@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 I'm just not getting how some of these dudes are down to criticize but not contribute. Your channel is right up there with the stuff I only watch on YT. Do you do any woodworking?
I don't do much wood working but I would really like to. I'm currently building a DIY 12x16 shop / shed in my back yard. I will be releasing videos of that project in the near future. Once the shop is built it will give me a lot more room for new projects and potentially some new tools. I you stick around to see how it turns out. I appreciate your support! Do what I do with the negative naysayers with no constructive input. I simply ignore them. LOL Apparently there are a lot of people out there looking for attention but they aren't getting it from me. 😆
I'm excited to see your new shop. I learned how to make my own woodworking bench from some videos and continue to watch and learn other DIY stuff from you and other reliable channels. I don't pay much attention to people who use this as a forum to boast their resume, and critique videos like it helps anyone.
DIY generally means that it’s not done by a professional. Some of us are out there trying to figure out the best way to skin a cat, funny how some people think their way is the best way and the only way! Information like yours is in my opinion what has made TH-cam so great.
I know a 20 year journey man electrician . Five years ago he went to his friends house to change a light bulb that was broke off in the socket, his friend was at work when he got there to change the broken bulb. He asked the wife where the light switch was, she pointed to the wall but did not mention there were two switches. the switch was in the up position being off for a double switch, but on for a single switch, he walked over flipped the switch down. He then walked to the light socket, put on a glove so the broken glass did not cut him, reached up to turn the broken bulb out, the arc was so hot it burned the glove back to the start of finger holes. It also disintegrated his thumb to the first knuckle and his index and bird fingers to the second knuckles. that goes to show experience is not every thing safety and caution are factors too. I'm not an electrician by no means but I would still have my fingers and thumb because I would have turned the main power off.
SOOOOO he did not use a circuit HOT tester to see if the power was in fact off. I work with Telephones and even I have a circuit tester for electricity to see if the circuit is live or not. The testers are incredibly cheap to buy too.
Not sure this hasn’t been said before in previous comments, although we have a portable carpet cleaning extractor that has 2 Extension cords that are designed to plug-in to 110 receptacles of course on different circuits therefore giving the carpet machine 220 V. I like your device in fact we have several different devices similar to that so we can backfeed electric into vacant apartments and we do it carefully as to not create any problems. Thank you for your post brother
hey Man, I'm a tinkerer too. Your first and second videos were very useful to me. Keep the good work going. It was especially important and responsible that you posted this 2nd video.
Dude, I was skeptical when I found the how-to video, but I watched it, and what you did made sense to me. And I'm no electrician by any means, but I do understand the basic principles of wiring a circuit. This second video was good as well as a follow-up on some safety issues. Don't let the pompous ass folks get you down. I don't think they've got half the guts you do and doubt very much the majority of them have the nerve to do what you do here on TH-cam. Keep up the good work!!! If you're watching how-to videos and don't understand that you should confirm information from multiple sources, don't try to lay blame on someone else when your shit get's fucked up because your to ignorant to clarify what you don't understand. And I also agree with you about all those "Experts" who just sit on the sidelines and snipe away rather than making their own videos. Get that shit out of here!!!
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 Hi there, Also not liscensced but a hobbyist here. im lucky enough to have a pair of 120v seperate curcit outlets close together and im about to go through the process of tracing my second curcit to my panel personally on both to check for arc fault breakers. i also plan on building my unit with more smarts cause i want to be able to have it isolate if im doing something wrong. might as well have put in a breaker after the breakers.
There is a device called evdoubler, its expensive & it does the same thing. It also has to be wired the same to work like this. They make no mention of having to marry the two breakers or danger if one gets unplugged or breaker trips. I did exactly what you did, but hard wired mine at the outlets. For the wire I did used a heavy duty extension cord as they mention to do on evdoublers site. My charger says 16amps on this 15 amp setup. It has a smart chip in it for overheating & over amps, so it must adjust less than 16 amps because its never hot & never trips the breaker. It works perfectly thank you for your video
Exactly Justo! That device is exactly the same as what I have created here. I too have had no problems with wires over heating or tripping breakers. I appreciate your comment and thanks for watching!
Thank you for posting the two videos on this device. I really enjoyed them. I appreciate you taking the time to share this kind of useful content. After watching, I'm feeling inspired to try creating something myself using your video as a guide. I understand how some negative feedback in the comments can be discouraging. Please don't let the critics get you down. Focus on the value your videos provide to people like me who found them genuinely helpful and interesting. I think you did a great job. Keep up the DIY videos - I look forward to seeing more of your creative projects. Videos like this are what make your channel so worthwhile. Thank you again for taking the time to make and share these videos. I'm sure they will inspire many viewers to create their own versions. Keep doing what you do best!
Thanks for making the original and this follow up. I get where you are coming from and do appreciate it. I am looking into building such a device and your videos definitely help me out. I also appreciate your even and measured tone, and the way you deal with some of the most invective comments. Please feel encouraged do create more of these videos. Thanks!
I appreciate your positive input! It can be an adventure posting DIY electrical videos on TH-cam but there is a lot a person can learn by watching other's mistakes. I'm finding there are many many people out there trying to do something similar to what I did in my original video. Even though I made a lot of mistakes, the video is still very useful to others and we can all learn from one another. I learned a lot reading through the comments and I hope they can help out others that are working on their own DIY projects. Hopefully I have sorted out the majority of the "not so helpful" comments so others can benefit as I have.
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 ~ I would have gone right to 12 Ga. wire. Overbuilding is better than not enough. Enjoyed the first vid and consider you a bigger man for not sinking into shit in dealing with heavy handed detractors. I agree with the other poster who essentially stated that the "pros" should be reaching out with a helping hand instead of teeth.
Glad to see this video. I have done what you did only to test something temporarily in a place where you don’t want to install anything. In the panel there are two hot bus bars line one and line to plus a neutral bar and a grounding bar. It would seem you have some knowledge as you were able to figure this out. Some are just not wanting to work in a panel. There are many weak links in doing this as you know now. Thanks for explaining why you did this it could be a liability that’s all. Some people will do anything I don’t know if you remember when all the folks put there phones in the microwave and drilled there iPhone to try and get the head phone jack back. It takes balls to come and do a follow up video. Good for you and shows you are a stand up guy.
Thank you for the positive feedback, I do appreciate it! I didn't know about the "phones in the microwave" situation. You just never know what you will find on TH-cam and I suppose my video is a good example of that too. I definitely don't always do things correctly and I'm far from perfect but I am also not afraid to admit it. I don't think it hurts to show people what I have learned. I think it helps everyone with the same interests and we can all learn from one another's mistakes.
I like the concept Bruce, as well as having two separate 20A 120v receptacles available in the garage you also have the ability to yield a 240v 20A receptacle. Kudos to you.
one thing that is confusing me though, is how do you know which leg the two breakers are on? If some panels are wired differently than others. How am I sure to get the two different legs?
You can test the two hot legs of the outlets you want to try and use with a meeter like I did in the video. If you get 240V you have the correct two outlets. If the two hots test reads 0 volts, you'll know those two outlets are on the same line in the breaker box and they won't work.
As you admit, you may not be a certified electrician, but you're sarcasm is master class. In all seriousness, I really enjoyed both videos. Keep tinkering and sharing!
I'm an electrician, but I didn't wire the Empire State, nor do I feel the need to call you names. My impression was that you made a workable device and thought through some safety things, such as ensuring the grounding wires were bonded to the metal box. You also made clear there were probably some things you missed and never claimed this would be safe for everyone. Given your situation, your solution made a lot of sense. I'm assuming you heard from commercial electricians working for big companies. They absolutely must follow OSHA regulations and have the luxury of throwing away extension cords when a cord cap breaks. The rest of us do not have such resources and will make our own contraptions (not meeting OSHA requirements), but ones our knowledge and experience say are good enough when we use them. These "real electricians" look down their noses at us with the same unbridled contempt as you experienced. I respect you thought of a solution for your problem and spent the time to learn whether it would be safe enough for you and did think things through. I wouldn't suggest making it for friends or selling it, but that wasn't your intention. Honestly, given your situation, I would have made something very similar, although I would have put a metal plate over it. Just know the electrician snobs you dealt with with have an even worse attitude towards smaller time electricians like me. That's why I don't post on TH-cam or anywhere else, even though I'm a community college electrical instructor. Any little thing they think is wrong and they are like a swarm of hornets.
Great follow up video. I think that you made this device to show people how to get 240 out of 120 and you explained very simple and your absolute right people don’t use common sense. Personally I put a video in how to convert 240 washer/dryer to work with 120 but using only the washer because the dryer broken. I had good and bad comments but works for me and still using that washer..thanks so much for this follow up video, has a ton of information.
Watched the video - it seems many electric car owners are coming up with similar solutions. Agree with the things you say. This is the internet - but even in the land of fake news and weird tricks we're responsible for our own actions and what level of risk/reward we're willing to make. You made a video. As with any video some will agree and some will reject. These devices make no claim that they are for the masses. This is one possible solution intended for research minded adults who understand basic electrical theory and can take reasonable precautions given their particular situation.
Good day I first would like to thank you for making the second video for this project. Second I think to myself it was pretty obvious that this project was for education and anyone without an electrical background or certifications would and should do research on any project you have no knowledge of. I thank you for your education and for anyone that could not understand what the video was indicating. You don’t really owe them any justification. Just use your common sense. And for all the ones that have the electrical background and certifications just should have corrected you and helped you to fix what may have been wrong with out the criticism and the shoot down. But some are so quick to shoot down people with ideas. If I worked for you that’s for you but maybe not everyone else as I did hear you say in the video. Again thank you for the education and continue with more great projects. God bless you.
