Why the U.S. uses a different voltage than some countries
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- The U.S. uses 110V 60 HZ AC while around the world different voltages are used. Have you ever wondered why there is this difference? The answer is a complicated one.
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#engineering #voltage #110V - Věda a technologie
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“Where voltages can be changed quite easily using the transformer’
Shows a picture of a tesla coil
Well Tesla coil is a special type of transformer
@@brucebanner9833
Although I would agree that you are correct in saying that a tesla coil is a type of transformer it most definitely is NOT the type of transformer under discussion. At all.
@@Zerpersande In that sense you are right
And for electronic circuits you can used Zenner diodes to rectify from AC to DC (alternating to direct current). And in combination with a resistor you can reduce voltage. There are other diodes that can be used as rectifiers too. Most of my devices use 5V, 3.7V, 7.4V. so it does not matter if my supply is 100V to 240V, 50 Hz or 60Hz.
That is why you need to have suitable adapters when you travel but usually the devices have universal power bricks / rechargeable batteries.
The way I do it is take one or two extension cables with multiple-configuration sockets for my devices. Then three or four adapters for various regions. (I have visited and worked in 20 countries in a dozen regions worldwide and cannot remember when I had any problem.)
@@fwcolb
Yes, but....
How does this relate to the statement that voltages could be changed quite easily with a transformer but then showing a picture of a Tesla coil.
I was just pointing out a minor production snafu.
Actually almost all the world works at 220-240
The American continent is the only continent that uses majorly 110-127 volts. In other words where 220-240 volts is a minority. In America 220-240 volts is mostly used in French overseas territories and some countries of South America. The most bizarre case is Japan with their unique 100 volts which is not officially compatible with 110-127 volts.
Every house has 220V in North America. It is just that low draw appliances only use 1 leg of the 220V peak to peak supply. This results in a 110V. It is definitely safer to have only 110V supplied at the outlet if that is all you really need.
@@geoffmooregm I don´t know any victim, accident or else because of 220V, why is it safer?
@@manuelgarciabarbero1872 Because it is half the voltage. So for any given resistance half the current will flow through a given object, such as a human body. In addition to that only one side of the plug is live. So for someone to get a shock one specific conductor needs to be given a path to ground or lower potential. The neutral wire will not. Clearly 220V is not needed for a light bulb or computer to function so why do it if there is no need? When we need 220V we use it. My oven, dryer, A/C and two welders all use 220V.
@@geoffmooregm i understand the physics. But nothing happens un the real Life. There is no diference!!!
Here in Brazil, we use to have some states using 110v at 60Hz and some states using 220v at 60Hz. That happened because some parts of Brazil had its electrical equipment imported from the United States and some parts came from Europe. Eventually, in 1998, every state that used 110v had to be changed to 127v. So, today, the Brazilian standard is 127v/220v at 60Hz. Which means that every single appliance sold in Brazil has to be dual voltage, either automatically or using a switcher. Sometimes you'll see the same appliance being sold in two variants on websites, so you gotta pay attention when you're buying something online.
I’m afraid there’s a lot inaccuracies in this video.
Elaborate please
Frederick, please give the correct information. Thanks.
... putting it mildly!
@@andreyche193 yep, I don't think one point was without fault. Very sloppy work.
@@markrothenberg9867 many issues are already stated in the comments.
The stated the voltages are stated wrong
the reason that most of the rest of the world uses 50Hz was not an arbitrary decision; it's because it's more efficient to generate (eddy current and iron losses in generators increase with frequency) to name a few
The lower the frequency, the lower will be the iron losses and eddy current losses.
The US is actually 240 V, split phase.
Thanks for that.
240 3 phase with a center tap.
Thank you for saying that.
@@robertthomas5906 240V split-phase, not 3-phase, supplied to US residences.
@@ericbuist8218 You're mixing things up. The US has 3 phase power. That's how it's made. If you look at the power conductors around the country you'll see the three wires. That's your 240 volt lines. If you use the center tap, that's a split phase because it's only to one of the 3 phases. That's a 120 line.
The current european standard is 230 V ±10%, 50 Hz
3x 230 V ±10%, 50 Hz
@@MrPRECLIK I think phases are pretty much included in the previous comment
Actually the reality is the opposite of what is said in the video. In the very beginning Europe had 220V and increased it later so GB (and India) have 240V today and the EU 230V
@@j--xe3ke Actually the UK and Ireland still use 240V and continental Europe still uses 220V. Only the required tolerances for appliances have been widened.
And Japan has a mixture of 50 and 60Hz supplies, but mostly at 100V.
@@nowster Just measured 234VAC at home. So no 220V. I believe they've been stepping up voltages from when it was 220V some years ago. That's between Phase and Neutral.
At work I measure III 400VAC. It used to be 380V for industry but it's been stepped up as well. You'll get close to 240VAC between Phases and neutral there.
I'm in Spain btw.
Then you've got Japan, where half the island is 50 hertz, and half 60.
Most devices work as well whether the supply is 50 or 60 Hertz.
@@fwcolb 60 Hz systems usually use 110V (120V) while 50 Hz systems tend to use 220V, 230V, 240V, so 50 for 220-240V and 60 for 120V
😂😂
The biggest problem is power transmission. I don't have to tell you that it makes little sense for a relatively small island to have two different power grids. When the Fukushima nuclear accident happened, the affected part of Japan couldn't get power from the other half.
@@michaelv3340 you mean like the state of Texas? Oh my...
More interestingly, in Japan they have 100V, with 50 Hz in the eastern part of the country and 60 Hz in the western part. The reason is that the equipment to generate electricity in the eastern part was originally imported from Europe and in the western part from the US. This is quite inconvenient for Japan, because it prevents the power grids of the east and west to be shared. Due to this no electric power could be redistributed in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which highly affected the power generation in the east.
They'd need different electric clocks, too. Synchronous motors need specific frequencies.
Electricity, amirite? Pfft...she one crazy bits.
Well, Japan could buy the Tres Amigas grid tie in Clovis, NM. It was intended to tie together the eastern, western and Texas grids, but Texas has decided that they prefer to curse the darkness. Tres Amigas was designed to use HVDC as the common standard, so it would be no problem interconnecting 50 Hz and 60 Hz grids using that technology.
From what I have heard, Japan actually does tie the two grids together using equipment that converts between 50Hz and 60Hz... as weird as that is.
@@phillipsusi1791 I have heard that too that Japan ties the western and eastern grids together, though this was not the case in 2011 when the Tohoku earthquake occurred. I think converting 50 to 60 Hz or back is not so efficient, and I suspect using HVDC as an intermediary will be more efficient. Efficiency of HVDC for transport is actually better than AC, and conversion efficiency has also improved in recent decades.
When I was a small child the voltage supplied to our home in central London was changed from 120 v to 240 volt as a result of changes in the local generation systems, and the Nationalisation of Power supplies. My mothers nearly new Vacuum cleaner had a stepdown transformer added to its supply cable and the radio had parts fitted inside. That was around 1951. At the same time the house was rewired with the 'new' three pin sockets.
This video is flawed from the start, it shows a map of Europe (including the UK) that are 240v 50hz and then in the next slide says India and Britain are 230v 50hz. Also the world was electrifying at the same time so insulation and other safety concerns were universal so that as a reason for 110v in the USA is more fallacy than fact.
My understanding (from a short video somewhere on CZcams) was that the US went 110v which doubles the current/ampage, and so required thicker copper cables. It just so happened that the guy influencing this decision was the guy selling the copper..!! So, he got rich very quickly.
@@MickeyDJ1 - That’s baloney. Ths video is firly accurate. It was mainly the electric lamp that caused the voltage to be set to 110.
