Electrical knowledge please

[mariner]

I want to wire up my MH to run off of 220 voltage. I understand the wiring out of the fuse panel that I would have to work with but I don't understand the wiring of the ballast itself. They are multitap ballasts for 120/208/240/277. I assume I would want to wire it for 240. Is that correct? Can you explain which wires to use. I'm not going to change the plugs that the ballast came with. I'm thinking the comm wire would go to the circle plug(where the ground(green wire)would normally go on 120) then what two wires would go to the flat plugs? The 120 on one and the 240 on the other??????? Please advise. I'm a pretty handy individual so don't worry, I won't electricute myself. I'm rather skilled with 110 just never wired up for 220. Thanx.

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>

 

[AnotherGoldenTeapot]

A multi-tap ballast just means there is more than one coil (well not really - but good enough to think about it like this). You won't be using the other wires 120/208/277. Just cover the ends in heat-shrink and keep them tidy and out of the way with a cable-tie or similar.

There will be a common wire that goes to the hot side of the bulb. The input will then be on the 240 wire - or the other way around - I doubt it matters, but in any event look at the wiring diagram on the ballast.

Neutral goes straight to the other side of the bulb.

Remember to wire the earth correctly - anything that is metal should be connected to earth. Absolutely no exceptions

A *slight* problem that you will have is that the input voltage is critical to getting the bulbs to light up the right color. It sounds like you need a ballast for 220 (mind you - 220 is an average - what you actually have could be quite different).

 

[mariner]

That really doesn't make sense to me because with 220 coltage there are (2) 110 lines and a neutral. So with a three prong plug how would I fix up the wires to the ballast? I'm assuming that the comm wire would go to the single prong then what would go to the other two flat prongs?

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>

 

[cheapreefer]

I assume you have one wire labeled "com" and one labeled "240" on the ballast? If so these should go to the two flat prongs on the plug. The third prong should go to ground.

 

[mariner]

Yes, there is one marked for 240 and one comm. So it would get wired to the plug just like 120 would, just use the 240 wire instead of the 120. Correct? By ground, you mean the green wire?
Also, should I use the 208 or 240 wire? There are (2) 110 lines coming into the house.

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>

 

[cheapreefer]

Sounds right. If there is a green wire, then yes it should be ground. If not then ground it to the metal base of the ballast. Just curious, why not just use 120? I take it you have a 220 outlet near the tank?

 

[mariner]

I will very soon. 220 is lighter on the electric bill.

 

[Anonymous]

***********
Insert standard disclaimer here: Blah, blah Blah!*************

Mariner,
Do yourself a favor and change the plug on the ballast and the receptical that it will plug into. That way you won't accidently plug something 110 into the 220 plug. Very bad scenerio when this happens.

Yes, you need 2 hots and a neutral. To be absolutely safe, wire a line from a screw on your ballast to one of the screws on the cover plate for the new 220 receptical. The box itself should be grounded.

WHEN (not if!) you go to Home depot to get the new plug and receptical, try to find someone in the electrical section to help explain the wiring of the new plug. Oh yeah, you may just want to read the instructions on the box instead...

I am pretty sure the 208/240/277 are different wirings depending on the phases of power in your house. most homes have 2 or 3 phase power. When you take the cover off the breaker box You will have either 1, 2 or 3 wires coming into the top of the box (all black, or black, red, blue, depending on phases you have and age of the wiring) . you will also have a neutral (white) and a ground (green or bare copper) Depending on where you take the two different hot's will give you differnt voltages for differnt wiring configurations.

My advice is to wire the NEW receptical up with whatever hots you are using and then put a meter on it. Then wire your ballast accordingly.

B

 

[somethings fishy]

just curious why you think that 220 is lighter on your electrical bill, from the research I did awhile ago on the issue I found that to be false. The only difference I found was that it lightens the load on your 110 but still uses the same amount of electricity. So if you blow fuses and have a high 110 load it would be a good idea to switch but if you are doing it thinking it will save you money on your elec. bill I think you might be wasting your time. This is the conclusion I came to from the research I did when I was thinking of running my lights on 220. If I am mistaken someone please correct me.

 

[mariner]

O.K. I went to Home Depot and the guy I talked to really didn't know what he was talking about and just confused the hell out of me. In my electric box, there are three wires coming into the house. Two of them are going into the main breakers and one is going to the pole where all of the whit wires connect to. The way I have it pictured in my head is I will snap in a double pole breaker, take two hot's off of that and one white wire off of the neutral pole. Run these wires through the conduit to the receptacle. This is where I get confused. The receptacle that the HD guy showed me had two copper screws and a green screw. How do the wires from the electric box connect to this 220 receptacle? Then if you could let me know how the wires from the ballast connect to the 220 plug. The plug he showed me was a three prong for 220 voltage. I thought I knew what I was doing till I spoke to the HD guy who advised me to speak to an electrical supply store because he really wasn't sure.
P.S. Someth'n fishy, I read that 220 voltage lightens up usage by a third. Our basement is unfinished and I will be finishing it up soon so I want to do this before the walls go up.

