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1650w electric conversion

tommyelectric

Jul 25, 2014
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hello i had question about a european appliance i want to run in the states.
Im no electrician and the appliance was very expensive and i dont want take any chances and fry it.
its a 1650w electric preassure steralizer.
It has the weird 3 prog power cable.

I read i will need at least a 1650w, but one that i found was not 3 prog but only 2 and said was not meant for continues use.
That makes me wonder, what can i buy to make it work here in the states.

If you can point me in the direction of what i will need to buy.
will i need a adpater and a converter, is there a all in one? is there one that is more worry proof then another?
I only plan to use the appliance for 1 or 2 hours at a time.

Thank You
 

Gryd3

Jun 25, 2014
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Please look on the appliance and tell us exactly what it is rated for.
There should be a sticker, a plate, or even stamped plastic that should tell us all the input voltage(s) that are accepted, and the current draw.

Using only an adaptor when you need a converter will most likely fry it.
We can make recommendations on assumptions that it is a 220V only device, and that the current draw is 7.5A, but I want to make sure ;)


Edit: If someone else takes a peek in here... would using two legs from a 3-phase system work? eg... like the dryer or stove plug? Op... PLEASE don't attempt this.
 

Gryd3

Jun 25, 2014
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You claim the device is 1650W... I am not aware of any math that would allow a 500W converter to run at 3 times it's capacity.
Do you have more specs on the device you want to power?

So far, I would assume you need a converter that is rated for at least 1650Watts, but higher is better.
I would really like to know what the specs are on the device though before I make assumptions.
 

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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I don't see any reason why it would not work in a 220V U.S. outlet, unless the ground is connected in the appliance to one of the phases, but that seems unlikely and illegal. By the way, the U.S. household system is 2-phase, not 3. There are two "hot" lines that are symmetric around the neutral or ground line. A 3-phase system has a neutral and 3 "hot" lines that are 120 degrees apart.

Bob
 

Gryd3

Jun 25, 2014
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I don't see any reason why it would not work in a 220V U.S. outlet, unless the ground is connected in the appliance to one of the phases, but that seems unlikely and illegal. By the way, the U.S. household system is 2-phase, not 3. There are two "hot" lines that are symmetric around the neutral or ground line. A 3-phase system has a neutral and 3 "hot" lines that are 120 degrees apart.

Bob
Thank you for that Bob, I am no electrician ;) I always thought 3-Phase was distributed everywhere around the neighborhood and only 1 leg was used for 110V and 2 for 220V. I never really asked if that were true, and avoided telling people to use it.

I still want to see the ratings on the appliance, but in my head, putting a north american 220V plug on it (Dryer/Stove) might work if a converter is too expensive or pricey.

**This is only my theory and is not proven. Please confirm with someone more qualified!
 

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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**This is only my theory and is not proven. Please confirm with someone more qualified!
Hey, what is the worst it can do? Kill someone and burn the house down? Well, yeah.

To the OP. I would contact a licensed electrician for this.

Bob
 

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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Thank you for that Bob, I am no electrician ;) I always thought 3-Phase was distributed everywhere around the neighborhood and only 1 leg was used for 110V and 2 for 220V. I never really asked if that were true, and avoided telling people to use it.
As I understand it, those transformers you see on the poles are center-tapped 220V output transformers with the center tap going to ground, giving you two phases 180 degrees apart.

Bob
 

Gryd3

Jun 25, 2014
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As I understand it, those transformers you see on the poles are center-tapped 220V output transformers with the center tap going to ground, giving you two phases 180 degrees apart.

Bob
That would require that shops that require 3-Phase and 220V will require two transformers than correct? Is the assumption that 110V would simply be a single leg from either transformer? (If so, would the same leg be used for the entire shop's 110V needs? I can't imagine having interconnected equipment running off of 120 or 180 offset phases being very good..)

Sorry for getting side-tracked OP.


Long story short, ideally you should contact a qualified electrician, but theoretically, no one can stop you from buying a converter that is rated higher than 1650Watts
 

BobK

Jan 5, 2010
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Actually, no, they require no transformer. The power coming in on the poles is (usually) 3 phase. the transformers go across any 2 of them, and are balanced across all the houses.

Bob
 
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