@@GH-oi2jf What, just the electric lamp, which obviously everybody was using across the globe. Even more like baloney imo..!! 😏
@@MickeyDJ1 European changed the current in the 20th century in many cases as late as 1950s or 60s. European s had fewer devices so the change was easier. Also at least in Finland rural areas had used 220 V early on so many devices were dual-voltage.
For all that genius that Edison had, he was a remarkably petty person.
Who cares.
@@matthewhunter6421 Clearly, you do not. That's okay. Thanks for your insight.
Edison was a fraud. He paid top dollar for invention patents didn't invent anything on his own. A glorified marketing guru...
A lot of money was at stake. I wouldn't call that petty.
@@B7ackTruth Einstein agreed with you ... he believed that Nikolas Tesla was the genius !!!
I worked at a copper mine and mill in Arizona in 1970 and most of their equipment was old and ran on 25 Hz power. Roosevelt dam had one generator dedicated to supply power to that mine alone.
When I was in Thailand in the mid 70s, their power was 230V 50Hz.
Parts of the railroad system on the east coast of the US still use 25 cycle power! There are 2 25 cycle generators still operating at Safe Harbor Dam. In the past, rotary converters made most of the 25 cycle power; they have all been replaced by solid state invertor plants. Modern locomotives on the east coast operate OK on both 25 and 60 cycles, because newer trackage uses 60 cycles.
230v is the EU standard, which is why the UK adopted it when we were in the EU. In reality before the standard came in most of Europe ran at 220v and the UK 240v. They split the difference and agreed on 230v as a standard for electronics. However in reality the UK grid still runs at 240v last time I measured it and I wouldn't be surprised if most of the continent still ran 220v.
Yes 230V is just nominal voltage and is used for marketing purpose, in reality 230V appliances can operate on a wide range including 220 and 240
Here in The Netherlands it is almost exactly 230V.
I’ve seen most electronics here in the UK run at either 230v, 240v and even 250v although 250v are extremely uncommon and most devices can run between 220v-250v or 220v-240v
@@wclifton968gameplaystutorials yes there is always an allowed range, in the UK it is about 216-253V (+10%-6%)
Switzerland is exactly 230 Volts.
In India (most of the world) 400V (line to line) 3 phase (120° phase difference) electricity is distributed. So the voltage difference between phase and neutral is (400÷√3 =) 230V which is used by household appliances. And we also directly use the 3 phase 400V connection to run electric pump.
In USA 2 phase (180° phase difference) 240V electricity is distributed. And the voltage difference between phase and neutral is (240÷2=) 120 V.
👍👍👍...
Let's play a drinking game. Everyone drink a shot when they see a plug inserted into a socket.
I’m trashed after 3 minutes
And then call 911 for alcohol poisoning
@Tj I can't afford a new liver
Passed out in the first minute
That 230V in India was revised to 240V a few years back because that 230V due to line losses eventually came to lower than 210-220V
Bulb and appliances manufacturers are still cheating us with 230V rating. I remember HMT was the only bulb manu who adapted 240V.
I have a few 200w bulbs rated @250V by Philips and Crompton.
I use these for testing purposes and these withstand up-to 280V.
I love your comment. Kishore Kumar from Chennai.
Our house is the first service from dis transformer so we always get 250V.
@@30mAkills Yeah, I remember that the power corporation installed a new transformer for my locality here in Lucknow with new Aerial Bunch Conductor (ABC Wires). So the arrangement was somehow that ours was the 3rd or 4th in the order of consumer from the transformer and for a few years, voltage at our home always used to stay constant at 280V and that meant a lot of bulbs would fuse quite often. Eventually, with more houses using the line, the voltage stabilized to 240-250V.
@@fahadaslam2000 Our dt transformers don't have tap changer or lightening arrestors. The earth resistance value is never checked. RCCB is ignored!
Nowadays I buy wide band voltage rated appliances and led bulbs.
Higher voltage is more economical cause you can use smaller diameter cable of the same power output.
It's 2021 and many electronic devices world wide use very low wattage (for energy savings) so having 120V 15A (which equal 1800 watts) outlets is overkill (with the exception of an electric dryer or central AC).
@@fernarias What's your point?
@@i3_13 That 120 is more useful for home use.
@@fernarias I don't think so. Most electronics use 24V,12V ,5V DC. To achieve DC current you have to have a power supply which most electronics have internally. You still need a transformer, which is part of the PS,either 120v or 220v to step down to these voltages.
Power = current squared times the resistance. Copper costs $4 a pound. Double the voltage and you get a quarter of losses with the same cable. For the same reasons 240 volt systems have one transformer per block , in the us it’s more like one per pair of houses to reduce power losses.
A lot of misinformation in this ...
I thought the same thing. But electricity explained in 3 minutes is mad stupid impossible.
Elaborate please.
Certainly is The U.K. was always 240 volts - the European labelling often puts 230volts on newer electrical products made in Europe - but if you use a volt meter on a U.K. socket and it’s STILL 240
At 1minute 40 seconds in the video, they discuss a reason for using 110v versus 240v, saying early wiring system's insulation wasn't as good and a higher voltage posed a fire risk. I call bullshit, as it seems that the higher the volts, the lower the amps a given electrical item uses. Therfore less insulation on wiring is required at a higher voltage, not less. My thought is that copper producers saw an opportunity to sell more of their commodity to an emerging market in America. It takes way more wire, of a larger size, to wire a building for 110v instead of 240v. Follow the money.
@@markrothenberg9867 They claimed "AC is more dangerous than DC" is misinformation. That's not true, DC at similar voltages is much safer than AC.
This has nothing to do with long distance distribution, which is done at much higher voltages.
Long distance distribution is done at much higher voltages for the very same reasons that 230V is better than 110V.
@@rethla Not really. 110v is one leg of a 220v single phase system and needs a neutral or ground to return the unbalanced load. 220v is better because using both legs of the single phase system balances load without a neutral due to the two opposing sine waves. It is much more efficient in the current consumption, which outweighs the benefit of using #14 copper instead of #12.
@@rethla not really the same when you consider it's about double the voltage.
Vs transmission lines being 100,000s volts.
Here at least in Canada the really high up transmission lines you'll see every so often are 250,000V+ but the powerlines you'll see on the streets feeding houses or any commercial/industrial places will be 13,800V per line and 27,600 phase to phase. But majority of the use will be at the 13,800V stepped down to the 120/240 for houses and 347/600 for the rest.
At least in safety sake 120V is a lot less painful than 240V should you touch it.
@@JoeC92 double the voltage is half the current. Its really easy and you shouldnt touch it.
@@rethla meh 120 tickles compared to 347V. I know both can kill but I'm way more afraid to throw a 4000amp 600V switch compared to sticking my hands to work on a 120/208V panel.
Really though voltage doesn't matter these days here at least. Lighting was usually the heaviest consumer and with the leds now days it's nothing. What used to be 12 20 amp 347V circuits for an office building floor for lighting is now maybe 5 or 6 20 amp 120V circuits. Half the time the lights don't even get 120V to them anymore. It's all coming off a little driver in the electrical rooms and just a bunch of cat6 cables going out to the lights because they're 48VDC.
Everything here now days comes off 120/208v panels because it's safer. Air handlers and any motors come off 600V
The difference between getting shocked by 120 and 240 is considerable. For everything but the equipment that actually needs 240, (basically stoves and dryers for most households in North America. If someone has whole house aircon or a compressor and a welder in the their shop too). I much prefer to stay with 120 Volts for all small appliances.
I shock at 120v can still kill, it's not safe though the risk is reduced. However with the increase in current required the size of the over current protection goes up reducing the safety against arcing and/or arc flash and with the introduction of RCD's (GFCI's) the risk of the higher voltage is significantly minimised.
