How to Wire for 240 Volts in the USA | CircuitBread Practicals

[@CircuitBread]

We want to thank Triad Magnetics, a Friend of CircuitBread specializing in magnetics and transformers, for supporting this tutorial! Go to triadmagnetics.com to see their line of transformers that can be used anywhere in the world that can transform down from 240V to whatever you need or from whatever you're working with up to 240V. Again, we're grateful to Triad Magnetics for supporting free educational content like this!

[@lorentsmuller]

Can I connect one 240v hot wire to only one connecting point while leaving the other connecting point empty? While connecting the neutral and ground to the neutral and ground busses? Will the double pole breaker still work for only 1 240v wire connected to only one of the two connection points on the double pole breaker, as long as the amps and watts are correct?

[@ssickhead1]

0:11 i totally felt that in my soul. i have an electrical engineering degree and the feeling is so terrible if people ask i can do this and that, install this and that on a house and i tell them no i can't. And you know they're judging you asking WTF you got the degree for or how did you even get it in their minds. i mean, i can, i technically know how in theory, but even with a degree i'm still not a trained or licensed Electrician. I'm not gonna pretend i'm qualified to do a job i'm not trained for out of pride. i'll take a chance do certain things on my house but i'm not risking burning down someone else's house because i potentially wasn't aware of some best practices and mistake i could only know through proper training and experience

[@AZAce1064]

LOL you were making me nervous as hell touching everything until you said it was a dead panel. Thank you, the pucker factor was intense 😂

[@CircuitBread]

😂 I'm terrified of mains power, I don't do any electrical work without it being completely dead.

[@jumper123910]

In Australia, unless there is NO supply connected always assume it's live and test before you have to touch a hot wire and even then short it against the neutral. When testing if using a multi meter unless you know what you are doing DON'T. I can make any multimeter read 0v (or close enough) across 120v, 240v, 415v without any issue at all, just put the meter on the DC range. Even 120v can and does kill, then there is the danger of fires if you don't know what you are doing. If you you don't have the appropriate training get someone in, this stuff is so dangerous.

[@Rustyhinged]

Yeah I thought circuit bread was going to turn into circuit toast 😅

[@jjljcra]

FINALLY someone who can explain it! Thank you

[@ysidrovasquez4591]

I look for the explanation for a while, and this is the more clear explanation I got. thanks

[@kenanthony2515]

Great job showing this connection and the panel board configuration. Very helpful.

[@jatinpatel8564]

You explained it beautifully. I am an electrical engineer and honestly I was bit hesitant to perform electrical work around my house without fully understanding north American standards. Recently I had service upgrade from 100A to 200A and I observed electricians worked closely, they shared great insights on how stuffs works in those panels and rest of my doubts you addressed it. Thanks.

[@tadmarshall2739]

Questions about the breakers: 1) When a 2-pole 240 volt breaker (spanning two slots in the panel) looks like two separate breakers, is that just an artifact of the construction or is it actually two separate breakers, one per leg? 2) Does a 2-pole 240 volt breaker connect to the neutral bus or does it have exactly two connections (for the two hot lines)?

[@akusantafe]

This turned out to be very helpful. Thank you!

[@gauravyadav16]

Really informative video. THANK YOU!

[@charleshebert7367]

Can you explain from this video using same wire but to get 120v at receptacle?

[@TexasEngineer]

Point of correction. The 240v is technically not out of phase. They are 180 degrees apart not 90 degrees. If they were out of phase you would have 208 v because you would have a three phase supply. You have the common 240v split phase service.

[@johnaugsburger6192]

I was thinking the same thing and I was starting to question myself about 240 coming off a typical home service transformer. Thanks

[@musicadefe4837]

Thank You! Very helpful!

[@leojagawaga6481]

Great Video Thanks very much easy and well explained

[@pauljames9056]

Subscribed for Excellence explanations!!

[@Vic-zp5ft]

question. i have 20 amp breaker but need another 20amps tu run a pool heater. have the pump and the heater on the same circuit. can i just change the existing 20amp breaker to a single pole 40 amp? and change the receptable to a gfci that feeds them for extra safety?

