On Wednesday, December 4, 2019 at 11:12:55 AM UTC-5, danny burstein wrote:
In dpb writes:

On 12/4/2019 8:30 AM, trader_4 wrote:
...

A 240V breaker sits across both hot legs. I doubt it's code compliant
to use just half of it for a 120V circuit, but IDK. Fretwell?

Isn't. No dedicated neutral to the circuit that way.

Only (used to be but even it isn't allowed any more) was the 3-wire
service for dryer-like appliances with the ground serving as secondary
110V circuit neutral. That now requires 4-wire, not just three.

As some background, that was allowed so that items such as dryers
(or more commonly, ovens) whose main power draw (such as the
heating elements) was 240V, could also operate some secondary
items (such as the timer, lighting, fans..) at 120V.

This was Way Back, before routine international shipping, when
getting 240V versions of clocks and light bulbs was a pain...



Funny then that today they typically still require 120V. It's also illogical
to suggest that the major companies building millions of machines
can't easily source
240V timers or light bulbs. Many of them were also major electrical
component suppliers themselves too. Westinghouse can't find or make
a 240V timer or bulb? It is an interesting question as to why they evolved
to require 120V, but I doubt that it's because 240V timers were hard to source.