The right and left side of the load panels are identified as L1 and L2 for "Leg 1 and Leg 2" which are two phases of 180° offset power. That means when L1 is at its maximum peak of positive A/C voltage, L2 is at its maximum peak (which is positive, of course, but usually shown on the underside as negative voltage wrt to L1). Same for 0 values -- same time, all rinse and repeat 60 times a second in North America, 50 times a second elsewhere (60Hz/50Hz). The voltage is within a range of 110-120VAC so call it 110, 115, 120... or 220, 230, 240 for two legs ("split phase"). It doesn't matter what you call it. It's what the voltmeter shows. You ran two 20A circuits from two different legs in the panel (which if your panel is oriented vertically you're calling the "right side" and "left side") which are L1 and L2. How do you know which is which? Whatever label you stick on there, make one say L1 and one say L2. Nobody on the utility side of the panel cares, and on the inside you only care to be able to balance loads. (That's what you do in the load panel :) So what you ran are 6 wires to make 2 (dual gang) 120VAC outlets. That's 2 hot, 2 neutral, and 2 ground. Then you built a box to make the two hots meet up, the two neutrals meet up, and the two grounds meet up. Seems like a lot of wasted time and money to multiplex into those 6 wires only to demultiplex ("combiner" isn't a real word here) them into 3 wires. Ground doesn't need to be doubled. Both ground wires go to the same ground in the load panel. If the wire is of sufficient ampacity to discharge the amperage (20A+20A=40A) then you're good. 8awg max, 10awg will work. Neutral and hots definitely need to handle the full ampacity, so 8awg is indicated. -- WHAT IF -- you hadn't used "two sides" of the load panel, and just had two 120VAC outlets? Your combiner box would output 120VAC since both hot leads coming in are on the same phase. Voltage is not doubled, but amperage is. -- WHAT IF -- you hook up directly to the wires and get rid of the 15A outlets? That would be safer and smarter because right now they have a potential fire hazard situation if your welder draws more than 30A (15A+15A=30A max through the 120VAC outlets and your extension cord plugs.) -- If you're going to do something like this, good for you. Obviously it works. However, you need to tell people exactly what you're doing. Just saying "I ran two lines" isn't enough. You should ensure to say you ran two lines... to two different phases off by 180°. Why am I being pedantic? In North American office/industrial we get 3-phase 408VAC which ends up as 120VAC at the outlet... but if you "combined" two outlets you'd get 208VAC not 240VAC, because with 3 phase power they are off by 120° from each other, so the highs and lows aren't identical in time. This is great for motors, but makes your "combiner" not workable. In that case you'd want to get 3 of the 120VAC phases, and take 277VAC and transform it down to 240VAC. That's even more inefficient. Might as well run 480VAC and transform it 2:1 to 240VAC. Much more efficient, which is why it's prevalent. "Split phase" is what people say nowadays for 240VAC over two legs/phases. It's really a nonsense term. Nothing is split. Also get yourself a clamp meter so you can verify what your welder is actually drawing. If it approaches 15A on the outlets, time to change outlets. Also your breakers at the load-panel should be downsized to 15A so they go first... before the outlet catches fire. NEMA 5-15R are the outlets you have. (R is for Receptacle). Rated at 15A. NEMA 5-15P are the plugs you bought. (P is for Plug). Rated at 15A. NEMA 5-20R/5-20P is what you want if you're going to stick with this tarbaby. Make sure your breakers are sized to be as low as the lowest element in the Load-Panel - wire - receptacle setup. If you did upgrade your setup to a double-breaker, 8awg wire run to a NEMA 6-50R that would be ideal. If you still need 120VAC you can put a UPS in there to charge up on 240VAC and deliver power via 120VAC outlets. Still efficient. Best wishes. I'm off to design an on-grid hybrid whole-house solar system.
I TO AM A HOBBIEST , AND I HAVE USED DIFFERENT WAYS TO ACHIEVE MY OBJECTIVE. I LIKE YOUR IDEA AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND METHODS OF USE! MY DAD WHEN I WAS A KID WOULD COME IN THE HOUSE AND PULL OUT THE KITCHEN STOVE THEN PLUG IN HIS WELDER AND WELD AWAY. MY MOM WOULD HOLLER AT HIM AND SAY SHE HAD COOK SOME DINNER IF HE WANTED HIM AND THE KIDS TO EAT! HE WOULD DISCONNECT THE WELDER HOOK THE STOVE/RANGE BACK UP AND MOM FIXED DINNER GOD BLESS THANKS AGAIN>
Thanks for the neat story Dennis! I'm a firm believer that a little common sense (not so common these days) goes a long way in getting things done and doing it without incident. Thanks for the nice comment and have a great day!
Somebody asked about a sub panel but I wouldn't recommend that if you have two hots the neutral has to go down the same pipe or romex you will have heating problems with the circuit, tying the neutrals together won't alleviate the problem it's best just to run a proper cable from the panel to your garage. I have troubleshooted commercial buildings where guys have run the neutral down another pipe and it's hot enough to burn your hand
I like your new shop. And, thanks for clarifying your previous video. You helped to clear up/point in the right direction for those of us who want to do some more research and possibly build one of these devices. Even if I decide not to build one, I’ll walk away more educated by having seen you do it. THAT is what you tube is all about. Really appreciate what you’re doing. Don’t worry about the self proclaimed experts, especially the ones that want to bully.
I appreciate your comment and agree with what you said. This may not be the solution for most but we can all learn something from it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thank you for the positive feedback! I can't take the credit for this idea as I myself found similar videos covering this topic and it got me thinking. Even though it's a controversial subject, I believe it's a very useful device for some people and situations. I appreciate your input!
Yes, that will work. I have done that on occasion when I had to weld something for a friend that didn't have any 220v outlets. But the safest way to make one of these adapters, is by using a small 2-circuit load center like the Square-D QO2L30SCP (good for up to 30 amps) which allows for a 15 or 20 amp ganged breaker (depending on your welder requirements) instead of the regular junction box. That's what I wound up making and keeping with my welder for those rare occasions when I need it, that way both phases cut out if there is an issue.
I made one and its been working fine I just linked the two breakers and I've been using it since I know they are concerns about safety but none has a arised so far
Good to hear! I think linking the two breakers was a good decision on your part. I used mine for about a year with no issues at all. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it! 👍
I saw your other video and only read a few comments. Sorry to hear you were so badly treated. Your video answered a problem I have run into in my shop. I was happy to see it. I have never understood the need for some people to be so offensive in their comments on YT. The effort all producers on YT expend is remarkable in my opinion. Thank you again.
I would add, I think putting a 50amp plug on the combiner wasn’t ideal. It could lead someone to put in a 50 amp device. But I totally agree, it is your device and you know what it’s intended use is for and there shouldn’t be a problem. I like how you think.
You are quite welcome, I'm glad you liked the video. No worries about the negative comments, that's the way YT is. The more negative comments I receive, the better the video performs. It's amazing :)
My thinking on the 50amp plug is if someone stole my device and decided to plug a 50amp device into it, the 20amp breaker would trip and it wouldn't work. I also think the breaker would trip at 20amps and protect the 12 gauge wire like it was designed to do.
Don't worry about the haters, even those that express legitimate concerns! This got you through what you wanted at the time and is NOT a bad idea. It worked for you! I am going to do my own research and very likely make one for use in my forge area! However, when I get the time and money, I WILL also, put in a legit 240 V outlet for my welders! THANKS, for the videos!
Thanks for bpth of these interesting videos. I'm no electrician either but hooking up two 180 degrees out of phase 120 outlets to get 240V was something I have wondered about but not clear on what to do with the neutral. So what would occur if one of the breakers tripped leaving you with 120V on one side? What is the worst that could happen, if anything, other than the device not working? BTW what would happen if you plugged both plugs into outlets that were in phase (coming from the same side of the box)?
To answer both of your questions, in either case my welder doesn't work. It does not damage my welder. I don't know what would happen to items other than a welder. I've never used anything besides my little welder with this device. Some say if the item has a motor it would fry the motor but I have never tried that. I don't have any tools with a 240V motor.
thanks for posting this video. I like to learn new things and I certainly learned from your videos, AND the comments. it's amazing what we can learn when we close our mouth and open our ears and minds, and then ask or respond with informed intelligent questions.. I enjoyed the feedback posted because it all makes you stop and think before you do. because as stated, in the end we are all responsible for our own actions, so at least be as informed as you can be before you act. I enjoyed your video and all the info. and also thanks to those that responded and shared their knowledge as well. and in the end we each must verify, verify, verify, before we act. thanks again to you for taking the time to make the video, and sharing your knowledge. have yourself a great day, and be safe.
Thank you for the great post! I agree with you, I have learned a lot just from the posts in that video. I think there is some good information if you sort through the comments and pick out the informative / helpful information. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have gone about that project much differently but that's the beauty of hindsight. If it weren't for posting that video, I never would have learned what I have. Of course there will always be many things I don't know because I am obviously not an electrician but that was never the goal in the first place. :)
Glad you cleared up some of the issues... I too am a DIYer even with electrical. In Ontario Canada a home owner can pull their own permit and do a complete rewire with a new panel AS LONG AS IT IS to CODE. I have done this for 5 houses and was able to accomplish that with a little yellow paperback called Ontario Electrical Code Simplified....$23 on Amazon... the best money you will ever spend. Not only does it explain how to wire to code it explains the reason and even points out when the code is stupid. I would suggest to anyone DIYing electrical that you consider the consequences if you burn your house down before you experiment with electricity from the grid.
Richard McKenna Years ago I powered a 50 Amp 240V plug from two independent 120V circuits and I ran my welder from that with no problems as I was using the low settings and, hopefully, wasn't drawing more than 40 Amps. BUT I did use heavier wire in the installation, INCLUDING a ground wire! The ground wire from the source, the panel, was missing in your contraption. You had ground wires to the metal box, but the metal box wasn't grounded to the panel. I am not a certified electrician by any means, and what you had built did work, it just wasn't safely grounded! Which could have been a BIG deal in the worst-case scenario. Kudos to your ingenuity and I enjoyed both of your videos. I agree that you should install a dedicated 240V circuit in your new digs to be safe. I am not trying to criticize your efforts, but the grounding issue caught my attention from the get-go and I just wanted to put in my two cents worth. Carry on man and the best of luck to you!
Dont let the trolls get to you man. Dont even give them the time of day in your videos. You do a good job explaining and showing how to do stuff. Keep it up man.
The trolls don't bother me and I expect it every time I upload a video. It's just part of posting on TH-cam. Ha Ha Thank you for the positive comment, I really appreciate it! One positive comment cancels out 100 negative troll comments in my book and the DELETE button is easy to use. 😀 Thanks again!
Thanks Bruce. Like your new digs and glad you’re back on. Yours was the best and safest explanation of this process that I was able to find. Love the info about tying the 2 breakers together. That pretty much was the last piece in the puzzle for me. You continue to be my inspiration but I continue to remain several deviations below your ability level and probably always will ; )
Thank you Mark, I can't say how much I appreciate your positive comments! I'm sure there are many things out there you are much better at than I am. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and I think it's great we can all learn from one another.
My first comment ever on TH-cam (had to Google it on how to) I just watched your first video before this one and was thinking this is a good idea, you explained well, and yeah this would work for a temporary situation. So by the end of the video I'm thinking this is cool, but man all of the "professional's" out there are going to rip into your comments... But I'm one of those "Jack of all trades and Master of none!" and I agree with you, people need to take responsibility for their own actions and you would think they would have some common sense. Heck I'm 50+ years old and have done a lot of crazy/stupid things that I had just enough knowledge about to get me into trouble, yet enough common sense that I never have seriously hurt myself, others, or property.and still have all my fingers & toes..! SO GOOD STUFF SIR, KEEP MAKING YOUR VIDEOS... be safe... One last thing I don't need the government putting warning ⚠ stickers on everything, like on my new lawnmower. I took those warnings off and put this one on.. " DANGER can't fix STUPID "
Sounds like you and I are one in the same. I too still have all my fingers and toes and have never seriously hurt myself. I thank you for making your comment. It was much appreciated and why I actually post my videos on TH-cam. The original video had helped many people and will continue to do so. I do plan to keep posting and I have a few videos in mind for this spring. I really like your "DANGER can't fix STUPID" stickers. That's pretty funny. Have a great day and thank you again for the comment!
I'm a renter in a house with only 120v outlets looking to do some aluminum welding. My choice is either make this box, hack into the power going to the AC unit outside, or something even worse. I think I'll go with this box. Thanks for the video as I had the idea but discounted it for some reason. (I've worked as an electrician apprentice, but am now a software engineer)
It takes a men like you to change the world. Is we stayed in the confines of the known. We would still be using ____. I Thank you for your Information and Never Stop!!
