Shop power

[PanelDeland]

I was just looking thru some of the shop tips and realized,there's not a lot of electrical.I thought it might be worthwhile to mention elect power.

Most have 220 in their home or shop,or do they?Many times the 220 power is actuall 208 especially in older power grids.Same holds true for 3 phase.It doesn't make much difference on some equipment,but it can cause problems with Air compressors and pressure washers and maybe others.Using 208 to power a 220 device will cause a higher amp draw and heat the wiring and fuses/breakers,sometimes causing trips/blown fuses or not even letting the equipment run.
I'm just mentioning this so that you check actual voltage when considering new equipment,might save you some headaches.Most equipment can be had with either but if you don't know.......

[Number21]

The only places that have 208v have three phase power, and you'd know if you have 3 phase. (like my shop) The rest of the American grid is 240v nominal, if you aren't within a few volts of that, most likely you have a problem.

[Bus Ted Knuckle]

I believe power companies are required to be within 5% higher or lower than 120/240 at your transformer. Electrical equipment is commonly designed to operate at 230 or 115 volts plus or minus 10%.

110/220 is the old standard and is no longer used. 120/240 is the standard the power companies use. 230/115 is the standard that equipment manufacturers use.

[Sub-versive]

Originally Posted by Number21

The only places that have 208v have three phase power, and you'd know if you have 3 phase. (like my shop) The rest of the American grid is 240v nominal, if you aren't within a few volts of that, most likely you have a problem.

This.

Modern times, what was called 220V, is actually 240V +/-. Most power companies haved bumped the voltage to help account for voltage drop, increased usage, without replacing all the wiring.

If you have 208V, without it being 3 phase, you have some problems.