I know it's been two years - I've just seen your comment. The problem with 110v and smaller appliances is that each device is usually designed to work with any voltage between 110 to 240. This means that the lower the voltage, the slower the device. Here's a really interesting couple of videos made by a very well informed USAian that you will find interesting:
czcams.com/video/OiwWaIvIeao/video.html
czcams.com/video/_yMMTVVJI4c/video.html
czcams.com/video/jMmUoZh3Hq4/video.html 😊😊
Higher voltage also means less load/amperage. I once worked on a project in South America 25 years ago, and every piece of equipment sent from the US by my company was 120V, but where I was, power was 240/50. It was a nightmare stepping down the power to make the equipment work. All DIY, and worked. Very safely, I might add.
As a US taxpayer I say, Your Welcome.
Did the step down converter have a transformer too.please
@@Deepa0309 Yes it did. We left everything behind to the locals for their use when we left. It was an airplane that had crashed and I was part of a team to get it flyable and back to the states. It flew freight for 10 years after that, then scrapped.
@@moriver3857 😊kind of you.🙏
120V reaches from Canada all the way to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador... the rest of South America does use 220V though 😅
The first electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy, an English scientist. He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light.
In Britain Swan supplied arc lamps to light the Picture Gallery at Cragside in Northumberland in 1878, the first house to be lit by electricity, and for Mosely Street in Newcastle, the first electrically lit street in 1879. (1879 was, incidentally the year Edison first demonstrated his own lamp in the USA)
The first electric street lighting employed arc lamps, initially the 'Electric candle', 'Jablotchkoff candle' or 'Yablochkov candle' developed by the Russian Pavel Yablochkov in 1875.
The first electric railway in Great Britain was Volk's Electric Railway in Brighton, a pleasure railway, which opened in 1883, still functioning to this day.The London Underground began operating electric services using a fourth rail system in 1890 on the City and South London Railway, now part of the London Underground Northern line.
Nearly a decade before Thomas Edison began working on incandescent lamps and a more affordable way to bring the bright world of electricity to Victorian homes, a fine country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England, was lit entirely by electricity.
British physicist and chemist Michael Faraday (1791-1867), best known for his discoveries of electromagnetic induction and of the laws of electrolysis and his invention of the electric generator.
Word of Faraday's law spread and in 1832, Frenchman Hippolyte Pixii built the first dynamo generator. His model created pulses of electricity separated by no current. By accident, he also created the first alternator.
Thank you for feeding my brain so quickly. Perfect pace to prevent ADHD information fatigue. You rock! Keep up the good work.
My country also started with 110V, but in 1980s we move to 220V.
Of course, by then most of our country were still jungles so we hadn't invested too much on 110V. And it helped that most of Japanese appliances at the time have a switch between 110V and 220V.
Japan's grid runs on 100 V. What voltage the japanese appliances are designed for, depends on the country where they are sold. If you buy it in japan, it will be designed for 100 V. If you buy that same appliance in the US, it will be designed for 120 V. In Europe: 230 V. The same applies to japanese cars: if you buy them in japan, the steering wheel will be on the right. If you buy them in the US, the steering wheel will be on the left. It all depends on where they are supposed to be sold so please dont say that japanese appliances switched from 110 to 220 V. They didnt. But maybe your country started importing them from another source.
@@wisehippo3072 Those Japanese electronics provided the switch between 110V and 220V. Apparently they catered to my country's demand of that time. I remember we have JVC portable TV and Sony cassette deck that my father warned us not to tinker with that one switch or they will explode (dad's over exaggeration, of course).
Well, at least where I live in Europe most homes are supplied with 400V across three phases.
My stove in my apartment runs at 400V.
Yeah this is the new worldwide standard .
It uses 230v/400v .
@@mattlogue1300 The Voltage between the 3 phases in Europe is 400V and many ovens and heaters run on 400V
Yea if US is 240 the EU is 400, compare apples to apples and not to oranges.
@@leonharder4846 Yeah, with 3-phase, the voltage from phase-to-phase is the square root of 3 times the voltage of one phase to ground. 230V x sqrt(3) ~=400V. Also, thanks for the info - didn't know that European homes are supplied with 3-phase power! That's practically non-existant here in the USA.
@@leonharder4846 The voltage between each 2 of those 3 phases is 400V, but I think thats what your meant.
Phased out. I see what you did there.
I think you will find most of Europe, including the UK, are on very similar voltages.
In India , the house hold potential is 220 V and 50 Hz frequency
The US does have 240 volts coming into their buildings, it just gets split into two 120 volt circuits
And here in Europe 400 volts come into our buildings. At normal sockets are only 230 volts, but in the kitchen and in the garage there is usually the possibility to connect 400 volt appliances. At least in my country. E.g. for ovens and construction machinery.
@@ifzwischendurch And here in Canada 600V 3-phase is the standard that is split right down to 110VAC
@@ifzwischendurch how is 400 split into 230?
@@markplain2555 I don think thats correct. A 600V 3 phase system with 110V per single phase would require some magic that was not invented yet.
From what I found Canada has a 3-phase 208V systems with 120V per single for residental houses. The 600V 3 phase system is used for industrial purposes because 208V is not very efficient for big motors and machines.
The US has the same 208V system for residental houses, but for industrial purpses the Us uses a 480V three phase system.
Europe has a 400V 3-phase system with 230V per single phase. Europe uses the same system for residental houses and industry.
A 600V 3 phase system with 110V per single phase would require some magic that waas not invented yet.
@James Doolittle If I remember correctly It was technology connections that has a good video on the subject.
Having used many of my 240v appliances in the USA, although having to change the plug over. I can confirm I was amazed they still worked.
Most stuff works on both voltages nowadays.
@@patbutete1722 Yea, basically any electronic device that actually runs off of DC. the AC/DC power supply is happy with 100-250V at either 50 or 60 Hz.
@@patbutete1722 They do, but on a lower voltage, the devices must draw twice the current to meet the power demands. So if you plug into a 10A circuit, but the device already required 6 to 10 A, then it will draw 12 to 20A and blow the fuse. (Yes, this is a simplification). 😊😊 czcams.com/video/OiwWaIvIeao/video.html
Prior to the 1920s, the United States had no general power supply standard. There were voltages of 110v and 220v and frequencies of 25, 40, 50, 60, 100, 125, and 133 cycles. And a variety of non-compatible connecting plugs. The Edison screw plug, the parallel blade design we use today, the tandem plug, a plug that was basically identical to the “europlug,” which was Hubbell’s first plug design, the crowfoot plug that became the Australian standard, and others. Apparently the entire state of Rhode Island was supplied with 220v at one time. The “powers to be” settled on a split phase supply of 240/120: 240v for heavier duty appliances in the home, 120v for smaller ones. Many homes were wired only with 110-120v and simple fuse boxes until after WWII.
*Europe didn’t arbitrarily settle on 50Hz. They chose it because it harmonizes better with their metric system, although 60Hz is more efficient, produces less flicker with lighting, and is not as hard on motors as is 50Hz. Motors are also more expensive to wind for 50Hz.*
In the 1950s, the United States considered switching to a 240v 60Hz general supply. Which would have been ideal-more efficient voltage coupled with an already efficient frequency. But with the proliferation of electrical equipment in use by that time, it was decided that it would be too expensive to convert. They should have adopted 240v 60Hz in the 20s and been done with it. Double loop carbon filament bulbs can handle that voltage, and tungsten filament bulbs, perfectly capable of handling 240v, were being produced as early as ~1911. And should have settled on Hubbell’s more substantial connector, the tandem plug, rather than his parallel blade design we use today, which features prongs closer together that tend to get bent easily.
First time I have heard of a double loop carbon filament. Why not? When one burns out they both go out. Another interesting fact is that 2 phase electric current with a 90 degree shift was used before three phase. There was some still in use for a long time in Philadelphia. I believe if the power company makes a major change in supply: DC to AC, 2 phase to 3 phase. They are required to replace the motors and or transformers affected to some degree.