Thank you for the positive feedback! I appreciate your comment and I agree with your statement. Although I didn't invent this idea I think it can be useful to some and it keeps the creative minds active.
Thank you for making your video’s, I wish everyone would stop trying to bash other’s on TH-cam. I am fully aware what I learn from TH-cam is only an idea and we ALL should do much more research. But I do have to say I have learned so much from TH-cam DIY channels, only because it starts an idea and then I will go and do my own research. Please don’t stop making great content. At Your Own Risk of course so you don’t piss off the keyboard warriors. Thank You. -Justin
Love the video great job I actually bumped into the same one a few years ago but it’s good you’re still alive cranking out views because of the naysayers and complainers it’s just makes you get more views you’re actually helping you out as they complain. 👍👍👍😜😝
keep doing your thing bro! if u have haters youre doing something right... this follow up is great and covers all details. its a cool device and great idea, for us lucky ones with common sense that is...
You are right about most of the supposed certified electricians, most don't have or never will post a video... If your so wrong how come others have built and showed the same thing? I'm not a pro either and it looked right to me... Have a great day...
That was a very great idea... My uncle and his son are both certified electricians and have seem them do crazier stuff that that in a "pinch". Maybe not on the job but they were trying to hunt down a problem in my garage they did all kinds of crazy stuff I didn't think was safe LOL... they even admitted is "wasn't the right way but it works" :) Cousin built a box like you used but a light switch in it... if he's having trouble finding a breaker for an outlet... plug it it and flip switch to ON... dead short and will kick breaker. He just wired hot one side of switch and neutral on other... flip the switch breaker will kick :)
Know that was funny. I feel for you what you had to go through. I understood the concept of how 220 is contained, though a electrical box to an out let.No I probably would not of made one to run my 220 air compressor. I enjoyed both videos and had a good thank you . Ed
Both videos are very good you did right by walking back some of the things from the last video because it’s a “Cover your ass” world, and you’ve done that... so thank you for the info thank you for the update like you I have machines that need 220 and it’s not available in my new garage. You gave me information that I needed now I feel confident that I can use my machines. I wired my last shop and I’m not a certified electrician but I’m a DIY guy like you. Thanks
Actually, you could get a couple of 120vac relays with 120vac coils and connect the coil of one relay to the hot and neutral of one plug and likewise with the other relay and plug. Each relay will close the hot circuit of the hot line to the 240vac outlet the relay is getting fed from. If only one plug is connected, the relay for the disconnected plug will be open acting as a failsafe preventing the hot prong from becoming live. These relays should have contacts rated for no less than 20 amps. You can also add a couple of fuses and fuse holders for some added safety. You should still have a proper 240 volt line installed if you need 240 volt power often. You can also get a step up transformer, but they aren't cheap. They are quite a bit safer especially if they are not an auto transformer. A regular transformer will have the added benefit of isolation that an auto transformer won't have.
I watched the original.. But, it was this video that made me sub.. You (for lack of a better phrase) had the 🎱🎱's to do, what thousands of others wouldn't have done. And that was making this follow up video. Haters are gunna hate.. It's what they do.. Water off a ducks back, my friend.. Im an avid tinkerer myself, and definitely appreciate the knowledge you've shared..🍻🍻🇺🇸🇺🇸
THANK YOU! for updating the IMPORTANT INFORMATION You cannot pick just any two circuits (i.e., separate lines coming from separate breakers) The two breakers MUST be on separate phases. Often breaker in a box will alternate (phase 1, phase 2, phase 1, phase 2, etc) while other may have all phase1 breakers on one side and all phase 2 breakers on the other side. Another important note: The two circuit MUST be in the main panel, not on a subpanel. The main panel is where neutral and ground join; hence for 220 outlets whether you use neutral(white) or ground(green/bare), they are running to the same place anyway.
Dave snow. I watched both video,s, they were great, my question is this, my garage only has a 110 outlet, so could I run an extension cord from let's say another socket from inside the house to the garage and hook it to the same socket that you made,as long as it's from another electrical line?
That's the way I understand it. Remember, a longer extension makes it more important to use a heavier gauge wire for your appliance to prevent overheating of the cord. For instance (20 amp draw = 12 gauge wire minimum). That's just a suggestion, I'm NOT and electrician as I'm sure you know.
Liked the first video. Not code? Color me surprised. Thanks, for showing what CAN work. And thanks to all those electricians for telling me what can go wrong.
You are Farmer-Smart. Kinda the way America was made. You do the best you can with what ya got. Yep, not always right. Yep, not always the safest. But, it gets you through. Thanks for sharing the original and this follow up. I made one and have it in "reserve" for when I will need it. Oh, and for the Haters, I have been back-feeding 220 from my generator every time the power goes out which it does all the time where I live. I hang a big sign on my main breaker: "Turn off and disconnect the generator before turning on breaker". Legal? Nope!, Code?, Nope! but I do have the only house where I live that has all my lights, frig, micro, ......... working when the unreliable power is out!
I agree 100%! People like us will be the only ones getting things done if things keep going the way they are currently going. If things finally get better, we'll still be getting things done. When working on my own stuff, I use what I have and get the job done. The only person I have to make happy is myself and so far, I've had a 100% success rate.
Why is it a problem if one phase 110V breaker goes off, and the other does not ? It only means there will be no 220V anymore. Can someone explain it ? I am planning to make one for Tesla EV charger. I think if one breaker goes off, the Tesla charger stops. What is the big deal here ?
That little welder looked like it would pull some serious amps. At least as much as a lunch box time machine. Great videos. Thanks for sharing. Interesting to think about all. Take care man.
Thank you for the nice comment but I can't take credit for the idea. There are many videos of this concept on TH-cam and this is just my version. Good luck to you and be safe :)
Hi ,,I saw the 110 to 220 video ,,is there any reason why you did not use the 2 white neutral wires and join them as opposed to joining the 2 green ground wires ,, thanks
Yes, the two green wires are the grounds and they are required to be in the circuit. The two white neutral wires are not in this 240V circuit. The welder I made this adaptor for only requires two hots and a ground. (no neutral)
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 Oh OK ,, not that you are saying that it would have caused issues ? But in normal applications joining the neutrals is the correct procedure since it is the neutrals that are the proper returns to the panel ,, the green grounds are only a safety measure when one uses a metal cased power tool like a drill , where the casing of the drill is grounded through the green wire,, so that one does not get a shock through the metal casing in the event of a drill malfunction sending current to the casing . That is why 220v typically has 4 prongs ,,two hots one neutral and one ground ( or as they say in the UK ""earth ") -in your case joining the neutrals and connecting the welder's metal case to a water pipe would have done the trick correctly .
The idea behind grounding is to protect the people who use metal-encased appliances from electric shock. The casing is connected directly to the ground prong.
I have been wanting to do this so I can run my 2 post car lift. I was wondering, does the 220v not back feed into the 110 and burn my shop lights and things up? Just curious if that is a possibilty?
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 ok thank you . This is not the solution I really want, in a perfect world I would have an anctual 220. But this isn’t a perfect world so I know what I’m gonna do lol
On the 120 to 240 video I was wondering if you could feed the 220 into a sub panel and put some 120v breakers and still be able to get a 220v breaker for a 220v plug?
I wouldn't be too concerned about the negative comments from so called seasoned electricians. I'm 70 yrs old retired electronic technician. All I could see wrong was not having the two breakers not tied together. Since the welder plug wire was 14 awg then the 14 awg you used was fine too as were the two 15 amp plugs you used. Some people just like to give others a hard time. Optional the two 20 amp breakers could have been replaced with one - 2 pole 20 amp breaker. Only problem you had solved.
All the haters can pack sand!! Likey the ones with negative comments are the ones lacking Common sense!! VERY UNLIKELY THAT WELDER WOULD PULL 20AMPS . Generally overseas 220/240v is the norm and generally draws less amps. And most likey thst cord you got those pieces from said 600v on it some where. If your worried about the conductor dia/ga . Just wire nut the white and black together!! bam doubled in size.Just be sure to elec. Tape them together or color the white with a black sharpie (not gonna go I depth on how to) Great videos!! Keep the em coming. The average man thanks you
Well Done. I enjoy your videos and my feeling are, we need to remove the warnings from electrical devices and weed out "the not so smart". For example, why have a tag that says do not use the hair dryer while taking a shower. It's time to clean the gene pool. Thanks again for your videos.
It was a good idea and in a pinch I would do same thing I work with electricity often and was raised in the trade my contractors and carpenters and been doing it most my life and I will say where most will go with the industry and throw you to the ground I'll say stress safety and keep on with what your doing I myself would do same and I feel even those electricians more then likely have done same in past or made mistakes so good job brother.
Great job I know you are trying to help thanks. Just Remember one thing people just love to give other people crap just take it with a grain of salt move on by the way you did an outstanding job you’re cool man
I personally think you’re pretty smart guy I don’t see any flaws in what you put out in the first video the you only problem is that you have no control over stupidity that anyone undertakes from what you tried to show people I think you showed something to even seasoned electrician that they didn’t think of themselves that your reasoning or say conclusion is logical and it obviously works otherwise electricity would’ve let you know right away if you were wrong with that I give you a thumbs up keep thinking who knows you may come up with something even better that those highly qualified people didn’t think of
FYI...This won't work if you are using gfci protection. Which should cover a majority of applications you'd likely need to use it (i.e basements, garage, sheds etc). Thank you for doing a follow up video to your TEMPORARY installation. I'm sure that wasn't easy to do. It says a lot.
So watched both videos and after doing so I'd say it provides alot of information on what not to do for wiring. Good videos for all the southern engineers out there further research is always a good thing. We all live and learn. Thanks for the update video.
Thanks Bruce. I subscribed because of this second video. I'm the same, I like to tinker also in just about anything. I learned and you gave me new idea in my own situation. I don't have 220 in my detached garage but but I will be installing a permanent 220 outlet within my house and closet to my garage. Then use 10 garage extension cord temporary when necessary. 👍keep up the good work.
Tony, thank you for the comment and subscription. I do appreciate them both. I know not all my ideas are the best but that's how I learn and improve. I've learned many things from the comments, just from posting that first video. If I were to do it again today it would be done much differently. Had I not posted the video, I wouldn't have learned what I did. Have a great day Tony!
If you looked up at a power pole, you would see three main lines and they are together delivering three phase power from the producer to that neighborhood and at a much higher voltage. A fourth line is for ground and usually mounted lower. There is nothing magical about three-phase power. It is simply three single phases synchronized and offset by 120 degrees. Household electrical service is single-phase. If you use an oscilloscope and look at the 120v power found at a normal wall-plate outlet in your house, what you will find is that the power at the wall plate looks like a sine wave, and that wave oscillates between -170 volts and 170 volts (the peaks are indeed at 170 volts; it is the effective (rms) voltage that is 120 volts). The rate of oscillation for the sine wave is 60 cycles per second. Oscillating power like this is generally referred to as AC, or alternating current. A transformer converts power from one of these phases, regulates the voltage and splits it into two legs. These legs are each 120 volts but are offset by 180 degrees. These two legs together provide 240v, single-phase power. Hope that helps.
