Phase Convertor? 110V to 240V. Electrical question.

flatgrinder

flatgrinder

Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
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Hey all,

I recently moved my shop and all the outlets are single phase 110V whereas my grinder and heat treat oven are running on 3 phase 240V.

What's the cheapest way to get these working again?

Could I use a rotary phase convertor? (I'm not an electrician, so I don't even know if this will work :confused:)

Or should I just bite the bullet and have an electrician wire up a 3 prong 240V outlet? (Which will probably cost big bucks as the shop is about 150 feet from the breaker box). :(

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
My instincts tell me that you would be money ahead if you just have the circuits you need, wired in. Without looking it up, I believe that most phase converters are going to require 220V input, especially if you need 220V output. I'm sure there are ways/equipment to do what your wanting, but I suspect the costs would floor you.
 
If u need 3 phase in your shop it might pay in the long run to have a 3 phase service put in. This would require getting the utility company involved and a new service inside the shop... A bit pricy but I don't think phase converters are very cheap if u need to buy more than one
 
Are you positive that you need three phase? You stated that you have a three prong plug but that don't mean that you need three phase power. most three phase equipment have four prong plugs. I suspicion that all you need is a couple of 220 volt outlets added. how much it will cost depends on how the power is brought into your shop now. since you don't seem sure of what you have or need you should get an electrition to look at it for you.
 
Most (but not all) heat treat ovens are going to be 220 volt single phase. There are two hot legs that are 220 to each other and 110 to neutral (or ground). Three phase has three hot legs that are 110 to neutral and 208 between any two legs.
 
Nathan is right tho if it's 3 phase it would be at 208v I'd check the name plates to double check power requirments if it's 220/240 single phase u will be ok with the serviceyou already have , just may need to run some new 3 wire runs
 
If you definitely need 3 phase power and are in a commercial area, the electric co will help you get the power you need. If residential, a rotary phase converter will do a nice job generating 3 phase power for you but you will probably need to put it on a minimum of 60-80 amp breaker depending on motor hp/wattage requirements. You can also run a 3 phase motor off a static converter but you'll loose 1/3 the hp and you may have to limit the number of start/stop cycles in any 20 minute period. A lot of woodworkers and machinists I know generate their own 3 phase power and it is definitely possible to do it. Search the practical machinist and woodnet websites. The hardware needed to do it isn't that expensive, especially if you're good at scrounging around, but unless you can wire it all up yourself, it'll cost a lot more. If you decide to persue this more, drop me a line and I'll search my archives for some good info sources on 3 phase.
 
Thanks for the replies and advice! :thumbup:

After doing a lot of thinking, I'm going to call the electric company to see if they can put it in for free ... if not I'll call an electrician :o
 
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