USA has 240v to the house for major appliances, they split the phase to 120v for lights and small appliances....Been that way since the 1960s. Was 220/110 in the 1880s... Gradually moving up to the standard we have had since 1967....
Good to see a coherent post for a change. Yes, the 120V circuits were originally intended for lighting, and a very few small appliances like radios and refrigerators. Larger appliances with stronger motors had 240V to help them start. Not as good ashaving 3-phase, but better than nothing. And it's been that way longer than you think--the old Edison DC systems were the first to use the 3-wire, 2 voltage system. Westinghouse (not Tesla) used it as well for AC systems, where it worked even better.
Actually the 230v standard arises from being the phase voltage of 400v 3 phase systems and 50hz not only relates to running gensets at 3000rpm for synchronized speed but also that 50hz is easy to count in decimal system by counting the + & - cycles as it goes through zero to amount to 100 cycles. Conductor sizes are significantly bigger for the same power level for 120v systems, most 230v systems have wiring in plastic conduit ( sometimes inside brick walls ) while wiring in North America passes in the wooden frame. A point of concern for overloaded cables. An example is that kettles are 1.5KW in NA while 2.5KW in 230v drawing basically 11A in both cases. And all high load appliances use 220v even in NA.
220 V in NA is not used since the 1940s. Its 240V.
@@mernokallat645 yes in rest of the world, not in NA. Here it’s actually 208v if your lucky.
@@larrymeyer2917 208 V is better because its 3 phase.
@mernokallat645 It's point of reference. It's 240 at the transformer. The utility is allowed a maximum 5% drop from the transformer to the meter and the homeowner is allowed another 5% from the meter to the outlet. This is why utility people say 120/240 and electricians say 110/220.
Some places in India where it was electrified earlier had D.C. current until about 10 years ago, I believe, because the supply company would often confirm during receiving complains of power cut if it was D.C. or A.C.
That was also prevalent around Mumbai-Pune in Indian Railways up until 5-7 years ago. The entire zone only recently changed from DC to AC. Interestingly, that Zone had railway locomotives that could run both on AC and DC power (WCAM series locos).
Next video : why Amayrika uses mm-dd-yyyy format
That's actually very simple....when we speak, we say "Today is February 24th, 2021." You don't say "Today is the 24th of February, 2021." Well, you might, but most people certainly wouldn't.
@@DarkpawTheWolf Yet Independence Day is the 4th of July...
@@davidcleary9510 Yawn.
Yep, That's the way I run my photos. 20210301. It works really well. Then you can still go to hours, mins, seconds with a 24 hour clock.
@@DarkpawTheWolf By starting with the day first that is usually the most relevant information as you most likely already know the month or year
The US changing standards... They can't even get metric right and that's a no brainer.
I prefer English measurements and not foreign ones, but many videos today use foreign measurements so if some one says something is 2 metres apart, I have to mentally multiply X 3 to get a rough measurement I can understand.
At least our road signs are still in English, like speed signs in MPH, Yards, and miles, and not in foreign.......:)
@Frank Silvers
Just told you foreigner....:)
@Frank Silvers
That's OK, as I wasn't listening......:)
@@Trillock-hy1cf , oh damn. Sorry to hear that your school system completely botched teaching metric.
Let me point out 2 things:
1) System of measurements don't have nationalities. I can see you getting some of that propaganda to make you feel as though if you were to use a "foreign" system you would be then seen as a traitor to your country, but... only 3 countries left on Earth still fall for that trick and remain imperial (US, Liberia, and Myanmar). Most of Earth (about 95% of humans) has outgrown that. You can almost say the human race is metric, and then there are 5% worth of exceptions. 5% foreign behavior, if you ask me. lol
2) If you're mentally converting a system you want to learn to the system you already know, you're not learning the new system. Sorry.
You're getting better at converting, and not much else.
I learned imperial by using it without converting it for a few months. After grasping both, I arrived at the same conclusion 195 out of 197 countries on Earth did: "Imperial sucks, let's do metric instead". Specially when cooking... geeez... teaspoons and cups... please.
So, here's a few tricks that might help:
The dime is a millimeter thick (0.001 meters or 0.01 centimeters - see? No unnecessary conversions, just move the decimal). A yard is like a meter (and you'll always be off by around 10%). As for Celsius, memorize this: "0 is frozen, 10 is not, 20 is warm, 30 is hot". Water boils at 100. And raising anything by 1 Celsius is the same as raising by 1 Kelvin. I don't know of a good one for weight, but you're on youtube. I bet they're easy to find if you have any interest in something better. You're then ready to ditch the imperial nonsense. Remember star wars: empire = bad. That applies here too. Imperial system is trash.
Of course none of this matters if you're not willing to switch you google maps to metric, you phone settings to celsius, you home thermostat and what not.
Without that immersion you'll continue to be stuck with a system invented in the dark ages...
Allow me to use a bit of science and a quote I love for moments like this:
"“In metric, one milliliter of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade-which is 1 percent of the difference between its freezing point and its boiling point. An amount of hydrogen weighing the same amount has exactly one mole of atoms in it. Whereas in the American system, the answer to ‘How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water?’ is ‘Go f*ck yourself,’ because you can’t directly relate any of those quantities.”
I believe this is from Josh Bazell, Wild Thing. And it's great.
An educated person used to adopting better ideas will read that and understand very quickly why Metric is superior and why you should use it.
And then there are the ones that will argue the opposite and be wrong every single time.
@Frank Silvers Who, me? I love pointing out stupid ideas when I have the time...
It's super interesting to see people attempt to defend those.
We used 110v for a long time in Brasil. Since a few decades ago it was raised to 127v.
Now raise to 230V
South of Brazil is 220V.
We use 25000V here😁 for our railway
Thats an odd figure why not 230 or 240?
In my homeland its 420V 69hz
The main advantage of 240 V is almost half less conductors required for a given power load. That becomes obvious when you compare US and European extension cords. In the US to get 240 V, you need to use phase shift, between two leads with no neutral wire.
only problem is, eu uses 220 and, as far as i know, only UK uses differen one; 230
@@tihanadekovic74 if you check outlets in most urban areas in Europe with a voltmeter you will see that during the day the voltage is higher, around 230 V. That's done to compensate for possible voltage drop within the house, since conductors with small cross section tend to drop the voltage. All the electronic devices are rated to function in +10%/-6% of the target average of 220 volts. Since there's voltage drop from the transformer due to wire length, the initial output from it is around 240 volts per lead phase. In the UK it might be higher, around but still within the limits of European standards. It's just has different outlets.
Asia 220-230 , NZ 230, Aust 240. But in reality all appliances can handle the variation without complaint. Also measure the voltage in any country, they all fluctuate depend on time of day, load, distance to transformer etc
Bangalore, India first one in Asia, to get electricity in 1905. Actually it was supplied to Kolar gold fields, mines. At 25 hertz AC . 80 miles long ,It was the longest transmission line in the world at that time - the second longest was at the Niagara Falls which was only 13 miles long !
All US homes (that have electricity) are wired for 240 volts. We split off one leg to produce the 120 volts at the breaker panel. Whenever you see two breakers connected, that is a 240 volt circuit. If you see a breaker by itself it is 120 volts.
You know your stuff. Typically in Canada and US electric stoves with ovens are hard wired into the supply with armored cable and operate on 240V.
Each side of your electrical panel is 120 for most uses but combining both sides of the panel gives you 240v for stoves,dryers,electric heat,hot water heaters,etc.You get 140 using one 'leg' with a neutral wire (ground at the panel) and 240v between the 2 hot legs.
One way to look at it is that the US is a 240 volt country. We just have center tapped pole transformers with the neutral/grounded conductor connected to the center tap, whereas in much the world there is no center tap, so one side on the 240 volt winding is the grounded conductor.
