Chris Eller wrote in
:


Greetings all. I have a, hopefully, simple electrical question.

Let's suppose I have a properly wired 240v outlet right where I need
some 120v outlets. I have read that is is possible to put in a pair
of 120v outlets in place of a 240v. It's made by using the neutral
commonly to both duplex outlets, red-hot to one and black-hot to the
other, then common ground to the box (each duplex is then on a
different hot leg).

Is this really possible? Or did I read something not quite safe? If
it is safe, is it a real stretch to make a portable outlet box for the
120v and plug it into a 240v outlet, then provide a means of grounding
it properly (long ground lead attached to the 240v face-plate screw,
for example).

Thanks in advance,
Chris

Yes, it's possible and safe if you have a 4 wire feed for the 240v
receptacle. Sounds like you might - black, red and white insulated
conductors and a separate ground. If it's only a 3 wire feed then you'd
have to use the bare ground as the neutral which is a no-no plus you
won't have a safety ground.

A 3 wire 240v receptacle could be safely converted to a single 120v
receptacle with a little work in the breaker box. The wire color coding
would be off so I'm not sure if it's technically correct according to
code to do it or not. You'd probably want to consult on electrician for
more on that.

The portable box could be done with a 4 wire 240v feed. I wouldn't do it
with a 3 wire feed.

Doug