It depends on where you live and the age of the grid. There are still some single-phase transmission lines out there. The majority is three-phase. All residential and light commercial is single phase.
I am an 30 year journeyman electrician. Most people dont know what or where the voltage is known as 220. It comes from england . I've seen 220 created by floating the groun, which is damgerous. And that what your doing . 230 to 250 volt is an american voltage. Which is 2 legs of 120 to 125. 220 at 50 hz. Is on wire at the voltage to the ground. Which they have only 2 wires coming into the home. Over time you will burn your weilder up. Also your weilder has a duty cycle. Every expense weilder are know as 100% duty. A duty cycle. Is how much you can weild in and hour at one time. An letting it cool down to keep from buring it up.
Thanks for the two videos on 220v from 110v. Really gave me ideas on how to approach a project in my garage-shop. I do have a serious question though (I'm NOT a hater - - serious question). If you make the effort to do a separate wire run to have two 110v services from the two separate phases in your breaker box, why not do the wire run to supply the 220v the standard way in the first place? Is it just a matter of saving dollars on lower amp wires? Or am I missing something? I make no claims to understanding the fine details of electrical work, just a DYI'er trying to wrap my head around this. Thanks.........
My breaker box is about 30 feet from where those outlets are and it only has two positions in the box. I can either have two single pole 120V breakers like it is or one double pole breaker for a 240V circuit and didn't have room in the breaker box for both. (only two spots) It was already set up for two 120V circuits for the outlets and lights in the shop. I didn't want to put in a new breaker box, pull 30 feet of 10 gauge wire and buy a double pole breaker because of the expense and we were to be moving soon anyway. That's why I decided to move only one outlet closer to the other and build the device I did. I could use my welder that way temporarily and when we move, I take my device with me and the wiring in the shop is all code and standard for the next owner. Hope this helps you understand why I did what I did.
My two cents: If your purpose is to have a 220V source next to the two 110 outlets shown on your first video, instead of connecting each wire to a male plug, you could have directly hard wire it to the outlets - then you won't have to worry unplugging them and exposing a possible electrical hazard. Regardless, it was the best idea and easy fix. ty
That would be a good improvement for a more permanent set up. For my situation, I was only looking for a temporary solution because I knew I would be moving from this location in a few months. Thanks for the input!
Actually, no. This isn't a proper 220v setup unless the breakers are tied together so installing an outlet would be a really bad idea, especially for the next owner of the home who will think it's a proper 220v outlet.
Both videos are great and I thank you for the idea thinking out side the box. Is like a good thing. You had a problem. You solved it And if people be hatin. I would make another video thinking out side the box.
This may be a dumb question... And it may fan the flames of the Policing Professional Name-callers... But I was just wondering... Could a device like this be used with a 3500W Generator that has 2 120V/20A outlets (say, to run an electric clothes dryer)?
man, there's always going to be high and mighty people . that was a great video. what any electrician should know is he doesn't understand electricity . nobody totally understands it. man I love to stand in front of one of those bomb throwers. but that will never happen cause face to face people like that are not going to talk there cowards thats why they troll comments to help the forget what they are .
As a DIYer I have a question I hope someone can explain to me. When I look at a 220v breaker in a panel box, it's wired two hots (blacks) and a common (white). Why did you make your 240v combiner use two hots and an earth ground? Are welders not supposed to use the white neutral return wire but only the green earth ground? Aren't earth grounds only for protection, usually chassis shock protection, or are welders the exception to this rule? I thought earth grounds are not meant for continuous circuit current. Please enlighten me. Thank you for helping me understand. I have a stand-alone shop with a sub-panel and I want to be sure I wire my 220v plug for my welder correctly. I will be using a dedicated double 220v breaker.
NO!!!! Do not wire a 220 circuit from a SUBpanel. You said standalone though, so maybe you are using the term subpanel loosely. A subpanel has separate bus bars for neutral and ground wires and typically has no main breaker. Is that what you are talking about or do you have 2 power, 2 neutral, and an earth ground running from your house? [[ Are welders not supposed to use the white neutral return wire but only the green earth ground? ]] 220 outlet MUST run from to the MAIN PANEL, not a subpanel. And whether you run ground or neutral doesn't really matter so long as the wire is insulated (not bare). This is because the neutral and earth ground connect together at the MAIN PANEL .... & importantly ONLY! at the main panel. This is called BONDING of the neutral and ground. A true subpanel should NOT have neutrals and grounds bonded (There would be separate bars for each.) Why not bond them in a subpanel? To maintain Path of least Resistance for the ground - i.e. common/neutral maybe carrying current from another appliance beside the one you are using that is shorting out in your hand. You want your shorted out appliance in your hand to hit a wire that has no competing current load on it - otherwise it could make your body look like a more enticing path to ground! [[ I thought earth grounds are not meant for continuous circuit current. ]] Correct! But on a 220 circuit run from the MAIN PANEL, Earth ground and Neutral are tied together. Technically, you should you NEUTRAL, but for practical purpose, Running Ground from the MAIN PANEL is no different than running a neutral.
A welder (or any pure two phase appliance) will not require a neutral as the return path is through the two phases. A great example is your A/C unit outside your house, vs an electrical dryer. The first will not have a neutral as ALL parts of the A/C unit run on 240v 2 phase (in the US), while the dryer WILL have a neutral as the control systems, lights, etc in them are 120v single phase, while the motor and heater are 240v 2 phase. And yes, the bond wire (ground wire) is purely for the case that something gets energized that shouldn't and it provides a path back to source which being such a low resistance path it will cause the breaker to trip instantly. Also, depending on what the 2 pole breaker you're looking at is providing, it's possible that it's a multiwire branch circuit and it's just a way to send out two 120v single phase circuits while saving a neutral and a ground wire run across the house. It's less common now as AFCI breakers are required in more locations though, but it's very common in older homes.
@@2Truth4Liberty "NO!!!! Do not wire a 220 circuit from a SUBpanel." There's literally no reason you can't put a 240 circuit in a sub panel... It's done literally all the time in houses or businesses with a sub panel. It's not even remotely a safety concern, and it's certainly not a code issue. A sub panel (unless it's a strict 2 phase with no neutral, not that I've seen that in a house built in the last 50 years) will have 1 or 2 phases, 1 neutral and 1 ground. There's no reason you cannot put a 240 circuit in that panel. "And whether you run ground or neutral doesn't really matter so long as the wire is insulated (not bare)." It absolutely DOES matter if you run a ground or a neutral to a 3 wire device. You run a ground, not a neutral. Period. A neutral is for carrying unbalanced load, there is ZERO (generally) unbalanced load in any situation where a 3 wire device is called for. Running a neutral is just asking for someone else to come along and do work later, see the neutral and decide to piggy back off it and now you potentially have an energized surface somewhere else because you opted to land a neutral in the case of actually wanting a ground. "Why not bond them in a subpanel? To maintain Path of least Resistance for the ground - i.e. common/neutral maybe carrying current from another appliance beside the one you are using that is shorting out in your hand. You want your shorted out appliance in your hand to hit a wire that has no competing current load on it - otherwise it could make your body look like a more enticing path to ground!" You bond the neutrals and grounds at the main in order to prevent having potential on metal surfaces somewhere in your house, not for the strange reasoning you gave. The current traveling on a conductor has no bearing on if current will flow through you in the case of something shorting out. Current will take ALL AVAILABLE PATHS to source (ground). If you're a path to ground, it doesn't matter if there was going to be 1A on the neutral, or 10A, some of it is going through you. "Correct! But on a 220 circuit run from the MAIN PANEL, Earth ground and Neutral are tied together. Technically, you should you NEUTRAL, but for practical purpose, Running Ground from the MAIN PANEL is no different than running a neutral." You still run a ground, not a neutral. It's a homeowner DIY, they're 99.999% of the time pulling NM-B. Like good god dude, if you're going to try to explain to someone how to do something, at least be correct. The way you're trying to explain to him will just be a waste of money, and is potentially dangerous with the dumb shit you want to do with grounds vs neutrals. Seriously, what on earth code articles have you read that makes you think anything you said was true?
![SAFEPLANET - ดาวเคราะห์ [ THE PLANET ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4X1XL3I_k3c/mqdefault.jpg)
Name calling and shaming is not constructive criticism. You are just showing a way you found that may work. Appreciate you, brother.
Thank you Grey Cloud! I appreciate your views, comments and input!
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 I'm just not getting how some of these dudes are down to criticize but not contribute. Your channel is right up there with the stuff I only watch on YT. Do you do any woodworking?
I don't do much wood working but I would really like to. I'm currently building a DIY 12x16 shop / shed in my back yard. I will be releasing videos of that project in the near future. Once the shop is built it will give me a lot more room for new projects and potentially some new tools. I you stick around to see how it turns out. I appreciate your support! Do what I do with the negative naysayers with no constructive input. I simply ignore them. LOL Apparently there are a lot of people out there looking for attention but they aren't getting it from me. 😆
I'm excited to see your new shop. I learned how to make my own woodworking bench from some videos and continue to watch and learn other DIY stuff from you and other reliable channels. I don't pay much attention to people who use this as a forum to boast their resume, and critique videos like it helps anyone.
👍
DIY generally means that it’s not done by a professional. Some of us are out there trying to figure out the best way to skin a cat, funny how some people think their way is the best way and the only way! Information like yours is in my opinion what has made TH-cam so great.
Thanks Tony! It's nice to finally chat with someone who can see things for what they are. I appreciate your comment!👍🇺🇲
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 🇺🇸!
I know a 20 year journey man electrician . Five years ago he went to his friends house to change a light bulb that was broke off in the socket, his friend was at work when he got there to change the broken bulb. He asked the wife where the light switch was, she pointed to the wall but did not mention there were two switches. the switch was in the up position being off for a double switch, but on for a single switch, he walked over flipped the switch down. He then walked to the light socket, put on a glove so the broken glass did not cut him, reached up to turn the broken bulb out, the arc was so hot it burned the glove back to the start of finger holes. It also disintegrated his thumb to the first knuckle and his index and bird fingers to the second knuckles. that goes to show experience is not every thing safety and caution are factors too. I'm not an electrician by no means but I would still have my fingers and thumb because I would have turned the main power off.
SOOOOO he did not use a circuit HOT tester to see if the power was in fact off. I work with Telephones and even I have a circuit tester for electricity to see if the circuit is live or not. The testers are incredibly cheap to buy too.
Not sure this hasn’t been said before in previous comments, although we have a portable carpet cleaning extractor that has 2 Extension cords that are designed to plug-in to 110 receptacles of course on different circuits therefore giving the carpet machine 220 V. I like your device in fact we have several different devices similar to that so we can backfeed electric into vacant apartments and we do it carefully as to not create any problems. Thank you for your post brother
hey Man,
I'm a tinkerer too. Your first and second videos were very useful to me. Keep the good work going. It was especially important and responsible that you posted this 2nd video.