"Why the U.S. uses a different voltage than some countries". Comment in the video, "Because other countries arbitrarily choose another voltage". So the better title would be, "Why other countries choose arbitrarily other voltages than the U.S."
Which isn't answered in the video. Was it really arbitrarily?
I caught that too he said Because other countries arbitrarily choose another voltage then said they did it because it was "in order to improve distribution efficiency" ...wha...I mean a well reasoned arbitrary decision? I wish I had a cool voice and could spout bullshit that got 900K views....
It's the E.U. that uses the 230/400v 50Hz standard. The U.K. has typically been 240/415v 50Hz, though technically should be in the process of being reduced to 230/400v in alignment with the E.U, though that will take a long time to due the costs involved with such a reduction.
Although it may have affected decisions very early on, 120 or 240 really has little to do with distribution today, as power is sent over wires at tens of thousands of volts (reducing amperage and therefore conductor size), this is why transformers are required.
Yup I expected this video to go over how the transformer works to supply both voltages but I guess not
@@andrewk8636 They work the same in both systems. The 115kv is stepped down to 240v single phase AC, which is two 120v AC legs that inversely oppose one another. In the US only one leg is used for lighting and small appliances where elsewhere both legs are used as 240v with no need for a neutral or ground.
@@kevinmcarthur2039 precisely! The USA uses 240 volts ac to power homes, but unlike Europe, we have a neutral wire that is the center tap of the transformer, and we use this neutral to create two separate legs of 120, if measured to neutral, but 240 if measured between the legs.
This is safer than powering every appliance from 240 volts.
Also, my understanding is that 240 was popular because it requires smaller diameter conductors, which were made of expensive copper.
@@jacuzzibusguy I should have read this before I tried to correct Lyman.
Power in the UK is distributed by 144000 volt and down to 11000 volt and then to 415v 3 phase and then takes 1phase and the neutral which is the centre tap of the transformer that is also to ground ,this provides the household voltage .
In Europe (mostly) we have 400V 3-phase, or 230V 1-phase. We also use Brown, Black and Gray for L1-3, Blue for Neutral and Yellow-Green for earth (ground).
In Australia red white blue L1-3 black neutral earth is the same
that way u can make a 400 to 220 cord by just connecting 1 phase, blue and ground.. and still benefit of the heavier breaker (ive done that myself)..
@@larsvegas1505 how to turn 400 into 230?
@@larsvegas1505 , I hope that you use suitable wire for the size breaker otherwise you are a fool.
The original Edison lamps in the USA had carbon filaments. They worked best at about 100 Volts. Later on European lamps with metallic filaments (tungsten or osmium) arrived. They worked well at higher voltages. The USA never changed things. They were still using DC current in parts of NYC in the 1940's.
True, and they still use an imperial units system
Everyone used carbon filaments in the beginning and tungsten after that as that was what was available. Carbon filament sucks in its light output output.
The most satisfying thing through out the video was the plugs fitting in perfectly each time
Personal safety was not brought up, but that is one advantage of 120 VAC over 240. While it is true that the severity of an electrical shock is dependent on many variables, physical contact with 120 VAC is generally much safer than 240 VAC. Although care must always be taken when working with electricity, I am particularly cautious with 240 volts. It can supply enough current during incidental contact to do serious damage to a person, whereas contact with 120 volts usually results in an unpleasant but harmless shock.
With the advent of RCD's (GFCI's) the risk of shock from a 240v system is significantly reduced. However a 120/240v system still has some higher voltage conductors/outlets and has more active conductors increasing the likelihood (though slight) of conduction a dangerous voltage and also the requirement for higher currents to compensate means the over current protection needs to be rated higher increasing arc/arc fault safety issues which is less safe. So as far as safety it seems a bit like the saying 6 of one or half a dozen of the other applies here taking us back to the argument of efficiency of the higher voltage.
If safety is a concern, why is the USA using those ridiculous plugs with the metal of the pins fully exposed? European plugs (which we use here in Chile) only have the tip uncovered and all the rest is insulated, so no energy is present in the pins until the plug is fully inserted. This way, even if someone is inadvertently touching the spikes while plugging or unplugging, no shock can occur.
Weak
@@jordillach3222 I'm well on in life, and yet I've never know anyone who was shocked by those "ridiculous" exposed plugs. The need to hold onto the insulated part is rather obvious. Life tends to be like that. What appears to be dangerous to outsiders are dangers to those who live there. People who didn't grow up in countries where people wear wooden clogs think that they make falling more likely. People who grow up in those countries learned as children how to walk in them.
So um....
110V US is what you pull from your walloutlet to power your coffee maker or computer; in Europe it is 230-240V. But what we have for something like an electrict stove is 400V in Europe - not 240V like the video implies.
US power outlets are 110/240V
EU power outlets are 240/400V.
In Finland all stoves are 230 V. They are designed to run on three phases 16 A each but they can also be run on a single phase 20-25 A if needed. This doe snot allow putting all plates and oven on full but who does that.
It has to do with the voltage between the phases and the voltage between phase and neutral. Some stoves run on 2 phases and a neutral basically 2 x 240 v supply referenced to ground, due to the false shift (120 deg) you don’t need a heavier neutral wire. So technically there is 380/400/415 V inside the stove it is not used at these voltages.
Currently (pun intended) most of the US is more like 125/250 VAC. It was 110 a few decades ago, then 115, 120 and now 125 in most places. I restore antique radios and use a variac to step down to 105-110v. My house seems to run between 126-130 volts.
Another fact is that US trucks use a 12V system and not 24 as we have in Europe. Which gives the same problem as 230 vs 110 V = current need to be twice as high to get the same power, and more current need thicker cables! So why did the US make the same mistake again, by choosing a lower voltage system in heavy vehicles ???
don't worry Elon Musk will sort all that crap out for them
Just FYI, for the last 100 years, the NA power standard has been 120 volts.
I don’t always watch the most uninformed engineering video ever made, but when I do it’s this one.
😂😂😂😂
False. France was using 110V until the 50's, when a national program decided to switch to the more efficient 220V.
Today it's 230V?!
Many countries had lover voltages. In Finland cities were 127 V while rural areas 220 V. It also was harmonized to 220 V in the 50s.
@@Funbeenif yes, now it's 230V
That's true, it was 110V before the 50s. My grand parents can confirm, and the cables in their farm were not very safe, which could be much more dangerous if it was 220V.
Today I mainly see "220-240V" on appliances
Thats true for most of if not all of Europe. Noone started out with 230V
So much respect for Edison but he allowed greed to override reason/logic/morality. Tesla nailed it Edison lost. Got to keep an open mind.
More like gotta keep your pockets lined.
@@sharkbait432, Yes, always follow the "money" to track down the criminals or deceivers or selfish.
@owo グーチmoshi, Huh?
Edison 'lost' quite a lot. Copying Joseph Swan's light bulbs and patenting it in the US.
@@millomweb Wikipedia excerpt:
Conjunction with Edison
Edison & Swan United Electric Light Company, otherwise known as "Ediswan"
In what are considered to be independent lines of inquiry, Swan's incandescent electric lamp was developed at the same time Thomas Edison was working on his incandescent lamp[35] with Swan's first successful lamp and Edison's lamp both patented in 1879.[36] Edison's goal in developing his lamp was for it to be used as one part of a much larger system: a long-life high-resistance lamp that could be connected in parallel to work economically with the large-scale electric-lighting utility he was creating.[37][35] Swan's original lamp design, with its low resistance (the lamp could only be used in series) and short life span, was not suited for such an application.[35] Swan's strong patents in Great Britain led, in 1883, to the two competing companies merging to exploit both Swan's and Edison's inventions,[28] with the establishment of the Edison & Swan United Electric Light Company. Known commonly as "Ediswan", the company sold lamps made with a cellulose filament that Swan had invented in 1881, while the Edison Company continued using bamboo filaments outside of Britain. In 1892, General Electric (GE) began exploiting Swan's patents to produce cellulose filaments, until they were replaced in 1904 by a GE developed "General Electric Metallized" (GEM) baked cellulose filaments.[38]
In 1886, Ediswan moved production to a former jute mill at Ponders End, North London.[39] In 1916, Ediswan set up the UK's first radio thermionic valve factory at Ponders End. This area, with nearby Brimsdown subsequently developed as a centre for the manufacture of thermionic valves, cathode ray tubes, etc., and nearby parts of Enfield became an important centre of the electronics industry for much of the 20th century. Ediswan became part of British Thomson-Houston and Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) in the late 1920s.[40]
Im
Happy they mentioned USA actually uses 240 volt systems in almost all homes. They simply use a center tap on the transformer to obtain two separate legs of 120 volts most appliances use.
