing to do with how many wires feed a outlet..it's all dependent on the appliance. Using your logic, a 1000w light at 120v is about 10 amps, so 5 amps per leg, where a 1000W at 220 is about 5 amps, fed off 3 legs..so less than an 2 amps per leg..and since when do you need heaver wire for a lower voltage/amp run?? I just made an 8 ga extension cord for my welder, according to elec spec/draw...200A draw on a 50' extension cord..by your logic i could have gone with a 12ga wire..because as you say...

chuck estevez said:

this is why you must run heavier gauge when running 110 volts

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I learned basic electricity in 8th grade..it's not that difficult.

chuck estevez said:

a 120v only has 1 power leg, L1, 220v has 2 power legs, L1 and L2

so if a 120 volt line is to carry 10 amps, it needs a thicker gauge wire vs a 220v which has 5 amps per wire, allowing a smaller wire to be used, pretty simple.

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Ok, I'll admit, in theory you're correct, but in reality..no one is going to run a 240V line and set it up on a lower amp breaker than a 120V circuit..so yeah you could run a 14G line for a 240V/ 3 A draw on a 5A breaker..but almost any electrical guide list 10G as a min run for 240V..mainly because most assume a 240V line will have a load rating of at least 20-30A.