Thank you
Dude, I was skeptical when I found the how-to video, but I watched it, and what you did made sense to me. And I'm no electrician by any means, but I do understand the basic principles of wiring a circuit. This second video was good as well as a follow-up on some safety issues. Don't let the pompous ass folks get you down. I don't think they've got half the guts you do and doubt very much the majority of them have the nerve to do what you do here on TH-cam. Keep up the good work!!! If you're watching how-to videos and don't understand that you should confirm information from multiple sources, don't try to lay blame on someone else when your shit get's fucked up because your to ignorant to clarify what you don't understand. And I also agree with you about all those "Experts" who just sit on the sidelines and snipe away rather than making their own videos. Get that shit out of here!!!
Thank you Brent, I appreciate your input! 👍
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 Hi there, Also not liscensced but a hobbyist here. im lucky enough to have a pair of 120v seperate curcit outlets close together and im about to go through the process of tracing my second curcit to my panel personally on both to check for arc fault breakers. i also plan on building my unit with more smarts cause i want to be able to have it isolate if im doing something wrong. might as well have put in a breaker after the breakers.
There is a device called evdoubler, its expensive & it does the same thing. It also has to be wired the same to work like this. They make no mention of having to marry the two breakers or danger if one gets unplugged or breaker trips. I did exactly what you did, but hard wired mine at the outlets. For the wire I did used a heavy duty extension cord as they mention to do on evdoublers site. My charger says 16amps on this 15 amp setup. It has a smart chip in it for overheating & over amps, so it must adjust less than 16 amps because its never hot & never trips the breaker. It works perfectly thank you for your video
Exactly Justo! That device is exactly the same as what I have created here. I too have had no problems with wires over heating or tripping breakers. I appreciate your comment and thanks for watching!
Thank you for posting the two videos on this device. I really enjoyed them. I appreciate you taking the time to share this kind of useful content. After watching, I'm feeling inspired to try creating something myself using your video as a guide. I understand how some negative feedback in the comments can be discouraging. Please don't let the critics get you down. Focus on the value your videos provide to people like me who found them genuinely helpful and interesting.
I think you did a great job. Keep up the DIY videos - I look forward to seeing more of your creative projects. Videos like this are what make your channel so worthwhile. Thank you again for taking the time to make and share these videos. I'm sure they will inspire many viewers to create their own versions. Keep doing what you do best!
Thank you! 👍🏻
Thanks for making the original and this follow up. I get where you are coming from and do appreciate it. I am looking into building such a device and your videos definitely help me out. I also appreciate your even and measured tone, and the way you deal with some of the most invective comments. Please feel encouraged do create more of these videos. Thanks!
I appreciate your positive input! It can be an adventure posting DIY electrical videos on TH-cam but there is a lot a person can learn by watching other's mistakes. I'm finding there are many many people out there trying to do something similar to what I did in my original video. Even though I made a lot of mistakes, the video is still very useful to others and we can all learn from one another. I learned a lot reading through the comments and I hope they can help out others that are working on their own DIY projects. Hopefully I have sorted out the majority of the "not so helpful" comments so others can benefit as I have.
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 ~ I would have gone right to 12 Ga. wire. Overbuilding is better than not enough. Enjoyed the first vid and consider you a bigger man for not sinking into shit in dealing with heavy handed detractors. I agree with the other poster who essentially stated that the "pros" should be reaching out with a helping hand instead of teeth.
Just be careful what you put on the tube. People out here drinking fish tank cleaner and putting gorilla glue in their hair. Real geniuses out here. 😂
😂
Glad to see this video. I have done what you did only to test something temporarily in a place where you don’t want to install anything. In the panel there are two hot bus bars line one and line to plus a neutral bar and a grounding bar. It would seem you have some knowledge as you were able to figure this out. Some are just not wanting to work in a panel. There are many weak links in doing this as you know now. Thanks for explaining why you did this it could be a liability that’s all. Some people will do anything I don’t know if you remember when all the folks put there phones in the microwave and drilled there iPhone to try and get the head phone jack back. It takes balls to come and do a follow up video. Good for you and shows you are a stand up guy.
Thank you for the positive feedback, I do appreciate it! I didn't know about the "phones in the microwave" situation. You just never know what you will find on TH-cam and I suppose my video is a good example of that too. I definitely don't always do things correctly and I'm far from perfect but I am also not afraid to admit it. I don't think it hurts to show people what I have learned. I think it helps everyone with the same interests and we can all learn from one another's mistakes.
I like the concept Bruce, as well as having two separate 20A 120v receptacles available in the garage you also have the ability to yield a 240v 20A receptacle. Kudos to you.
Thank you salceti
one thing that is confusing me though, is how do you know which leg the two breakers are on? If some panels are wired differently than others. How am I sure to get the two different legs?
You can test the two hot legs of the outlets you want to try and use with a meeter like I did in the video. If you get 240V you have the correct two outlets. If the two hots test reads 0 volts, you'll know those two outlets are on the same line in the breaker box and they won't work.
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 thanks very much
👍
As you admit, you may not be a certified electrician, but you're sarcasm is master class. In all seriousness, I really enjoyed both videos. Keep tinkering and sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Don't get upset with other people's idea if it worked for you an you taught someone else then consider it done. Job well done.
I'm an electrician, but I didn't wire the Empire State, nor do I feel the need to call you names. My impression was that you made a workable device and thought through some safety things, such as ensuring the grounding wires were bonded to the metal box. You also made clear there were probably some things you missed and never claimed this would be safe for everyone. Given your situation, your solution made a lot of sense.
I'm assuming you heard from commercial electricians working for big companies. They absolutely must follow OSHA regulations and have the luxury of throwing away extension cords when a cord cap breaks. The rest of us do not have such resources and will make our own contraptions (not meeting OSHA requirements), but ones our knowledge and experience say are good enough when we use them. These "real electricians" look down their noses at us with the same unbridled contempt as you experienced.
I respect you thought of a solution for your problem and spent the time to learn whether it would be safe enough for you and did think things through. I wouldn't suggest making it for friends or selling it, but that wasn't your intention. Honestly, given your situation, I would have made something very similar, although I would have put a metal plate over it.
Just know the electrician snobs you dealt with with have an even worse attitude towards smaller time electricians like me. That's why I don't post on TH-cam or anywhere else, even though I'm a community college electrical instructor. Any little thing they think is wrong and they are like a swarm of hornets.
It's nice to hear from someone with common sense and actually understands what I have done here! Thank you for the comment, I appreciate it.
I appreciate the sarcasm for all the people saying that if you dont do everything up to electrical code the world will explode
Great follow up video. I think that you made this device to show people how to get 240 out of 120 and you explained very simple and your absolute right people don’t use common sense. Personally I put a video in how to convert 240 washer/dryer to work with 120 but using only the washer because the dryer broken. I had good and bad comments but works for me and still using that washer..thanks so much for this follow up video, has a ton of information.
Glad it was helpful!
Watched the video - it seems many electric car owners are coming up with similar solutions. Agree with the things you say. This is the internet - but even in the land of fake news and weird tricks we're responsible for our own actions and what level of risk/reward we're willing to make. You made a video. As with any video some will agree and some will reject. These devices make no claim that they are for the masses. This is one possible solution intended for research minded adults who understand basic electrical theory and can take reasonable precautions given their particular situation.
Thank you for your positive feedback, I do appreciate it! You and I think alike :)
Good day I first would like to thank you for making the second video for this project. Second I think to myself it was pretty obvious that this project was for education and anyone without an electrical background or certifications would and should do research on any project you have no knowledge of. I thank you for your education and for anyone that could not understand what the video was indicating. You don’t really owe them any justification. Just use your common sense. And for all the ones that have the electrical background and certifications just should have corrected you and helped you to fix what may have been wrong with out the criticism and the shoot down. But some are so quick to shoot down people with ideas. If I worked for you that’s for you but maybe not everyone else as I did hear you say in the video. Again thank you for the education and continue with more great projects. God bless you.
I couldn't have said that any better myself. Thank you for your positive feedback, I appreciate it!
The right and left side of the load panels are identified as L1 and L2 for "Leg 1 and Leg 2" which are two phases of 180° offset power. That means when L1 is at its maximum peak of positive A/C voltage, L2 is at its maximum peak (which is positive, of course, but usually shown on the underside as negative voltage wrt to L1). Same for 0 values -- same time, all rinse and repeat 60 times a second in North America, 50 times a second elsewhere (60Hz/50Hz).
The voltage is within a range of 110-120VAC so call it 110, 115, 120... or 220, 230, 240 for two legs ("split phase"). It doesn't matter what you call it. It's what the voltmeter shows.
You ran two 20A circuits from two different legs in the panel (which if your panel is oriented vertically you're calling the "right side" and "left side") which are L1 and L2. How do you know which is which? Whatever label you stick on there, make one say L1 and one say L2. Nobody on the utility side of the panel cares, and on the inside you only care to be able to balance loads. (That's what you do in the load panel :)
So what you ran are 6 wires to make 2 (dual gang) 120VAC outlets. That's 2 hot, 2 neutral, and 2 ground. Then you built a box to make the two hots meet up, the two neutrals meet up, and the two grounds meet up. Seems like a lot of wasted time and money to multiplex into those 6 wires only to demultiplex ("combiner" isn't a real word here) them into 3 wires.
Ground doesn't need to be doubled. Both ground wires go to the same ground in the load panel. If the wire is of sufficient ampacity to discharge the amperage (20A+20A=40A) then you're good. 8awg max, 10awg will work.
Neutral and hots definitely need to handle the full ampacity, so 8awg is indicated.
-- WHAT IF -- you hadn't used "two sides" of the load panel, and just had two 120VAC outlets? Your combiner box would output 120VAC since both hot leads coming in are on the same phase. Voltage is not doubled, but amperage is.
-- WHAT IF -- you hook up directly to the wires and get rid of the 15A outlets? That would be safer and smarter because right now they have a potential fire hazard situation if your welder draws more than 30A (15A+15A=30A max through the 120VAC outlets and your extension cord plugs.)
-- If you're going to do something like this, good for you. Obviously it works. However, you need to tell people exactly what you're doing. Just saying "I ran two lines" isn't enough. You should ensure to say you ran two lines... to two different phases off by 180°. Why am I being pedantic? In North American office/industrial we get 3-phase 408VAC which ends up as 120VAC at the outlet... but if you "combined" two outlets you'd get 208VAC not 240VAC, because with 3 phase power they are off by 120° from each other, so the highs and lows aren't identical in time. This is great for motors, but makes your "combiner" not workable. In that case you'd want to get 3 of the 120VAC phases, and take 277VAC and transform it down to 240VAC. That's even more inefficient. Might as well run 480VAC and transform it 2:1 to 240VAC. Much more efficient, which is why it's prevalent.
"Split phase" is what people say nowadays for 240VAC over two legs/phases. It's really a nonsense term. Nothing is split. Also get yourself a clamp meter so you can verify what your welder is actually drawing. If it approaches 15A on the outlets, time to change outlets. Also your breakers at the load-panel should be downsized to 15A so they go first... before the outlet catches fire.
NEMA 5-15R are the outlets you have. (R is for Receptacle). Rated at 15A.
NEMA 5-15P are the plugs you bought. (P is for Plug). Rated at 15A.