This way, the USA system has all the efficiency advantages of the European 240 volt system, yet the safety of only having 120 volts at the receptacle where most appliances are plugged in.
That's not really true though. 240V is _not_ "more efficient" than 120V, it's a _higher voltage._ As for safety, 120V is well above the 100V that Edison claimed was safe. The actual "safe" voltage, tested with sound methodology is more like 60V. Both are arbitrary numbers. "Most appliances use" 120V because that's what's available, not vice versa.
@@StringerNews1 240 is “more efficient” in that you can supply more power (watts) through the same size conductors by a factor of 2.
This is likely one of the reasons the higher voltage may have been favored in European countries as it requires less copper to wire a home.
I agree that 120 and 240 are both unsafe voltages, but if you had a choice to be “poked” by 120 or 240, you would find 240 to be much worse. Even though they are both unsafe, Higher voltage is more dangerous to humans.
@@jacuzzibusguy it looks like you're confusing efficiency with economy. Sure, you can save money on the conductor by using higher voltages; that's why power utilities deliver power at voltages from 7200V to over a million. But since power is delivered to the home at 240V more or less, this seems to be a distinction without a difference.
As for choice about getting "poked", my choice is not at all. While I support an individual's choice to kill themselves in stupid ways, I'm not willing to pay extra just to make electrocution an especially pleasant experience. No, high voltage is not especially dangerous, but a surprisingly small amount of current is.
Britain is 240 volts , or at least it was officially.
It was Europe that tried to standardise the voltage to 230 on appliance labelling .
However if you put a volt meter On a U.K. socket it still reads around 240v
UK is officially 230 V but they play tricks and actually are 240 V. In 1980 it was decided worldwide to harmonize 220-240 V to 230 V.
Almost all of Europe uses 230V 50Hz (Russia and Belarus use 220V 50Hz). None european country use 240V.
About 15 or 20 years ago it was 220V 50Hz.
Canada also uses the American 110V 60HZ
The USA and Canada also use what they refer to as a “ dryer outlet) which is a 240V outlet which is designed to power dryers, refrigerators, etc. Canadian and American homes often have both of these outlets built inside, with the large 240V built in the washrooms and kitchens.
@vmbert0 230V is nominal voltage and means a range
@vmbert0 Whatever the nominal voltage in the UK, I have found with a simple voltmeter that the actual voltage is often significantly higher.
thanks for the video - it could have been made more clear that the main reason for increasing voltage is that it reduces current, and therefore reduces power loss from line resistance
It can be noted that although USA has “240 volts” the upsize in conductor size means the average USA house require 40-50% more copper than average Euro house
Misleading a bit I would say. Simply described, US homes receive _two_ 120v supplies which can be used together at 240v for high-demand appliances like an oven. Your distribution panel alternates your home's circuits between the two supplies putting roughly half your 120v outlets on one and half on the other. 240v circuits are connected to both.
The Ontario Government standardized electricity at 60 Hz in the 1940's. When I was working for The Steel Company of Canada in Hamilton, Ontario in the late 1970's, there was still an old rolling mill that ran on 25 Hz. There was a special generator for this power at the hydro-electricity plant in Niagara Falls and a dedicated high tension line that ran fifty miles for the mill.
Yeah, I heard about that. But an American steel company bought the steel mill, then shut it down and transferred all of their steel production to the U.S. instead, so now there is no need for that 25 Hz power, or the Canadian employees.
It's not that unusual. 110 volts is used in loads of countries across the Americas.
Yep central america and Mexico uses that standard..
@@Drskopf North "Americas"
LOL
That’s few, compared with the rest of the world.
@@Fixin-To there are 55 countries in the Americas. Roughly a quarter of the countries in the world. Not all use 110v but many do. Brasil uses both.
As a European electrical engineer, its the first time i hear that we use 240V :D Nice job
In Mexico we use 127V at 60Hz per phase and 220V between phases in three-phase transformers, and 120V/240V in single phase transformers.
The perils of being first and the advantages of being late adopters. But like the imperial versus metric argument, we can and do use both standards.
Yes both systems of measurement are used but now and then damage happens and sometimes it is catastrophic.
@@WJack97224 The Mars Climate Orbiter was a joint venture b/w ESA and NASA in the late 90s. It crashed because the scientists at NASA were calculating the data in Imperial while the folks at ESA were using Metric.
US system, is actually worked out from the base of metric. The actual distance a US mile is, have roots in metric.
@@brostenen Really? I didn't know that. I thought that it was an independent unit. You learn something everyday!
@@nabeelahsan504 The reason is, that a yard and other units, were used differently in old days. Now this is many years ago. One acre could be more on one state and less in other states. So basically, to make a unit with fixed volume, then it was based on metric. Because metric have always been firmly fixed. It is that metre thingy, that are kept in, I believe, three different continents. One meter is located in northern america, one in europe and were others are, I am not sure about.
I remember many years ago some Americans visiting my parents place and they were amazed when my mother put the kettle (Jug) on and it was boiling about 2 minutes later. They couldn't believe we had a 3 kW kettle that just plugged into the wall socket, but at 240v that's only 12.5 amps, they said they couldn't buy anything over 1 kW because of their low voltage.
I've been trying to find a refrigerator that runs on 240V, but right now only my heavier shop tools (air compressor, lathe and welder) are set up for 240V. I'm also jealous of some countries that run 3 phase to the house.
Actually 1.5 kW is the max in the US.
I will tell you joke - my home in Europe (Czech Republic) is supplied with 3~ phase 400V. I have 32A breaker.
It means, that I can squeeze 12.8 KW of power out of my 3 phase socket.
230V sockets are running with 16A breaker and each of three phases powers few of them so you don't use only one phase for whole house which would overload distribution transformer if many people would do it like this (one distribution is for around 30-50 village houses).
So from regular socket I can squeeze around 3.7KW of power.
We do use 3 phase sockets only for driving powerful appliances like 3 phase motors.
I do personally use it for my wood saw, which uses 5KW motor.
Only problem is cost of cables, because for 12.8KW you need to use thick cable like 4x or 5x 3.5mm2 made out of copper. It costs a lot...
@@okaro6595 In theory it'd be 1440w (15a) or 1920w (20a for kitchen plugs) if it's a newer home. A standard plug is on a 15a breaker, take 80% which leaves you with 12a. Now 120 × 12 or 120 × 16
@@tonyc.4528 Australia has always run 240v and lot poeple put on phase 3 to there garage for things like welders?
Costs to install electrical circuits in homes are cheaper for 240 volt also.
Here in The US with all the appliances running on 120 volt it would be very expensive to change to all 240 volt. The 240 volt allows more power to be available on a smaller diameter wire than 120 volt circuits.
Australia and NZ use 220-240v at 50Hz and have a three prong plug with diagonal live and neutral and a straight earth pin. There are two prong plugs for double insulated devices.