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>

 

[Marcosreef]

As voltage increases, the current load decreases, so a 120v 20 amp load becomes a 10 amp load at 240. Your still using the same amount of current. Each one of the wires in your panel is 120v. All you need to use is one of the 120v conductors in the panel. Only high current appliances such as your a/c, stove, oven or dryer use the 2, 120v wires (240v) Hope that helps...(You would need a special outlet with four pins on it, like a dryer plug...2 hots, a neutral, and a ground. You will not be able to use a standard duplex receptacle for a 220-240v load.) The two copper screws are there if you want to use the top plug for one circuit, and the bottom for another. You have to BREAK the copper tab first. Marco

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: Polo's Reef ]</p>

 

[mariner]

The receptacle that I was looking at was for a single plug only. It showed on the diagram that the two hots go to each of the copper screws and the ground goes to the green screw. Is that correct? If so, Where would the neutral(white) wire go? Is the neutral and ground the same thing. I'm used to the green wire that is grounging the ballast going to the green screw which would be connected to the metal of the receptacle box.

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>

 

[Marcosreef]

Although the ground and the neutral wire are conected at the service panel together, they are separated for saftey reasons. The electrical code requires all new work to use a separate ground and neutral conductor on fixtures or appliances. So you will need a 4 prong plug (2-hots, 1 neutral and a ground). So a green, silver, and two copper screws. Like on a new dryer or oven plug. You would connect the white wire in the ballast to the silver screw on the plug.

 

[Marcosreef]

I don't think you will be able to run the ballast on 220-240v anyhow...that tap is for straight 240v only...like what is used in industrial applications. You would need 2-120v taps on the ballast for the 240v to work...Marco

 

[Marcosreef]

Well, see, that is the problem, the ballast does not usually have a fourth wire. It either has a 120, 208, 240, or a 277 tap on the transformer coil. Some commercial buildings utilize high power transformers to get straight 240v. (These manufacturing companies have electrical services that have 480v power that runs at hundreds of amps for their machinery). HID lighting was originally designed for these applications and not necessarily for the hobbyist, like us....Yes the water DOES flow faster with 240v (voltage), but the PRESSURE (amperage) is half. You're not getting a BIGGER cup of water, just one that fills a little quicker, with a smaller hose! So you see, the VOLUME (wattage) which is how we get charged for electricity, stays the same...Marco

 

[rmor22]

It will not be lighter on your electrical bill. Current * Voltage = Watts. You bill is determined by your kilowatt meter. Your lamp will draw the same amount of watts at 220 or 110. The higher voltage is for high current items so the wire sizes and breakers are not huge. This is how power lines can be so small and supply cities at 500 kilovolts. I do not believe you can wire this ballast up with standard home power for 220. The ballast will need 1 hot wire and a common with the voltage potential between the wires being 220v. This is achieved from a 3 phase y power system which I doubt you have. I would save yourself a whole lot of trouble and wire this up for the standard home 110 volt circuiut. I hope this helps.

 

[mariner]

So if there is a 4 prong plug, on the ballst end, there is only three wires. One marked comm, a wire marked 240 and a grounding wire. I understand the 4 prong female end(2 110 lines,neutral and ground) but what is the 4th wire on the ballast would need to be connected to the plug?
I'll have to check into this on the electric bill thing cuz I was told by an electrician at one time that 110 voltage is like turning on a faucet and when you put your finger over the faucet that is like 220. It comes out faster but less is coming out. Either way I still would like to understand the wiring. Thanx

[ February 06, 2002: Message edited by: mariner ]</p>

 

[cheapreefer]

The only time 240 saves electricity is when powering a motor such as in an air compressor or A/C unit. This is why your electrician will get confused. In the US most houses are single phase 120/240 (no such thing as 220v in the US, for the most part). 3 phase systems are wired for 208v. Your ballast will work in your house but will be no more efficient on 240 than on 120. It would take 1800 watts of draw to trip a 120v 15amp circut breaker. If your lights, heaters, pumps etc. add up close to 1800, then I would go with 240.

 

[Rick O]

I can tell you for a fact that you are not going to save electricity by using 240 volts. It also sounds like you don't know what you are doing. Wiring 240 volts to a 110 volt outlet is irresponsible and could cause damage and injure an unsuspecting person that comes along after you've moved. If you insist then please hire someone that will wire it correctly or have a knowledgeable person supervise your work.

[ February 06, 2002: Message edited by: Rick O ]</p>

 

[mariner]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the responses. I guess I'll keep the 120v. I just figured that with (2) 250 watters and (2) 400 watters running, maybe there was a way I could save a little money. Oh well. Thanks anyway.