[@CircuitBread]

That sounds very dangerous, mostly because the wire is almost certainly sized for 20 amps, not 40. You'll heard it said (roughly) that "breakers protect the house, not the people inside it." A 20 amp breaker is to make sure that your wire doesn't get too hot and melt/start a fire. By putting a 40 amp breaker on it, you're removing that protection. This sort of thing is definitely best left to a licensed electrician.

[@Vic-zp5ft]

@@CircuitBread thanks was thinking the same. would have to divide the two circuits and give them their 20 amps individually.

[@dillonmelin7564]

@@Vic-zp5ftor size up the wire. you size the wire for the load, and the fuse for the wire.

[@Euphoricmayo]

PERFECT ANSWER! I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS. THEY'RE VERY INFORMATIVE AND WELL PUT TOGETHER... KEEP'EM COMING! GOD BLESS!!!!!!!!!!!​@@CircuitBread

[@melvinfreeman3353]

Thanks for the advice on electric 240 v 🤔⚡⚡😊

[@Zdabmurz85]

I'm running Power to my shed along with Ethernet BUT I'm not sure if I want to run 240v out there 😅 I don't need now but while I'm there why not 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@Euphoricmayo]

If you don't, you'll regret it later. Any garage that's used for work and not just storage needs a 220 receptacle. Welders, appliances, wood working tools, etc. We've got'em and put'em to use quite often! 😆 🤣 😂

[@jameselroy7472]

1 word, aircompressor

[@gsprmssr2011]

Thank you for your video. How are those wires hooked up to the receptacle?

[@CircuitBread]

When you buy the receptacle, it should come with instructions on exactly how to wire it. If the wires are appropriately color-coded, it's pretty straightforward.

[@robertscialpi1425]

You explained it in great detail.. Thank You

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks!

[@jerrykernes1147]

I have a 30amp 3 cartridge panel and need to operate a 240 amp wood thickness planer I’m a bit confused on how to and what gauge of wire

[@terranceburgess9170]

Hello I need to replace a 60 amp with a breaker for a 208/230 mini split

[@GERALD_POST]

Good video, what did you use to insulate the steel walls in your shed?

[@CircuitBread]

It's closed cell spray foam insulation. Night and day difference, it's great stuff. Expensive but crazy effective.

[@taimoorkhan-rl1lt]

If we connect two hot wires to get 240 volt than how we get the return. Usually, in 240 volt supply we connect only one hot wire and a neutral for the return

[@bodacioushurricane8655]

Great concise video!

[@NerdThingsAndMore]

Thanks for the info

[@dubled2765]

Great job. The warning about touching came too late, as we were making faces every time your fingers were touching those things we are taught to never ever touch. Great easy energy and explanation of a complex process. Your vocal volume was way better than most too. Keep them coming!

[@CircuitBread]

😂 thanks for the feedback! Yes, I should have mentioned that earlier. I had a very bad experience getting shocked as a child (I've thought about doing a video and showing the scars but it was traumatic and, even 30+ years later, is a bit emotional for me) so I *never* work on live panels and I'm extremely cautious doing any electrical work over 5V. It was only when I was in college and learning about voltage and current that I got to where my fear of electricity became semi-rational.

[@dubled2765]

@@CircuitBreadSorry to hear about that! Amazing that you are still helping others. We all thank you!!

[@christianpark3179]

Tandem breaker would not work for 240v ? Each of the 2 legs supplying 120v to the same source

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

I am only getting 124 volts on each leg of outlet and on each screw/wire of braker and when combine both legs of 124 volts on either outlet or braker I get 0 volts. Replaced braker and still 0 volts. Any idea why can't get 240 volts? I am using the left side of braker box with GE 30 amp 2 slim brakers together. Do you think I have to move braker to right side of braker box to be able to get the 240 volts needed for drier? Right side is full with 3 double 240 volts brakers, how to add 1 more? Please advise.

[@outoftime788]

1:20 so those r 110v each?

[@surferdude642]

Yes, actually closer to 120v each, when measured from the L1 bus to neutral or ground and from the L2 bus to neutral or ground. L1 to L2 voltage will be 240v.