And that plug was actually invented by an American, who worked for Harvey Hubbell at the time (1925). It was intended to be America's grounded plug, but was incompatible with the existing non grounded plug invented by Hubbell himself in 1912. The non compatible version eventually became the Australian standard, and a compatible, 3 prong plug was designed for America. Hubbell's original, 1908 plug lives on as our non grounded 15 A 240 V plug, used for air conditioners and arc welders with 2 horizontal prongs. And there is a compatible, 3 prong, grounded version, too.
He should check his facts on the voltages and frequencies used in Europe and the UK.
240 V 60 Hz.
And not put the UK sockets upside down on the map.
@@SimonStuff2000 Both have 50Hz but not syncronized and UK uses 240V whereas the EU has 230V after changing it in 1987
thanks for being clear and to the point - rare these days.
Your welcome
clear and to the point...... with many factual errors
@@rj7855 what are the errors?
@@solomonshields5070 scroll thru the comments and you will see many pointed out already.
@@rj7855 ok I read through the comments but I feel most of the errors (while still errors) are not important to the message as they could be seen as generalizations. A lot discussion about Europe’s frequency. And I’d argue the main question: why is the US half the voltage of the rest of the world? was answered well without stealing time away from the viewer.
We use 127v in Brazil but people call it 110v for some reason. Using 2 127v phases we can obtain 220v. Parts of tbe country use 220v for a single phase, in this case 2 phases would give you 380v, but that's not used in home appliances.
Most houses are fed with three phase 400 volt, but between one phase and neutral you get that precious 230 volt to power your little phone charger!
Most houses don't receive more than one phase, a neutral and earth.
I'm in Europe!
Though a lot of appliances use 120VAC, the standard residential voltage level in the USA is 240VAC 60Hz. That voltage is available at any home main circuit panel.
Standard voltage is what normal sockets give and that is 120 V.
Are the circuits coloured differently to avoid confusion? I've often worked on my 240v but then it's all 240 here.
It's actually the other way around. You nominally have 120v but have access to 240 "bi-phase"
@@johnschroeder3072 No way sir, because in the household panel main breaker, there`s 240VAC input. Beneth the main breaker, there a lot of circuits. Some 240V, some 120V
@@tomf4547 different plugs altogether. 120 is the normal ghost face, 240s are generally big 3 or (now a days) 4 pronged monsters.
There *are* color and/or shape differences for amperage in the outlet though. Like, a 20 amp circuit has a different outlet then a standard 15 amp outlet.
“There may come a time where the 120V standard will be *phased* out”
Nice work.
I got the reference. :)
Using electrical puns 😑 *ANYWAYS* time for a grown up conversation. 110/120V will never phase out. 99% of everything you plug in to an outlet inside and outside of your house requires between 3 and 24 volts. So why does everyone need to have 220 to 240 volt outlets? Only your dryer and stove need a 240V supply. The rest of the world needs to smarten up. Pretty stupid.... 😒
@John Perez why is it wasteful? A hair dryer uses the same wattage, no matter the voltage . The waste is in volt drop
@John Perez what makes you say that?
@John Perez lower voltage means higher amperage Volts times Amps = watts
Most places in the U.S. the feeds coming into homes is now 240V with load balanced across to 120V legs.
Canada also used 120V/240V 60 cycle. Ontario used 25 cycles when I was young and it made lights flicker. Apparently, there is still some 25-cycle power being generated, although I have no idea who the consumer is. Appliances and clocks had to be replaced when the switch was made to 60 cycle. Changing ac cycle is not easy except via an MG set or solid state means.
25 cycles is still used by SEPTA and Amtrak for the electrified railway lines of the north-east corridor.
Parts of the Los Angeles area apparently ran 50 Hz till ca 1948. And 120V DC was a problem in parts of New England till maybe 40-50 years ago.
As others have noted, the long-distance transmission is done at MUCH higher voltages than 220V.
Standard long-distance voltages in the U.S. are 765 kV, 500 kV, 345 kV. 230 kV, and 138 kV. From there, a substation will step the voltage down to 13 kV or 4 kV. Long-distance transmission is always done three-phase.
For those who've noted, losses due to resistance go up by the square of the current, but linearly by voltage. Thus, twice the voltage equals twice the wattage with linear resistance loss, while twice the current equals twice the wattage with quadratic resistance loss. However, given the short runs in a house, the loss between 120V and 240V is negligible. (Formulas: P = IV, P = I^2R)
For houses, a local transformer steps the voltage down to two-phase 120V. Since there are two phases, a 240V circuit breaker joins the two phases into 240V.
Most U.S. house circuits have a wire gauge that can only handle 15 amps, hence maximum power of about 1800 watts. High power appliances use both 240V and heavier gauge wires; for example, a dryer typically uses a 240V, 30 amp circuit, for a maximum power of 7200 watts.
Bottom line: unless you really need a 2200 watt microwave or a 3600 watt hair dryer, 220V in your house doesn't buy you anything, other than a much more painful shock, should you accidentally make contact with the hot wire.
240v residential is "SINGLE PHASE". The 120v is attained by center tapping the transformer to ground.
There are other ways to get the 240/120 v.
240v three phase with high leg.
208/120v three phase, 208v phase to phase and 120v to ground. (120x1.732=120)
The question is backwards. It should be, "Why did many countries in Europe and elsewhere choose to use a different voltage and frequency, than the standard that had been established in America?"
Why do you assume the US had high voltage AC first? I wouldn't trust the video given the inaccuracies, such as stating Europe used 240V to "improve distribution efficiency" when distribution has used thousands of volts since the 1880s.
@@bunnywarren I don't have to assume that. It is a matter of historical record.
The rest of the world used 120v pre 1950 as well. Rebuilding after WW2 gave them a perfect opportunity to upgrade and save cost with a copper shortage. The US hasn't had a major conflict on the mainland since the civil war. The cost of overhauling a working system outweighs the benefits.
Britain was 240v ac but changed on accession to Europe when by Act of Parliament electricity suppliers were required to supply a minimum of 230v ac. This was to settle complaints as to voltage fluctuations which caused damage to fixed installations as well as consumer appliances .
Arbitrariness is the quality of being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Saying "European countries "arbitrarily decided" to operate at 50Hz and 240 Volts in order to improve distribution efficience" is a contradiction of the term arbitrary.
That's what I thought.
Yes, that word gets used incorrectly a lot. It is possible for two people to work the same problem rationally, yet get different answers.
For a certain power requirement, low voltage requires high current. And when current is high you need heavy wires or you got your circuit burned. 110v circuits can be utilized with 240v but not the other way around.
And that flies in the face of one of the reasons given in the video; that resources were short. Copper would have been in short supply too and its expensive now and probably was back then so I still don't understand why the US continued with lower voltage back last century when it could have been changed incrementally. But I keep forgetting the fragmentation of America as it was then and now . . . "United" states they are not!
The US is a perfect example of why many small countries is not workable for the human race unless the race is to extinction. Bring on the World Order I say.
@@jed2055 What are you on about you freakin' nutter?
The US's electrical grid, while fragmented into regions, is generally regarded as the same power grid. Every 120 outlet gives at least 110 volts and every outlet runs near enough to 60 hertz that equipment doesn't care. Now quit yammering on about stupid crap.
In Brazil we have 3 phased 115 / 127 V or 220 /230 V living together in the same city. Lamps made for 240 V would live longer but so many computers and tvs were burned in the past that it doesn't not compensate for some lamps.
Not "some" countries. Most countries. 220-240 volts system is the most common voltage range around the world.
They might have mentioned Japan, which has a split grid, 100/200 V 50 Hz in East Japan, and 200/415V 60 Hz in West Japan. The difference is due to the different suppliers when Japan was rebuilding after WW2. There are frequency converting stations to tie the two grids together, but they are very limited and couldn't handle the loads after the Fukashima earthquake.
What about the appliances? Are they designed to work on both frequencies?
