How To Convert 240V Receptacles Or Branch Circuits To 120V! (STEP BY STEP)

[@johnw6498]

Great video. Two tips for the DIYers. ! Turn off the MAIN breaker before working, and 2: Don't use a screwdriver to pry out the breaker. And remember guys even if the MAIN is off, those big lugs at the top of the panel are ALWAYS energized meaning HOT. NEVER TOUCH THEM !

[@netterstyl]

Just straightforward, clear and concise how-to - just the way we like it. Btw, my inside house panel is a subpanel controlled by a master outside panel that controls it and other circuits (dryer, AC, etc.). As a DIY homeowner, I have a healthy, cautious (and nervous!) respect for electricity, so I switch off the entire inside panel when working on it. When I have to work on the outside master panel (which in my case can't be switched off), I wear rubber-soled shoes and take the advice he gives about not completing a circuit through my body. The first thing I was faced with on the outside panel was installing two double-pole 40 amp breakers for a tankless water heater and running the humongous (for me, at least) 8 gauge wire. Luckily, I bought the wire before the cost of it shot up to the moon.

[@ProjectFarm]

These videos are incredibly helpful--thank you!!

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoy them! Thanks for watching

[@brooksdev]

What an interesting place to run into @ProjectFarm!

[@BarlitosC]

Two legends meet

[@Sparky-ww5re]

That old receptacle is the rare and obscure NEMA 10-20R, designated as 125/250V nongrounding, what i refer to as the junior crowfoot, this receptacle was somewhat common from about the mid 50s to early 70s for use with some portable air conditioners, there was a period where some units had 240 volt compressors with 120 volt blower and controls. Much like it's bigger cousins 10-30R and 10-50R for dryers and ranges respectively, before the 1996 NEC required a four wire system, appliances plugged into them were grounded via the neutral, or ungrounded.

[@scottcates]

This makes sense. I work in an older building with this type of setup.

[@100vg]

Nice conversion, Scott! I love heatshrink for that kind of thing. The long wire in the breaker box wouldn't have to be shrunk if it's not convenient, like only having a cigarette lighter, but that would have been so much easier and faster than wrapping white electrical tape around it so many times. I have a high heat blower (hair dryer style) with 2 heat settings and the cooler one has always been hot enough and still works quickly. It's crazy that these 1960s and older houses don't have Safety Ground run anywhere, but at least that outlet box is grounded through the conduit. Safety Ground had to be run for the 1961 house I bought for kitchen and bathroom sink outlets (and the one by the stove/oven is also done, but not the fridge) and the utility room was done for the clothes washer, but I hate not having them anywhere else! Some things really need the Safety Ground in the outlet and some things require it for all features to work properly, like a UPS for one. If I ever run them, I'll do it your way behind flooring boards. I can run the wire down for each room from the attic, two drops in some rooms, and run it around to all outlets from there. I'd run multiple 12 AWG wires from the breaker box to several junction boxes and branch out to rooms with 14 AWG from there. The WAGO Kit I bought from your does 12 and 14 AWG.

[@electronicsNmore]

You'll be fine using the conduit, as long as the conduit connections are good. BTW, it's Doug. LOL. Thanks for watching!

[@100vg]

@@electronicsNmore If I only had conduit anywhere. 🤣

[@DMC-d4t]

Great video, lots of things I'd half learned fell into place. Thank you.

[@ourv9603]

I wanted power for driveway landscape lights. The nearest outdoor source of power was an electrical fusebox for my AC compressor. Inside the box was L1 & L2. No nuetral. So, I tapped into one leg & used the grounded box for my nuetral. This worked, it powered the 12v stepdown transformer for my lights. It also worked to hookup to my Rv to power the battery charger. I used this in this manner for YEARS. But when I put my house up for sale I disconnected it. !

[@darexdarex]

You lost me at having to wear shoes. 😂😂😂 Kidding. Great explanation/demonstration, as always.

[@michaelhuang2477]

Excellent video.. calm voices are better when working with electricity

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you liked the video! Be sure to look over my extensive video playlists below for many other videos of interest to you and share. Thank you kzbin.infoplaylists

[@CMCdiy]

this video is interesting and useful. great work🤗

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you think so!

[@sapelesteve]

Well done eNm! My rule is to never try to do any electrical work around the house! I always call an electrician! 👍👍💥💥

[@scottjohnson5449]

nice and simple, just the way it should be explained.... thanks!!!

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching!

[@meb3153]

EXCELLENT. Thanks! Answered my question.

[@Psychlohexane]

Great video. Lots of detail and great step by step instructuon.

[@cliffresnick641]

Great video, thanks!

[@jidana3194]

Very very helpful that was amazing thank you for everything that helped me a lot

[@rickymeadows5176]

Great vid. Thanks !

[@Edmorbus]

Thanks for sharing Keep up the good work

[@jimf3221]

Great video, very simple and informative

[@harryzhu3825]

Can it be done just simply cut off one of the hot line in the double breaker and connect it to neutral?

[@LoliLife69]

Yes but the breaker might not trip when needed so not recommended

[@YourpainRx]

Big help!! Thank you!

[@abrahamvaro5482]

Very nice video ,thanks!!!

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you liked it!