[@outoftime788]

@@surferdude642 thank u

[@adansoniaconfectioneryengi3742]

@@surferdude642 so this is actualy a 2 phaze supply ? and would not be good for a single 240 apliance?

[@surferdude642]

@@adansoniaconfectioneryengi3742 It's single phase center tapped. There's one coil winding and it revolves in the same direction from L1 to L2. If the rotation of the windings were reversed at the mid point it would be opposite phase or maybe 2 phase, but it's never done that way that I know of. Two hot wires, one at L1 and the other at L2 gives 240 volts for a 240 volt appliance.

[@AJTarnas]

why doesnt this situation require a neutral conductor -- with two hots that are 180deg out of phase? is red behaving like neutral when black is hot, and 1/2 AC cycle later they reverse?

[@CircuitBread]

Basically, yes. Neutral is the return leg of a standard system. But with the two sides being out of phase, they both act as a "neutral" in that one is acting as a return leg for half of the cycle. Though this is not technically a neutral, you can still have a separate neutral even in this case, making it easier to pull 120V out of the supply down the line.

[@lookatme4114]

My 240v outlet plug/receptacle for generator has 2 hots, a neutral and a ground. Does or can the ground/green wire and white neutral go into the same ground buss bar at the main panel? Thanks!

[@CircuitBread]

Hey Michael, they are usually kept separate and they really should be kept separate. The neutral line is connected back to the grid and is part of that circuit, whereas your ground buss should be literally connected to a bar that is driven into the ground or some sort of ufer. As always, when in doubt, get an electrician to help or do it for you. I hope this clarifies things!

[@DS-lk7gg]

Neutral and ground must be bonded at the main, sub panels have to be separate…if you do not understand electricity, hire an electrician

[@wolfman231]

^^^^ DS gives the exact, accurate answer.

[@damensutherland7081]

How do you get a negative 120 volts they say electricity is from electrons traveling down a wire

[@rolandtheron833]

Could you please be a bit more specific about where to get the neutral line from for the 240v breaker /lines?

[@wolfman231]

From the neutral buss bar. (Where all the other white neutral wires terminate.)

[@rolandtheron833]

@@wolfman231 thank you

[@fisforfriendship6093]

@@rolandtheron833 becareful he is leaving a LOT out its not worth your life you are risk doing this on your own as the utility wires going into your meter to your panel are always live unless you have the city turn it off for you. unless there is a disconnect between the meter and panel i would think. dont just rely on youtubers for stuff like this its illegal to do on your own... and you need to know a lot about bonding and code

[@dm1517]

So I have 4 wires red, black, white, green going from my box to a box is my shed. Red and black connected to the breaker like you have here. White goes to that neutral in both boxes. Green also goes to the neutral in both boxes. I guess that green really doesn’t need to be there as a second neutral. A buddy who has a lot of experience with 240 and works on 240 in a plant said that is pretty common and the green is hooked to the neutral if there is no ground to earth. Is this right?

[@nopriors]

How many amp is the box?

[@minor25]

if you don't have the big double breaker, can you just use one 20v breaker on each side of the panel or 2 breakers in the same side of the panel?

[@bills6946]

No. Violation. Must be a two pole molded case circuit breaker with a common trip

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

​@@bills6946I am only getting 124 volts on each leg of outlet and on each screw/wire of braker and when combine both legs of 124 volts on either outlet or braker I get 0 volts. Replaced braker and still 0 volts. Any idea why can't get 240 volts? I installed on left side of braker panel because right was full with 3 240 volt brakers. Do I need to move new braker to the right side to get the 240 volts? Please advise. Please advise.

[@icefisher1171]

​@@joaquinsuarez6090 I'd advise you to go back to school, and actually pay attention this time. You DEFINITELY shouldn't be messing with electricity.

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

​@@icefisher1171I asked for help and instead of helping you sent me to school? I figured and fixed problem. Thanks for not helping.

[@surferdude642]

Is that a sub panel? It looks like the ground and neutral bus bars are joined. If so, that's wrong, they must be separated in a sub panel.

[@deathraylabs_nature]

the left and right neutral bars are bonded to each other but there is a separate ground conductor connected to the ground bars, and I’m not seeing any obvious bonding between the neutral and ground bars.

