On Thursday, December 23, 2004 10:59:07 AM UTC-8, Keith Carlson wrote:
I know I'm going to get the "DAGS" for this question, but I just came from
there, and I didn't see this specific information. Lots of debate about how
much current the neutral wire carries, though :-)

With a 3-wire circuit, is it okay to wire both 120V and 240V outlets on that
same circuit? I know it's *possible* by using the two hots for 240 and
either hot and neutral for 120, but is it recommended? Maybe this is the
main reason for this type of circuit, so I didn't see reference to it on
Google. Much of the discussion I read was on balancing the load, which could
imply using the 3-wire circuit with all 120V outlets.

I've got a dust collector coming soon, and the extra 6-7 continuous amps is
going to result in some frequent breaker trips when I start a saw or planer.
Looked at my electrical service, and found there's an unused double-pole 30A
breaker, feeding an unused dryer outlet (house had a gas dryer when I moved
in). That should give me the 2 hots for a 3-wire circuit.

My thought on this type of circuit is to wire one outlet at 240V (re-wire DC
motor to 220V), and the rest wired at 120V. With that 30A breaker and 10 AWG
wire, should have no problem handling the loads from a DC and air cleaner
running, and startup surge from another tool.

An electrician would be a good idea, too. Hopefully I can find someone
willing to consult with me; I can do the wiring myself.
But I'm hoping to get some idea if this is the way I want to go so I can
cost materials. Won't get an electrician or the inspector on the phone
until next week.

TIA

There is a common misconception about watts and volt-amperes. People misunderstands both

the same. But there is a whole different way of calculating the both.
W and VA are both units of measurement for power, but that's where the similarity ends.

Watts do work or generate heat, while volt-amperes simply provide you with information you

need to size wires, fuses, or circuit breakers. Watts add linearly, while volt-amperes doe

not. And to measure W, you need a special wattmeter. You can calculate VA by using a

standard multimeter to measure VRMS and IRMS and finding the product
The idea for determining the Real power VS apparent power for ac is uncomplicated,
We care less of apparent power, its the utilitys problem! it is true true,or CONSIDERED

true for all practical purposes for circuits having motors,etc.
Electronic products list ac line voltage,frequency, and Amp ratings.

100Watts = 100 VA

1 watt
Watts (W) is calculated by multiplying Volts (V) times Amps (A), so 1W = 1VA
true true,or CONSIDERED true for all practical purposes
In reality A pf OF .9 WILL MAKE 1 AMP ABOUT .93 AMPS.