NEMA 5-20R/5-20P is what you want if you're going to stick with this tarbaby.
Make sure your breakers are sized to be as low as the lowest element in the Load-Panel - wire - receptacle setup.
If you did upgrade your setup to a double-breaker, 8awg wire run to a NEMA 6-50R that would be ideal. If you still need 120VAC you can put a UPS in there to charge up on 240VAC and deliver power via 120VAC outlets. Still efficient.
Best wishes. I'm off to design an on-grid hybrid whole-house solar system.
I TO AM A HOBBIEST , AND I HAVE USED DIFFERENT WAYS TO ACHIEVE MY OBJECTIVE. I LIKE YOUR IDEA AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND METHODS OF USE! MY DAD WHEN I WAS A KID WOULD COME IN THE HOUSE AND PULL OUT THE KITCHEN STOVE THEN PLUG IN HIS WELDER AND WELD AWAY. MY MOM WOULD HOLLER AT HIM AND SAY SHE HAD COOK SOME DINNER IF HE WANTED HIM AND THE KIDS TO EAT! HE WOULD DISCONNECT THE WELDER HOOK THE STOVE/RANGE BACK UP AND MOM FIXED DINNER GOD BLESS THANKS AGAIN>
Thanks for the neat story Dennis! I'm a firm believer that a little common sense (not so common these days) goes a long way in getting things done and doing it without incident. Thanks for the nice comment and have a great day!
They said the same about Tesla. I appreciate your inventiveness
Somebody asked about a sub panel but I wouldn't recommend that if you have two hots the neutral has to go down the same pipe or romex you will have heating problems with the circuit, tying the neutrals together won't alleviate the problem it's best just to run a proper cable from the panel to your garage. I have troubleshooted commercial buildings where guys have run the neutral down another pipe and it's hot enough to burn your hand
I like your new shop. And, thanks for clarifying your previous video. You helped to clear up/point in the right direction for those of us who want to do some more research and possibly build one of these devices. Even if I decide not to build one, I’ll walk away more educated by having seen you do it. THAT is what you tube is all about. Really appreciate what you’re doing. Don’t worry about the self proclaimed experts, especially the ones that want to bully.
I appreciate your comment and agree with what you said. This may not be the solution for most but we can all learn something from it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I thought it was a genius diy idea. Thank you for posting both videos. PHENOMENAL IDEA!!!!!!!!
Ben in Texas
Thank you for the positive feedback! I can't take the credit for this idea as I myself found similar videos covering this topic and it got me thinking. Even though it's a controversial subject, I believe it's a very useful device for some people and situations. I appreciate your input!
Yes, that will work. I have done that on occasion when I had to weld something for a friend that didn't have any 220v outlets. But the safest way to make one of these adapters, is by using a small 2-circuit load center like the Square-D QO2L30SCP (good for up to 30 amps) which allows for a 15 or 20 amp ganged breaker (depending on your welder requirements) instead of the regular junction box. That's what I wound up making and keeping with my welder for those rare occasions when I need it, that way both phases cut out if there is an issue.
That sounds like a good idea. If I were to do it all over again I think I would give your idea a try. Thanks for sharing the idea.
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 You're welcome. I subscribed. :-)
I made one and its been working fine I just linked the two breakers and I've been using it since I know they are concerns about safety but none has a arised so far
Good to hear! I think linking the two breakers was a good decision on your part. I used mine for about a year with no issues at all. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it! 👍
I saw your other video and only read a few comments. Sorry to hear you were so badly treated. Your video answered a problem I have run into in my shop. I was happy to see it. I have never understood the need for some people to be so offensive in their comments on YT. The effort all producers on YT expend is remarkable in my opinion. Thank you again.
I would add, I think putting a 50amp plug on the combiner wasn’t ideal. It could lead someone to put in a 50 amp device. But I totally agree, it is your device and you know what it’s intended use is for and there shouldn’t be a problem. I like how you think.
You are quite welcome, I'm glad you liked the video. No worries about the negative comments, that's the way YT is. The more negative comments I receive, the better the video performs. It's amazing :)
My thinking on the 50amp plug is if someone stole my device and decided to plug a 50amp device into it, the 20amp breaker would trip and it wouldn't work. I also think the breaker would trip at 20amps and protect the 12 gauge wire like it was designed to do.
DIY Homestead Projects yes, I’m sure you’re right. And if it didn’t, well, serves them right Isla their house burns down. They likely will learn.
Don't worry about the haters, even those that express legitimate concerns! This got you through what you wanted at the time and is NOT a bad idea. It worked for you! I am going to do my own research and very likely make one for use in my forge area! However, when I get the time and money, I WILL also, put in a legit 240 V outlet for my welders!
THANKS, for the videos!
Well said and thank you!
It's always best to have electric equipment like stoves, water heaters, welders, pumps, A.C., on seperate circuit brakers.
Thanks for bpth of these interesting videos. I'm no electrician either but hooking up two 180 degrees out of phase 120 outlets to get 240V was something I have wondered about but not clear on what to do with the neutral. So what would occur if one of the breakers tripped leaving you with 120V on one side? What is the worst that could happen, if anything, other than the device not working? BTW what would happen if you plugged both plugs into outlets that were in phase (coming from the same side of the box)?
To answer both of your questions, in either case my welder doesn't work. It does not damage my welder. I don't know what would happen to items other than a welder. I've never used anything besides my little welder with this device. Some say if the item has a motor it would fry the motor but I have never tried that. I don't have any tools with a 240V motor.
thanks for posting this video. I like to learn new things and I certainly learned from your videos, AND the comments. it's amazing what we can learn when we close our mouth and open our ears and minds, and then ask or respond with informed intelligent questions.. I enjoyed the feedback posted because it all makes you stop and think before you do. because as stated, in the end we are all responsible for our own actions, so at least be as informed as you can be before you act. I enjoyed your video and all the info. and also thanks to those that responded and shared their knowledge as well. and in the end we each must verify, verify, verify, before we act. thanks again to you for taking the time to make the video, and sharing your knowledge. have yourself a great day, and be safe.
Thank you for the great post! I agree with you, I have learned a lot just from the posts in that video. I think there is some good information if you sort through the comments and pick out the informative / helpful information. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have gone about that project much differently but that's the beauty of hindsight. If it weren't for posting that video, I never would have learned what I have. Of course there will always be many things I don't know because I am obviously not an electrician but that was never the goal in the first place. :)
Would it have simpler to put a220v reciptale in and do it the simpler way.
Good info, keep it up! I imagine you understand electricity more than your haters.
Yes, thanks
Glad you cleared up some of the issues... I too am a DIYer even with electrical. In Ontario Canada a home owner can pull their own permit and do a complete rewire with a new panel AS LONG AS IT IS to CODE. I have done this for 5 houses and was able to accomplish that with a little yellow paperback called Ontario Electrical Code Simplified....$23 on Amazon... the best money you will ever spend. Not only does it explain how to wire to code it explains the reason and even points out when the code is stupid. I would suggest to anyone DIYing electrical that you consider the consequences if you burn your house down before you experiment with electricity from the grid.
Thank you for the positive feedback! I appreciate the information on the helpful book. I may have to pick one up.
Richard McKenna
Years ago I powered a 50 Amp 240V plug from two independent 120V circuits and I ran my welder from that with no problems as I was using the low settings and, hopefully, wasn't drawing more than 40 Amps. BUT I did use heavier wire in the installation, INCLUDING a ground wire!
The ground wire from the source, the panel, was missing in your contraption. You had ground wires to the metal box, but the metal box wasn't grounded to the panel. I am not a certified electrician by any means, and what you had built did work, it just wasn't safely grounded! Which could have been a BIG deal in the worst-case scenario.
Kudos to your ingenuity and I enjoyed both of your videos. I agree that you should install a dedicated 240V circuit in your new digs to be safe.
I am not trying to criticize your efforts, but the grounding issue caught my attention from the get-go and I just wanted to put in my two cents worth.
Carry on man and the best of luck to you!
Dont let the trolls get to you man. Dont even give them the time of day in your videos. You do a good job explaining and showing how to do stuff. Keep it up man.
The trolls don't bother me and I expect it every time I upload a video. It's just part of posting on TH-cam. Ha Ha Thank you for the positive comment, I really appreciate it! One positive comment cancels out 100 negative troll comments in my book and the DELETE button is easy to use. 😀 Thanks again!
Thanks Bruce. Like your new digs and glad you’re back on. Yours was the best and safest explanation of this process that I was able to find. Love the info about tying the 2 breakers together. That pretty much was the last piece in the puzzle for me. You continue to be my inspiration but I continue to remain several deviations below your ability level and probably always will ; )
Thank you Mark, I can't say how much I appreciate your positive comments! I'm sure there are many things out there you are much better at than I am. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and I think it's great we can all learn from one another.
My first comment ever on TH-cam (had to Google it on how to) I just watched your first video before this one and was thinking this is a good idea, you explained well, and yeah this would work for a temporary situation. So by the end of the video I'm thinking this is cool, but man all of the "professional's" out there are going to rip into your comments... But I'm one of those "Jack of all trades and Master of none!" and I agree with you, people need to take responsibility for their own actions and you would think they would have some common sense. Heck I'm 50+ years old and have done a lot of crazy/stupid things that I had just enough knowledge about to get me into trouble, yet enough common sense that I never have seriously hurt myself, others, or property.and still have all my fingers & toes..! SO GOOD STUFF SIR, KEEP MAKING YOUR VIDEOS... be safe... One last thing I don't need the government putting warning ⚠ stickers on everything, like on my new lawnmower. I took those warnings off and put this one on.. " DANGER can't fix STUPID "
Sounds like you and I are one in the same. I too still have all my fingers and toes and have never seriously hurt myself. I thank you for making your comment. It was much appreciated and why I actually post my videos on TH-cam. The original video had helped many people and will continue to do so. I do plan to keep posting and I have a few videos in mind for this spring. I really like your "DANGER can't fix STUPID" stickers. That's pretty funny. Have a great day and thank you again for the comment!
You are a good person and very honest. Thank you for everything you did. Please keep doing what you have been posting.
Thank you, I appreciate your nice comment. :)
I'm a renter in a house with only 120v outlets looking to do some aluminum welding. My choice is either make this box, hack into the power going to the AC unit outside, or something even worse. I think I'll go with this box. Thanks for the video as I had the idea but discounted it for some reason. (I've worked as an electrician apprentice, but am now a software engineer)
It takes a men like you to change the world. Is we stayed in the confines of the known. We would still be using ____. I Thank you for your Information and Never Stop!!
Thank you for the positive feedback! I appreciate your comment and I agree with your statement. Although I didn't invent this idea I think it can be useful to some and it keeps the creative minds active.
One thing I’ve learned in life safety is paramount and all you do especially working with electricity
Kinda sad there are over a million views for the build video, and only several thousand for the safety video.
Especially working with "all the highly qualified people of the world policing the internet."