[@mrsnw]

So, if I need a 3 prong outlet for 240v, would I need some device to convert it or how would I get a 3 prong outlet to be 240v? I am trying to convert a server rack to 240v they only have 3 prongs. (They do support 240v)

[@CircuitBread]

You don't actually need three prongs for 240V. In the US, for 120V, you have ground, neutral, and line. Ground is the round one in the bottom, neutral is the larger slit, and line is the smaller slit. Wiring for 240V, you simply make the neutral another line which is out of phase with the other, making the 240V different. If you look at an older 240V dryer plug, you'll note that it's only three plugs and it's basically this configuration (but the plug is bigger because it's setup for 30 or 40 amps, not 15-20 amps.) Newer dryer plugs are 4 plugs because they have the two lines, a neutral, and ground. But if your server is setup with a 3-prong plug and expecting 240V, it's fine to do it without a neutral line.

[@mrsnw]

@@CircuitBread thanks a ton for the informative response. would it be safe for neutral and ground to be combined or we just forgo neutral all together?

[@pancho2835]

Thank you so much 👍👍

[@ryansmith7041]

Does it matter if the red and black wire switch places?

[@zaynm9854]

no

[@ggtaruc2578]

Can I run 240v from a 2-wire (black-white-ground) Romex?

[@CircuitBread]

You'll need to check modern building codes for a true legal answer but my recommendation is definitely not. You'd be using the ground as the neutral, meaning that your bare wire *could* be energized (not all loads use the neutral wire) and you'd be left without that protective ground. OR you'd be wiring it without the neutral (which would be fine for many 240V loads) so that you have your ground wire but certain loads wouldn't work. Again, I can't provide legal advice or anything like that, but I personally wouldn't do it. But I don't mess around with electricity, I always err on the cautious side.

[@ethernet01]

this is completely legal if you reclassify the neutral as a line by using red or black phase tape or heat shrink (NOT SHARPIE) on both sides it is an extremely common configuration, virtually every water heater and air conditioner is wired this way

[@ethernet01]

remember: any fully "240" /250v appliance will never use a neutral, ovens and clothes dryers are 4 wire because they require 125v for the lightbulbs, controls and even fan motors in some cases

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

​@@ethernet01I am only getting 124 volts on each leg of outlet and on each screw/wire of braker and when combine both legs of 124 volts on either outlet or braker I get 0 volts. Replaced braker and still 0 volts. Any idea why can't get 240 volts? Outlet for drier has 4 prungs, ground, neutral and 2 of 124 volts. Do I need to move the double slim braker to the right side of braker box which is full with 3 x 240v brakers? Please advise. Please advise.

[@bobbg9041]

First off is that a sub panel or phony panel feeding off a main panel. If so why is the neutral grounded to the box, and is the box earth grounded? Normally you would not ground the box if its a sub or phony panel its bonded at the main. Also why are the 2 120 volt wires larger then the natural wire. Shouldn't all 3 be the same ga wire it would have to be for DC and wile ac is alternating current both wires need to be the same ga or the larger wire won't do anymore then the smaller wire can do. It always confused me why older dryer circuit lines and stove lines do not use a 4 bare copper wire for ground even thought the neutral and ground are the same its still a safty issue.

[@TexasEngineer]

The white wire on the left attaching to the ground bus probably is a green ground wire instead of a neutral. They just did not put green tape on it. The 240 v circuit goes out the bottom. I cannot find the incoming ground wire. The incoming neutral is black instead of white. The bottom 120 v breaker is not used.

[@dannydropsda8616]

Why am I getting 0 volts when testing AC volts phase a to phase b in this system but I still get 115 from phase a to neutral and phase b to neutral

[@joaquinsuarez6090]

Did you solve your issue? I got the same problem: I am only getting 124 volts on each leg of outlet and on each screw/wire of braker and when combine both legs of 124 volts on either outlet or braker I get 0 volts. Replaced braker and still 0 volts. Any idea why can't get 240 volts? Please advise.

[@peterdegelaen]

Because you don't have A phase a and a phase B. They are actually the same. Someone made a mistake there.