@James Doolittle
日本の家電製品は50Hz/60Hzどちらでも動きますよ。冷蔵庫でも洗濯機でも。昔は周波数ごとに別の製品が売られていたので、東日本から西日本に引っ越すときには家電製品を買いなおす必要がありましたが、今は日本全国どこに引っ越しても周波数の違いを気にする必要はありません。
Japanese home appliances work at both 50Hz and 60Hz, both refrigerators and washing machines. In the past, different products were sold for each frequency, so when moving from eastern Japan to western Japan, it was necessary to repurchase home appliances, but now you do not have to worry about the difference in frequency no matter where you move in Japan.
East Japan (Tokyo) is 100V / 50Hz, West Japan (Osaka and Kyoto) is 100V / 60Hz.
@@mah20xx My apologies if I was incorrect. I should know better than to trust wikipedia.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mains_electricity_by_country
@@johnjones5354 You don't have to apologize. The description on Wikipedia is difficult to understand. 200V & 415V is a three-phase AC power supply that is mainly used for industrial purposes. The commonly used power supply in JAPAN is 100V. You can get a 200V power supply by reconnecting the switchboard. 200V is rarely used, but it is used in air conditioners, dryers, IH heaters, etc. in some homes. Thank you for your interest in Japan.
The question is not "why does the US us a different standard"? It uses a standard that was developed before most of the world had electricity. The real question is why did they use a different standard?
Unless there is a frequency depended appliance or motor issue that has to have 50 hz to work properly, most anything can work on either 50 or 60 hz. Being how so many electronics convert the voltage from AC to DC to operate, the frequency is pretty much a non-issue. The higher the frequency, the smaller the transformer needed for the same wattage output...
great information 😁👍🏽
In Saudi Arabia and UAE we have
240V - 340V .
No more 110V since 2010
That's a pretty country phobic title. Why isn't it "Why do other countries use voltage different than the USA?" Or, why do countries use different voltages?
Is it, though? Somehow the rest of the world uses standard metric system. It is still a nightmare converting gallons to liters, feet to meters, pounds to proper kilograms and mpg to l/100km and other SI measurements. And, again, 120V current falls somewhere in there..
@@Termiic The US based its official yard (USC) on the international meter back in the 1860's so we are familiar. The units became more mainstream during WWII but stayed mostly in the military after that. Today we use metric in school, research, many hobbies (except woodworking), industrial, medical and many businesses where it fits. That shift in education and enterprise started in the 1970's and has been pretty steady, though slow. Even our criminals have been metric for drug transactions since the 80's! There is definitely a hard split when it comes to mass-media, civil engineering, highway and government-controlled commerce though.
On voltage, Japan is probably the most metric-looking at 100 Volts, for households anyway.
@@antilogism The part about criminals pioneering the metric system really made me smile! :D
American homes have 240 on tap any time u want. It's a center-tapped system. Neutral to either hot lead is 120. Across the two hots is 240.
Because you have two phases at home 120° apart and that make a 240V drop across
@@fb55255 not quite, that's what I thought at first. Two 120v phases 120 degrees apart is how you make 208v. American 240 is how @rationalguy suggests, two high voltage phases are put into the distribution transformer and stepped down to 240 secondary winding. Europe we'd put neutral on one leg and the other side would be our live. US have two lives, one of either end of the secondary winding with the neutral in a center tap, which I assume creates a DC offset. So they have single 120v phase (relative to this center tapped neutral) and that same singular phase but inverted, bridging the two gives them 240 single phase. Clever really, but can see why they don't get 3 phase supplies much.
Yes, the US household is supplied by 240v. The transformer outputs 240v center tapped. The center tap is the Neutral line, while the outer two leads are the 2 hots, giving two 120v split phase circuits. With that it's a simple matter of using either one of the 2 hot leads with the Neutral for 120v, or use both hot leads for the full 240v.
The statement about the UK being 230V and most of Europe being 240V at the beginning is incorrect. The UK used to use 240v +/-6%. Other EU countries used to use 220V +/-6%. In the early 90s (or was it late 80s?) this changed to 230V +/-12.5% as an EU standard. The wider tolerance meant that the voltage didn’t actually change but new appliances had to all work across the whole 220-240V range from that point on.
@Simon hello,how are you doing
I feel that 240 V on one wire will eventually happen here in the United States 🇺🇸 due to the in a abilities of single 120 V it is cheaper to power your home with a true 240 volts versus the current U.S system of A Phase and B phase used to create 240 Volts. This higher voltage would also cut down on the need for larger wire diameters. And allow for more applications with less amperage as a result. It would be a win win for the United States 🇺🇸
I can't imagine why the U.S. would ever go to 240 only. Aside from electric space heaters, which are a kludge, we simply have nothing requiring the higher voltage that isn't hard-wired. True, some kitchen appliances, i.e. air-fry ovens, do draw enough current to strain a 15 amp, 120 volt circuit. Mine draws about 12 amps. But our more recent building codes require kitchen outlets to be 30 amp and often insist on two separate circuits.
You do realize that split phase is true 240v right?
"Switching to 240V was too expensive and complicated"
"All homes built after WW2 are supplied with 120/240V" This video contradicts itself a lot. Maybe next time pay some more attention to the actual content instead of just focusing on pacing.
I think they mean doing it all at once. Phasing it in by having both at the same time is an easier way to do it.
He meant switching to 240V as the base voltage was too expensive and complicated. The answer was the enter-tapped secondary which provided 240V with two 120V lines.
I remember reading a story somewhere long ago that the US has single phase current when 3 phase would be more efficient, and that it was all the fault of some copper mining company that wanted to produce a lot of wire or something. Single phase causes more wire to be used. Kind of analogous to the story about the US having high pollution and limited public train service being all the fault of GM and some buses or something.
Not true. Anyway, we do have 3-phase available, but few homes would have it. It is mainly for commercial use.
Yeah, some tire(?) Company was behind the death of Los Angeles light rail. VERY normal here in Freedomville. 😢
Local supply here is quite high (123 VAC) which is hard on old guitar amps that use vacuum tubes. Their circuits and transformers were designed for 110-115 VAC supplies. I use a big, old auto-transformer to step down to 115 VAC. Internally, my amps are running at about 450-475 VDC. The voltage differences are audible and you can find the right amount of sag. Honest. I read that Eddie Van Halen used a Variac to gently starve his amps for that famous 'brown' sound. Extra nerdy detail: A Variac is a continuously variable auto-transformer, kind of like a rheostat. My old Hammond has a rotary switch that connects the desired transformer tap. Neither type provides real isolation but the plugs and sockets are oriented correctly and all the chassis are grounded. I use a GFI circuit breaker, just for extra insurance. It's no fun getting bit by a microphone while you are touching your strings.
Such an incredible video. I’ve learned a lot in such short time . Thanks
This video is filled with misleading information unfortunately.
yup, you learned how to plug something into a powerstrip.
@Gabriel G Whilst this video has many incorrect statements. Saying that the US grid is 240v is incorrect too. The Grid operates at HV and the standard distributed systems runs at 120/240v split phase where as the majority of the rest of the world runs at 230v/400v (240v/415v) 3 phase. This Also ignores the industrial distribution system in the US which runs at 277v/480v 3 phase.
Some European countries used 220 volts AC before switching to 230 volts AC.
In the US when you need 220v you basically use 2 110v hot wires on 2 separate breakers and a neutral. The 2 110v lines are in phase,so you end up w 220v potential. The power coming into the house, around here usually 4 50 amp lines, is 110/120. It is possible they could change the transformers on the poles to up it to 240 coming in, but at present it is 110/ 120v coming in. Outside heavy duty appliances like central A/c units,electric heat units,electric stoves, most things are 110/120v in US
In N. America, it's a center tapped secondary, with the tap being neutral. Ignore the tap and you've got 240 V, single phase.