Thank you for making your video’s, I wish everyone would stop trying to bash other’s on TH-cam. I am fully aware what I learn from TH-cam is only an idea and we ALL should do much more research. But I do have to say I have learned so much from TH-cam DIY channels, only because it starts an idea and then I will go and do my own research. Please don’t stop making great content. At Your Own Risk of course so you don’t piss off the keyboard warriors. Thank You. -Justin
Thank you for the nice comment Justin! Finally someone with some common sense. Thanks for watching and I wish you the best with your projects!
Love the video great job I actually bumped into the same one a few years ago but it’s good you’re still alive cranking out views because of the naysayers and complainers it’s just makes you get more views you’re actually helping you out as they complain. 👍👍👍😜😝
keep doing your thing bro! if u have haters youre doing something right... this follow up is great and covers all details. its a cool device and great idea, for us lucky ones with common sense that is...
Thanks, will do!
You are right about most of the supposed certified electricians, most don't have or never will post a video... If your so wrong how come others have built and showed the same thing? I'm not a pro either and it looked right to me... Have a great day...
Thank you for the positive comment! I thought the same exact thing you did. Will do and have a great day yourself 😀
That was a very great idea... My uncle and his son are both certified electricians and have seem them do crazier stuff that that in a "pinch". Maybe not on the job but they were trying to hunt down a problem in my garage they did all kinds of crazy stuff I didn't think was safe LOL... they even admitted is "wasn't the right way but it works" :) Cousin built a box like you used but a light switch in it... if he's having trouble finding a breaker for an outlet... plug it it and flip switch to ON... dead short and will kick breaker. He just wired hot one side of switch and neutral on other... flip the switch breaker will kick :)
Thank you for the input. Interesting story :)
That's actually super clever 🤣
Know that was funny. I feel for you what you had to go through. I understood the concept of how 220 is contained, though a electrical box to an out let.No I probably would not of made one to run my 220 air compressor. I enjoyed both videos and had a good thank you . Ed
Thank you for watching and the positive feedback! I appreciate your comment!
Both videos are very good you did right by walking back some of the things from the last video because it’s a “Cover your ass” world, and you’ve done that... so thank you for the info thank you for the update like you I have machines that need 220 and it’s not available in my new garage. You gave me information that I needed now I feel confident that I can use my machines. I wired my last shop and I’m not a certified electrician but I’m a DIY guy like you. Thanks
Could you put an inline fuse on each side of your device
I suppose you could
Actually, you could get a couple of 120vac relays with 120vac coils and connect the coil of one relay to the hot and neutral of one plug and likewise with the other relay and plug. Each relay will close the hot circuit of the hot line to the 240vac outlet the relay is getting fed from. If only one plug is connected, the relay for the disconnected plug will be open acting as a failsafe preventing the hot prong from becoming live. These relays should have contacts rated for no less than 20 amps. You can also add a couple of fuses and fuse holders for some added safety. You should still have a proper 240 volt line installed if you need 240 volt power often. You can also get a step up transformer, but they aren't cheap. They are quite a bit safer especially if they are not an auto transformer. A regular transformer will have the added benefit of isolation that an auto transformer won't have.
I watched the original.. But, it was this video that made me sub.. You (for lack of a better phrase) had the 🎱🎱's to do, what thousands of others wouldn't have done. And that was making this follow up video.
Haters are gunna hate.. It's what they do.. Water off a ducks back, my friend.. Im an avid tinkerer myself, and definitely appreciate the knowledge you've shared..🍻🍻🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank you Ray, I appreciate your comment! I just do what I do, the haters don't run this channel, I do! 👍
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 Absolutely..🍻🍻🇺🇸🇺🇸
THANK YOU! for updating the IMPORTANT INFORMATION
You cannot pick just any two circuits (i.e., separate lines coming from separate breakers)
The two breakers MUST be on separate phases.
Often breaker in a box will alternate (phase 1, phase 2, phase 1, phase 2, etc)
while other may have all phase1 breakers on one side and all phase 2 breakers on the other side.
Another important note:
The two circuit MUST be in the main panel, not on a subpanel.
The main panel is where neutral and ground join; hence for 220 outlets whether you use neutral(white) or ground(green/bare), they are running to the same place anyway.
Good information and thank you for the positive feedback! I appreciate it!
Dave snow. I watched both video,s, they were great, my question is this, my garage only has a 110 outlet, so could I run an extension cord from let's say another socket from inside the house to the garage and hook it to the same socket that you made,as long as it's from another electrical line?
That's the way I understand it. Remember, a longer extension makes it more important to use a heavier gauge wire for your appliance to prevent overheating of the cord. For instance (20 amp draw = 12 gauge wire minimum). That's just a suggestion, I'm NOT and electrician as I'm sure you know.
Thanks for getting back, I appreciate it.
Liked the first video. Not code? Color me surprised. Thanks, for showing what CAN work. And thanks to all those electricians for telling me what can go wrong.
Your video saved a lot of money. For me, actually it worked! Thank you!
Glad it helped!
You are Farmer-Smart. Kinda the way America was made. You do the best you can with what ya got. Yep, not always right. Yep, not always the safest. But, it gets you through.
Thanks for sharing the original and this follow up. I made one and have it in "reserve" for when I will need it. Oh, and for the Haters, I have been back-feeding 220 from my generator every time the power goes out which it does all the time where I live. I hang a big sign on my main breaker: "Turn off and disconnect the generator before turning on breaker". Legal? Nope!, Code?, Nope! but I do have the only house where I live that has all my lights, frig, micro, ......... working when the unreliable power is out!
I agree 100%! People like us will be the only ones getting things done if things keep going the way they are currently going. If things finally get better, we'll still be getting things done. When working on my own stuff, I use what I have and get the job done. The only person I have to make happy is myself and so far, I've had a 100% success rate.
Why is it a problem if one phase 110V breaker goes off, and the other does not ? It only means there will be no 220V anymore. Can someone explain it ? I am planning to make one for Tesla EV charger. I think if one breaker goes off, the Tesla charger stops. What is the big deal here ?
That little welder looked like it would pull some serious amps. At least as much as a lunch box time machine. Great videos. Thanks for sharing. Interesting to think about all. Take care man.
Thanks for watching!
I thought it was genius. I can't wait to get home and try it. Thanks.
Thank you for the nice comment but I can't take credit for the idea. There are many videos of this concept on TH-cam and this is just my version. Good luck to you and be safe :)
Hi ,,I saw the 110 to 220 video ,,is there any reason why you did not use the 2 white neutral wires and join them as opposed to joining the 2 green ground wires ,, thanks
Yes, the two green wires are the grounds and they are required to be in the circuit. The two white neutral wires are not in this 240V circuit. The welder I made this adaptor for only requires two hots and a ground. (no neutral)
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 Oh OK ,, not that you are saying that it would have caused issues ? But in normal applications joining the neutrals is the correct procedure since it is the neutrals that are the proper returns to the panel ,, the green grounds are only a safety measure when one uses a metal cased power tool like a drill , where the casing of the drill is grounded through the green wire,, so that one does not get a shock through the metal casing in the event of a drill malfunction sending current to the casing . That is why 220v typically has 4 prongs ,,two hots one neutral and one ground ( or as they say in the UK ""earth ") -in your case joining the neutrals and connecting the welder's metal case to a water pipe would have done the trick correctly .
The idea behind grounding is to protect the people who use metal-encased appliances from electric shock. The casing is connected directly to the ground prong.
Why did you cut off the original 3 prong plug from the extension cord and attach a different 3 prong plug?
By they why, both videos were helpful!
I just used pieces of the extension cord. They did not have the original ends on them.
As long as you don’t upsize the breaker for both circuits you are fine. As far as not trying to burn your house down.
Good info and thanks for the positive input! I didn't and wouldn't upgrade my breaker without upgrading the wire first. I agree with you 100%.
Kudos for the follow up video and your honesty!
Thank you for the positive feedback! I'm definitely not perfect and it does not bother me one bit to admit it. :) I appreciate your comment!
The thing is, it was a great experiment! : ) this is how we learn and stuff, lol.
You got that right!
This devise is awesome thank you.
Glad you like it!
I have been wanting to do this so I can run my 2 post car lift. I was wondering, does the 220v not back feed into the 110 and burn my shop lights and things up? Just curious if that is a possibilty?
I'm not sure but I didn't have any problems with that when I was using the device.
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 ok thank you . This is not the solution I really want, in a perfect world I would have an anctual 220. But this isn’t a perfect world so I know what I’m gonna do lol
On the 120 to 240 video I was wondering if you could feed the 220 into a sub panel and put some 120v breakers and still be able to get a 220v breaker for a 220v plug?
I wouldn't be too concerned about the negative comments from so called seasoned electricians. I'm 70 yrs old retired electronic technician. All I could see wrong was not having the two breakers not tied together. Since the welder plug wire was 14 awg then the 14 awg you used was fine too as were the two 15 amp plugs you used. Some people just like to give others a hard time. Optional the two 20 amp breakers could have been replaced with one - 2 pole 20 amp breaker. Only problem you had solved.
Thank you for the comment and information, I do appreciate the positive input!
what kind if welder r u plugging in that only needs 20 amps
ZX7-200 220V Portable MMA ARC Welder DC IGBT Welding Machine Soldering Inverter - amzn.to/37OV8pX
I would like to know the actual current draw using a clamp meter (not that expensive) . It should be the same on each cord.
Ok smart guys can a breaker and on off switch be added to this build?
All the haters can pack sand!! Likey the ones with negative comments are the ones lacking Common sense!! VERY UNLIKELY THAT WELDER WOULD PULL 20AMPS . Generally overseas 220/240v is the norm and generally draws less amps. And most likey thst cord you got those pieces from said 600v on it some where. If your worried about the conductor dia/ga . Just wire nut the white and black together!! bam doubled in size.Just be sure to elec. Tape them together or color the white with a black sharpie (not gonna go I depth on how to) Great videos!! Keep the em coming. The average man thanks you
oh GOD that was awesome!
Another great video, thanks bro!
Glad you enjoyed!
Well Done. I enjoy your videos and my feeling are, we need to remove the warnings from electrical devices and weed out "the not so smart". For example, why have a tag that says do not use the hair dryer while taking a shower. It's time to clean the gene pool. Thanks again for your videos.
Thank you Craig, I appreciate your comment and I agree.
It was a good idea and in a pinch I would do same thing I work with electricity often and was raised in the trade my contractors and carpenters and been doing it most my life and I will say where most will go with the industry and throw you to the ground I'll say stress safety and keep on with what your doing I myself would do same and I feel even those electricians more then likely have done same in past or made mistakes so good job brother.
Thank you Donald 👍
Great job I know you are trying to help thanks. Just Remember one thing people just love to give other people crap just take it with a grain of salt move on by the way you did an outstanding job you’re cool man
Thank you Michael!
Can you get the 240 from a switch and 1 from a receptacle and add up to 240
Works freaking awesome thank you
I personally think you’re pretty smart guy I don’t see any flaws in what you put out in the first video the you only problem is that you have no control over stupidity that anyone undertakes from what you tried to show people I think you showed something to even seasoned electrician that they didn’t think of themselves that your reasoning or say conclusion is logical and it obviously works otherwise electricity would’ve let you know right away if you were wrong with that I give you a thumbs up keep thinking who knows you may come up with something even better that those highly qualified people didn’t think of
FYI...This won't work if you are using gfci protection. Which should cover a majority of applications you'd likely need to use it (i.e basements, garage, sheds etc).