[@Sbichsplitter]

power co. changed the meter ,I have 110 each leg @ 50/50amp junction box, new cable to breaker box in home, No I can't get 220 from 220 breakers ,.. WHTTT!??? please need hot water Tnx

[@Sbichsplitter]

NEEED HELP!!, PLEASE READ ,Please?

[@AutodidactEngineer]

If those two 120v lines are positives then how the heck do you get usable power? In school we learned that you need + and - not two +-es!? Someone please enlighten me!

[@CircuitBread]

It's because they're out of phase. So, in AC circuits, the polarity is constantly switching between positive and negative. With the two 120V lines, when one is positive, the other is negative. Because of that, there's a 240V difference between the lines at their peaks. I hope that helps!

[@smith0426]

@@CircuitBread I'm no expert but I have it on good authority that each 120v leg in the US is in phase, not out of phase. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIC2inuLra2rfZosi=9ZKqKAihgHpHSoCF

[@Elikadehghani]

Is this way for 240v single phase?

[@CircuitBread]

That is correct, 240V single phase - NOT 3-phase.

[@luvkountry]

Some 240 volt wiring systems have a bare wire in them that goes to ground...

[@CircuitBread]

Yeah, I should have mentioned that! In romex, particularly, the ground wire is bare. And for our grounding to earth with the shed, house, and solar panels, it is just a bare wire in each case.

[@226cenk9]

Can't I just bridge my hot leads and just add 240 circuit breakers onto my panel?

[@CircuitBread]

I'm not sure what you mean by hot leads but yes, you should be able to get a 240V circuit breaker on most panels. It just taps into both leads.

[@BrettonFerguson]

"Not that common". I would disagree. Many houses have electric clothes dryers or electric ovens with 240 volt lines.

[@CircuitBread]

Yep! I guess I should've been more clear. I have five 240V circuits in my house but that's a lot less than the 120V circuits I have. Perhaps "less frequent than the 120V circuits"? Or something like that?

[@BrettonFerguson]

@@CircuitBread Yeah definitely less common. Many houses don't even have them, and the ones that do only have one or two compared to the dozens of 120v outlets. I guess it depends on what you mean by "not common".

[@BrettonFerguson]

@@CircuitBread Good video though.

[@gsprmssr2011]

I thought RV run on 120V

[@CircuitBread]

Yep! But for larger RVs that have 50 amp plugs, they are technically 240V plugs. And maybe 30 amp plugs? I'm not sure about that. However, (and there may be exceptions to this but from my limited experience) the trailer takes the two legs that are out-of-phase and just uses them independently as 120V sources, separating them at the internal panel, much like a normal panel box in a house.

[@tedlahm5740]

Single phase of power, split.

[@CircuitBread]

That's a good question - is it considered single phase split in the electrician industry? To me, they're 180 degrees out of phase, so I'd say there are two phases. Compared to 3 phase power where they're all 120 degrees out of phase. But I could be looking at it from a different frame of reference.

[@surferdude642]

It's single phase because there's one coil and the windings go in the same direction from L1 to L2. Opposite phase would mean that the windings would reverse direction at the mid point and that's not the case. Each end is at opposite polarity from the other, so there's no such thing as "out of phase" in residential electrical wiring. It's a common misnomer. It would be more accurate to say "opposite Line" or "opposite polarity".

[@tedlahm5740]

@@surferdude642 The midpoint is always opposite polarity (at the exact same time) of the two (2) ends L1 and L2.

[@jameselroy7472]

Yep, im gonna hire an electrician. Paying a $1000 bucks to power my aircompressor seems better than killing myself.

[@heronemosheppard8877]

Terrible description. You are fired.

[@KevinCoop1]

Well, as a retired Electrical Design Engineer, I must say, this video may be embarrassing! You said that this is in your shed. If it is, where is the Required disconnect? No main breaker as the required disconnecting means. Got one outside? There is no GEC in the panel. Where is your required Grounding Electrode and conductor connected? “This is a 2 pole breaker, that’s what I think it’s called”. Very embarrassing comment.

[@shadynasty6393]

Very nice !

[@sherifkaissi4109]

Thank you ! Very informative