[@andrewmichos3404]

What would happen if I just replaced the receptacles and swapped out a 240v receptacle with a 120v receptacle but left the beaker pole unchanged? Would it trip?

[@Sparky-ww5re]

Wouldn't trip unless there was a short or the circuit is drawing more current than the breaker rating. However placing a 120 volt receptacle on a 240V circuit is unsafe, improper and a code violation, you'll be giving the false impression of a 120V circuit and anything plugged in will be damaged, results can range from a popping sound to the plugged in device setting fire to the home. Do not change out any receptacle with a different voltage rating without making the appropriate changes at the panel.

[@mrpete5482]

I did that (accidentally) once. It fried the motor of the first thing I plugged into it. (a shop vac)

[@BarlitosC]

Can you temporarily use the double pole breaker with only 1 wire to test 120v? Thank you. Good Video

[@thesobroski]

Could this 220V be converted into more than the one 20A receptacle as long as I continue running 12Ga wire?

[@Conservator.]

I’m watching this from Europe where every household electrical appliance uses 230V. We need thinner cables and don’t have to think about the voltage of receptacles. 🤓

[@electronicsNmore]

The real benefit is exactly what you said, smaller conductors for the same power.

[@danielostrander9431]

Hopefully somebody might be able to give me a little guidance. I'm trying to do this in a panel that is all 240V circuits. This panel does not have a neutral bus bar. Also, this panel is the first after the meter. My neighbor says I can just run the black line from a new 120V breaker to the hot side of it's dedicated outlet and run the white to the ground bar along with it's ground line. Is this correct?

[@Orrphan]

Ok, nice explanation. I’ve done this many times. My question is if there’s a Neutral already in the box and you want to create two 120 v circuits. Can this be done using the same neutral for both outlets if taking it to a two pole breaker that will trip both switches if one trips?

[@LoliLife69]

I’m here looking for the same answer. Did you ever find out?

[@ericsims6060]

great video!!!!

[@Joe-co5pg]

very good idea, thanks

[@Good-Enuff-Garage]

super job

[@fidelcollazo4262]

Thanks maestro

[@Will-ll4gv]

Can you do one conversion that has a fuse box instead of a breaker box?

[@lucianosilva8050]

Can I take 120 from 240 box and booth box’s working ?

[@maureenpereyra3659]

Nice work ok I got 280 coming in only one hot one natural coming into my panel how can I get 120 out ..... The electric shocker....

[@jeffreyyeager1398]

I am really interested in learning how to make a 120v receptacle into a 220v receptacle.

[@electronicsNmore]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/maPUiptrrdmhpbs

[@RichardKinch]

Why was the existing well decommissioned? Irrigating with city water is ridiculously more expensive, if you already have a well in place.

[@electronicsNmore]

The well was 200 feet across the street on a neighbor's property to keep it away from salt water. The neighbor sold the property to a builder that is going to place 3 homes on the large lot. They destroyed the well line when they demolished the property. If the house didn't have city water, then they'd be forced to replace the well.

[@RichardKinch]

@@electronicsNmore So the original design was to pull well water up out of the ground and also through 200 ft of pipe with just the suction side of a pump? Then no easement for that foolish scheme, so city water the only alternative?

[@electronicsNmore]

@@RichardKinch Yes, there was an easement, but I'd be willing to bet that once city water came along, they won't enforce the easement. The city loses money when you have a well for lawn watering.

[@Up-hill-Battle]

All the moving of the screwdriver in front of the box so close was very distracting to me. I was half expecting an accidental arc 😬 Very informative video though. Had to watch it twice though lol! 😅

[@RandomBogey]

I love doing home improvement stuff, but I hate electrical work. I enjoy the mechanics of it, but I hate being shocked so much that just the thought of knowing that there’s even a slim-to-none possibility that I might get shocked lingering in the back of my head makes doing electrical work unpleasant for me. Even when I think I’ve taken every step possible to avoid getting shocked, there’s always a chance I’ve forgotten something (which has happened) and wind up getting zapped.

[@electronicsNmore]

It's definitely not a job for everyone. Thanks for watching!

[@rickymeadows5176]

If you are turning off the breakers, you should not be getting shocked. NEVER work on a hot or live circuit branch ! ALWAYS recheck conductors of what you are going to work on with a multimeter and check everything else in gang box with a voltage detector, to make sure you turned off all breakers associated with that circuit and that gang box. If your breakers aren't marked (like in some older construction panels) & you are still unsure, just turn off main circuit breaker to kill whole panel that feeds your house, but like poster mentioned in vid , NEVER EVER touch the three large lugs at top of panel when panel cover is removed, those are your service entrance conductors coming from the transformer on your street and are considered ALWAYS LIVE or HOT ! Remember 0.1 AMP can be fatal given the right circumstance. With electrical current NEVER take chances or skip steps !

[@trench01]

can't you just put on rubber cloves when dealing with electricity to protest you? Odd that it does not have a off switch before the breaker so that you can fix it.

[@MAGAMAN]

I know where that Drill bit came from. Chynah.

[@electronicsNmore]

:-)

[@ybaggi]

But WHY? 220 is more better. More power?

[@electronicsNmore]

Same power. Example: 4A @ 230V = 8A @ 115V (920W)