Thank you for doing a follow up video to your TEMPORARY installation. I'm sure that wasn't easy to do. It says a lot.
Thank you for the information and positive comment! Much appreciated!
I think you answered my question of why the one I made, isn't working. Thanks
Watched both your videos, great job , do more DIY 👍
Thank you for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it! More to come 👍
Very good job love it
It worked for me, temporary for me thanks for sharing
You are welcome, I'm glad it helped you out. Thank you for the positive comment!
So watched both videos and after doing so I'd say it provides alot of information on what not to do for wiring. Good videos for all the southern engineers out there further research is always a good thing. We all live and learn. Thanks for the update video.
Thank you for the positive feedback!
Thanks Bruce. I subscribed because of this second video. I'm the same, I like to tinker also in just about anything. I learned and you gave me new idea in my own situation. I don't have 220 in my detached garage but but I will be installing a permanent 220 outlet within my house and closet to my garage. Then use 10 garage extension cord temporary when necessary. 👍keep up the good work.
Tony, thank you for the comment and subscription. I do appreciate them both. I know not all my ideas are the best but that's how I learn and improve. I've learned many things from the comments, just from posting that first video. If I were to do it again today it would be done much differently. Had I not posted the video, I wouldn't have learned what I did. Have a great day Tony!
If you looked up at a power pole, you would see three main lines and they are together delivering three phase power from the producer to that neighborhood and at a much higher voltage. A fourth line is for ground and usually mounted lower. There is nothing magical about three-phase power. It is simply three single phases synchronized and offset by 120 degrees.
Household electrical service is single-phase. If you use an oscilloscope and look at the 120v power found at a normal wall-plate outlet in your house, what you will find is that the power at the wall plate looks like a sine wave, and that wave oscillates between -170 volts and 170 volts (the peaks are indeed at 170 volts; it is the effective (rms) voltage that is 120 volts). The rate of oscillation for the sine wave is 60 cycles per second. Oscillating power like this is generally referred to as AC, or alternating current.
A transformer converts power from one of these phases, regulates the voltage and splits it into two legs. These legs are each 120 volts but are offset by 180 degrees. These two legs together provide 240v, single-phase power.
Hope that helps.
Thank you for the information :)
It depends on where you live and the age of the grid. There are still some single-phase transmission lines out there. The majority is three-phase. All residential and light commercial is single phase.
I am an 30 year journeyman electrician. Most people dont know what or where the voltage is known as 220. It comes from england . I've seen 220 created by floating the groun, which is damgerous. And that what your doing . 230 to 250 volt is an american voltage. Which is 2 legs of 120 to 125.
220 at 50 hz. Is on wire at the voltage to the ground. Which they have only 2 wires coming into the home. Over time you will burn your weilder up.
Also your weilder has a duty cycle. Every expense weilder are know as 100% duty.
A duty cycle. Is how much you can weild in and hour at one time. An letting it cool down to keep from buring it up.
Thanks for the two videos on 220v from 110v. Really gave me ideas on how to approach a project in my garage-shop. I do have a serious question though (I'm NOT a hater - - serious question). If you make the effort to do a separate wire run to have two 110v services from the two separate phases in your breaker box, why not do the wire run to supply the 220v the standard way in the first place? Is it just a matter of saving dollars on lower amp wires? Or am I missing something? I make no claims to understanding the fine details of electrical work, just a DYI'er trying to wrap my head around this. Thanks.........
My breaker box is about 30 feet from where those outlets are and it only has two positions in the box. I can either have two single pole 120V breakers like it is or one double pole breaker for a 240V circuit and didn't have room in the breaker box for both. (only two spots) It was already set up for two 120V circuits for the outlets and lights in the shop. I didn't want to put in a new breaker box, pull 30 feet of 10 gauge wire and buy a double pole breaker because of the expense and we were to be moving soon anyway. That's why I decided to move only one outlet closer to the other and build the device I did. I could use my welder that way temporarily and when we move, I take my device with me and the wiring in the shop is all code and standard for the next owner. Hope this helps you understand why I did what I did.
My two cents: If your purpose is to have a 220V source next to the two 110 outlets shown on your first video, instead of connecting each wire to a male plug, you could have directly hard wire it to the outlets - then you won't have to worry unplugging them and exposing a possible electrical hazard. Regardless, it was the best idea and easy fix. ty
That would be a good improvement for a more permanent set up. For my situation, I was only looking for a temporary solution because I knew I would be moving from this location in a few months. Thanks for the input!
Actually, no. This isn't a proper 220v setup unless the breakers are tied together so installing an outlet would be a really bad idea, especially for the next owner of the home who will think it's a proper 220v outlet.
May not be the proper way to do it....but it works. Thank you !
You're welcome Ray!
How much does that circuit combiner cost?
Can I run this setup off my 6500 generator?
At the end of the day, I DO WHAT WORKS!!! If it doesn’t pose a threat to my life or limbs, or tear up equipment, I’LL MOST LIKELY CONTINUE DOING IT!!!
Both videos are great and I thank you for the idea thinking out side the box. Is like a good thing. You had a problem. You solved it And if people be hatin. I would make another video thinking out side the box.
Thank you and I like the way you think.
@@DIYHomesteadProjectsDIYHP10 yeah I like stirring the pot. Then flicking the spoon on them who hate. Lol
This may be a dumb question... And it may fan the flames of the Policing Professional Name-callers... But I was just wondering... Could a device like this be used with a 3500W Generator that has 2 120V/20A outlets (say, to run an electric clothes dryer)?
Sorry but I don't know the answer to that question but my guess would be no. Some generators do supply 240V though.
man, there's always going to be high and mighty people .
that was a great video.
what any electrician should know is he doesn't understand electricity .
nobody totally understands it.
man I love to stand in front of one of those bomb throwers. but that will never happen cause face to face people like that are not going to talk there cowards
thats why they troll comments to help the forget what they are .
Well said, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for the comment.
As a DIYer I have a question I hope someone can explain to me. When I look at a 220v breaker in a panel box, it's wired two hots (blacks) and a common (white). Why did you make your 240v combiner use two hots and an earth ground? Are welders not supposed to use the white neutral return wire but only the green earth ground? Aren't earth grounds only for protection, usually chassis shock protection, or are welders the exception to this rule? I thought earth grounds are not meant for continuous circuit current. Please enlighten me. Thank you for helping me understand.
I have a stand-alone shop with a sub-panel and I want to be sure I wire my 220v plug for my welder correctly. I will be using a dedicated double 220v breaker.
NO!!!! Do not wire a 220 circuit from a SUBpanel.
You said standalone though, so maybe you are using the term subpanel loosely.
A subpanel has separate bus bars for neutral and ground wires and typically has no main breaker.
Is that what you are talking about or do you have 2 power, 2 neutral, and an earth ground running from your house?
[[ Are welders not supposed to use the white neutral return wire but only the green earth ground? ]]
220 outlet MUST run from to the MAIN PANEL, not a subpanel.
And whether you run ground or neutral doesn't really matter so long as the wire is insulated (not bare).
This is because the neutral and earth ground connect together at the MAIN PANEL .... & importantly ONLY! at the main panel.
This is called BONDING of the neutral and ground.
A true subpanel should NOT have neutrals and grounds bonded (There would be separate bars for each.)
Why not bond them in a subpanel? To maintain Path of least Resistance for the ground - i.e. common/neutral maybe carrying current from another appliance beside the one you are using that is shorting out in your hand. You want your shorted out appliance in your hand to hit a wire that has no competing current load on it - otherwise it could make your body look like a more enticing path to ground!
[[ I thought earth grounds are not meant for continuous circuit current. ]]
Correct! But on a 220 circuit run from the MAIN PANEL, Earth ground and Neutral are tied together. Technically, you should you NEUTRAL, but for practical purpose, Running Ground from the MAIN PANEL is no different than running a neutral.
A welder (or any pure two phase appliance) will not require a neutral as the return path is through the two phases. A great example is your A/C unit outside your house, vs an electrical dryer. The first will not have a neutral as ALL parts of the A/C unit run on 240v 2 phase (in the US), while the dryer WILL have a neutral as the control systems, lights, etc in them are 120v single phase, while the motor and heater are 240v 2 phase.
And yes, the bond wire (ground wire) is purely for the case that something gets energized that shouldn't and it provides a path back to source which being such a low resistance path it will cause the breaker to trip instantly.
Also, depending on what the 2 pole breaker you're looking at is providing, it's possible that it's a multiwire branch circuit and it's just a way to send out two 120v single phase circuits while saving a neutral and a ground wire run across the house. It's less common now as AFCI breakers are required in more locations though, but it's very common in older homes.
@@2Truth4Liberty "NO!!!! Do not wire a 220 circuit from a SUBpanel."
There's literally no reason you can't put a 240 circuit in a sub panel... It's done literally all the time in houses or businesses with a sub panel. It's not even remotely a safety concern, and it's certainly not a code issue. A sub panel (unless it's a strict 2 phase with no neutral, not that I've seen that in a house built in the last 50 years) will have 1 or 2 phases, 1 neutral and 1 ground. There's no reason you cannot put a 240 circuit in that panel.
"And whether you run ground or neutral doesn't really matter so long as the wire is insulated (not bare)."
It absolutely DOES matter if you run a ground or a neutral to a 3 wire device. You run a ground, not a neutral. Period. A neutral is for carrying unbalanced load, there is ZERO (generally) unbalanced load in any situation where a 3 wire device is called for. Running a neutral is just asking for someone else to come along and do work later, see the neutral and decide to piggy back off it and now you potentially have an energized surface somewhere else because you opted to land a neutral in the case of actually wanting a ground.
"Why not bond them in a subpanel? To maintain Path of least Resistance for the ground - i.e. common/neutral maybe carrying current from another appliance beside the one you are using that is shorting out in your hand. You want your shorted out appliance in your hand to hit a wire that has no competing current load on it - otherwise it could make your body look like a more enticing path to ground!"
You bond the neutrals and grounds at the main in order to prevent having potential on metal surfaces somewhere in your house, not for the strange reasoning you gave. The current traveling on a conductor has no bearing on if current will flow through you in the case of something shorting out. Current will take ALL AVAILABLE PATHS to source (ground). If you're a path to ground, it doesn't matter if there was going to be 1A on the neutral, or 10A, some of it is going through you.
"Correct! But on a 220 circuit run from the MAIN PANEL, Earth ground and Neutral are tied together. Technically, you should you NEUTRAL, but for practical purpose, Running Ground from the MAIN PANEL is no different than running a neutral."
You still run a ground, not a neutral. It's a homeowner DIY, they're 99.999% of the time pulling NM-B.
Like good god dude, if you're going to try to explain to someone how to do something, at least be correct. The way you're trying to explain to him will just be a waste of money, and is potentially dangerous with the dumb shit you want to do with grounds vs neutrals. Seriously, what on earth code articles have you read that makes you think anything you said was true?
Can I use an extension cord as one of my power cords ?
Personally I wouldn't
Good job, and you have common sense.
Thank you Grant!