[geeks] D'OH!

[geeks at sunhelp.org]

UK wiring is SO different than in the states. What you call a cooker is what
we call a stove (I think). Our stoves include an oven and 4 cooktop burners.
Stoves are wired for 220V @ 30A, as are our clothes dryers. It is very rare
to find a 110V branch circuit at more than 20A. It is assumed that anything
that needs that much power is both stationary and built for 220V. By using
220V (or 2 X 110V also known as 2-phase) you save on copper wiring for a
given amount of wattage (since wattage is a function of voltage X amps). The
US uses delta-wound distribution transformers that divide 3 phases across
three windings. A house receives two of these phases from two windings of
the delta and a neutral line (neutral is not to be confused with ground,
even though they are bonded together in the service panel - don't get me
started on the neutral/ground issue, its a stupid thing). The neutral is the
"center tap" of the other two windings. If you take neutral and one of the
phases (called a "hot") you get 110V. Take the two hots and you get 220V
between them. My understanding of UK wiring (which is probably wrong) is
that you are delivered one hot and one neutral and will get 220V between
them. It is also a single phase. Don't UK wall outlets deliver 220V?


~ -----Original Message-----
~ From: David Cantrell [mailto:david at cantrell.org.uk]
~ Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 11:00 AM
~ To: geeks at sunhelp.org
~ Subject: Re: [geeks] D'OH!
~ 
~ 
~ On Fri, Feb 01, 2002 at 12:48:48AM -0500, Dave McGuire wrote:
~ >   15A and 20A are standard for houses in the US, more so 
~ 15A than 20A.
~ > I have *never* seen a 30A 110V circuit in a residence.
~ 
~ Not even for electric cookers?  20A @ 110V only gives you 
~ 2kW, which is
~ nothing.  Here IIRC electric cookers get a 30A circuit, for 6.5kW.
~ 
~ -- 
~ David Cantrell | david at cantrell.org.uk | 
~ http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david
~ 
~   emacs: for a brave GNU Word
~              -- cdevers, in #london.pm
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