On Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:37:09 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , wrote:
On Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:24:59 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
On Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:40:52 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

BTW -- it hasn't been 220/110 in the United States for a loooooong time.
It's
been 240/120 for at least the last 25 or 30 years.

Actually you are wrong too. It is by definition 115/230 and in reality
USUALLY from 115 to 117 per side.

Guess again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_p...ound_the_world

lists both Canada and the U.S. as 120/240.
Well, I monitor the voltage on my home office power as well as at a
customer site and it is very consistent at 115-117 volts at both
sites. Has been for years. This is in urban Waterloo Ontario and
Kitchener Ontario.

And what comes into your house must there be the standard. :-)

Also virtually every motor or electrical device sold in North America
for residential use is rated at 115 or 230 volts.

Not true.

A quick random sample of half a dozen of my portable power tools and kitchen
appliances shows five marked "120V" and one marked "120V only". In fact, the
only thing I could find in the house that's marked for 115 is an electric
clock that to my certain knowledge is _at least_ forty years old.

In industrial and large multi unit residential applications with 3
phase power it is 120/208. Virtually everywhere else in Ontario, at
least, it is 115/230 single phase.

And therefore it's the same everywhere?

My US built 4 year old Tempstar furnace says for 115 volts AC
operation.. One of my (2 way) radio power supplies says 117 volt AC
in..
My compressor motor says 115/230 volts AC. (it is a year old).
My Beam central vaccum says 115 volts.
My stereo pre-amp says 117 volts AC.
Heck, my model train transformer says 117 volts. Then most of my
computer stuff says 84 - 240 volts AC or 100-240 VAC.

My experience is that 20 years ago, average voltage around here was
much higher than it is today. 117 was low, and 123 was not uncommon.
For the last 5-10 years if I see 120, it is high. 117 is common, and
as low as 114 is certainly not unheard of.

My central air unit says 230 VAC.