On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 08:53:38 -0400, "CL (dnoyeB) Gilbert"
wrote:

Ignoramus23077 wrote:
On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 05:05:49 GMT, Walter R. wrote:

Very interesting, but what is a phase converter used for?
Since this is alt.home.repair, do I need a 10 hp phase converter?
Just puzzled
:-)


Let's say that you want to build a house addition. You need a table
saw. Your neighbor has a cheap 3 phase 3 HP powermatic table saw for
sale. A phase converter would be quite useful!



i


Im lost. Are you generating mechanical power or electrical power?

Chuckle...Ill try to explain this...

Most US homes use single phase power. This means there are two wires
in the outlets, plus a ground. It can be 120volts or 240 volts, but
there are just two "hot" wires (over simplification for ease)

Industrial machines use for the most part...3 phase power. There are 3
hot wires. and will not run properly on only two. They heat up and
burn out quickly or refuse to start.

There is a lot of surplus industrial machines available, for very
little money that work very well for home use. Even a moderately worn
industrial machine is likely 3x as well made as a brand new Chinese
big box store machine. An example would be a Ryobi table saw from Home
Depot, versus a Delta UniSaw from an industrial auction. One might
last a year or two...the Delta the rest of your life.

So a way must be found to allow a 3 phase machine to be run on single
phase power. Hence we have rotary and static converters (and a few
other ways) which make up the 3rd hot wire.

Such a converter allows you to run industrial type machines on the 240
volt power that comes into your house. Plug the converter into your
electric dryer outlet and now you can use that Delta UniSaw, as an
example. Lathes, milling machines, drill presses, heavy industrial
welders, etc etc are all available, and most often are not even
available in single phase models. Hardinge Lathes, are an example. Due
to many factors, the machine cannot easily be changed over by
replacing the motor with a single phase one. So has to be run on
3phase power. Again..we use a converter to generate that third hot
wire so it can be run off your dryer outlet.

Help any?

Gunner

Liberals - Cosmopolitan critics, men who are the friends
of every country save their own. Benjamin Disraeli