Why the U.S. uses a different voltage than some countries

[@Interestingengineeringofficial]

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[@Zerpersande]

“Where voltages can be changed quite easily using the transformer’ Shows a picture of a tesla coil

[@brucebanner9833]

Well Tesla coil is a special type of transformer

[@Zerpersande]

@@brucebanner9833 Although I would agree that you are correct in saying that a tesla coil is a type of transformer it most definitely is NOT the type of transformer under discussion. At all.

[@brucebanner9833]

@@Zerpersande In that sense you are right

[@fwcolb]

And for electronic circuits you can used Zenner diodes to rectify from AC to DC (alternating to direct current). And in combination with a resistor you can reduce voltage. There are other diodes that can be used as rectifiers too. Most of my devices use 5V, 3.7V, 7.4V. so it does not matter if my supply is 100V to 240V, 50 Hz or 60Hz. That is why you need to have suitable adapters when you travel but usually the devices have universal power bricks / rechargeable batteries. The way I do it is take one or two extension cables with multiple-configuration sockets for my devices. Then three or four adapters for various regions. (I have visited and worked in 20 countries in a dozen regions worldwide and cannot remember when I had any problem.)

[@Zerpersande]

@@fwcolb Yes, but.... How does this relate to the statement that voltages could be changed quite easily with a transformer but then showing a picture of a Tesla coil. I was just pointing out a minor production snafu.

[@manuelgarciabarbero1872]

Actually almost all the world works at 220-240

[@LesVentilateursduQuebec]

The American continent is the only continent that uses majorly 110-127 volts. In other words where 220-240 volts is a minority. In America 220-240 volts is mostly used in French overseas territories and some countries of South America. The most bizarre case is Japan with their unique 100 volts which is not officially compatible with 110-127 volts.

[@geoffmooregm]

Every house has 220V in North America. It is just that low draw appliances only use 1 leg of the 220V peak to peak supply. This results in a 110V. It is definitely safer to have only 110V supplied at the outlet if that is all you really need.

[@manuelgarciabarbero1872]

@@geoffmooregm I don´t know any victim, accident or else because of 220V, why is it safer?

[@geoffmooregm]

@@manuelgarciabarbero1872 Because it is half the voltage. So for any given resistance half the current will flow through a given object, such as a human body. In addition to that only one side of the plug is live. So for someone to get a shock one specific conductor needs to be given a path to ground or lower potential. The neutral wire will not. Clearly 220V is not needed for a light bulb or computer to function so why do it if there is no need? When we need 220V we use it. My oven, dryer, A/C and two welders all use 220V.

[@manuelgarciabarbero1872]

@@geoffmooregm i understand the physics. But nothing happens un the real Life. There is no diference!!!

[@peterharms3639]

This video is flawed from the start, it shows a map of Europe (including the UK) that are 240v 50hz and then in the next slide says India and Britain are 230v 50hz. Also the world was electrifying at the same time so insulation and other safety concerns were universal so that as a reason for 110v in the USA is more fallacy than fact.

[@MickeyDJ1]

My understanding (from a short video somewhere on KZbin) was that the US went 110v which doubles the current/ampage, and so required thicker copper cables. It just so happened that the guy influencing this decision was the guy selling the copper..!! So, he got rich very quickly.

[@GH-oi2jf]

@@MickeyDJ1 - That’s baloney. Ths video is firly accurate. It was mainly the electric lamp that caused the voltage to be set to 110.

[@MickeyDJ1]

@@GH-oi2jf What, just the electric lamp, which obviously everybody was using across the globe. Even more like baloney imo..!! 😏

[@okaro6595]

@@MickeyDJ1 European changed the current in the 20th century in many cases as late as 1950s or 60s. European s had fewer devices so the change was easier. Also at least in Finland rural areas had used 220 V early on so many devices were dual-voltage.

[@78Dipar]

The current european standard is 230 V ±10%, 50 Hz

[@MrPRECLIK]

3x 230 V ±10%, 50 Hz

[@cookiemon420]

@@MrPRECLIK I think phases are pretty much included in the previous comment

[@j--xe3ke]

Actually the reality is the opposite of what is said in the video. In the very beginning Europe had 220V and increased it later so GB (and India) have 240V today and the EU 230V

[@nowster]

@@j--xe3ke Actually the UK and Ireland still use 240V and continental Europe still uses 220V. Only the required tolerances for appliances have been widened. And Japan has a mixture of 50 and 60Hz supplies, but mostly at 100V.

[@joanpey8809]

@@nowster Just measured 234VAC at home. So no 220V. I believe they've been stepping up voltages from when it was 220V some years ago. That's between Phase and Neutral. At work I measure III 400VAC. It used to be 380V for industry but it's been stepped up as well. You'll get close to 240VAC between Phases and neutral there. I'm in Spain btw.

[@michaelv3340]

Then you've got Japan, where half the island is 50 hertz, and half 60.

[@fwcolb]

Most devices work as well whether the supply is 50 or 60 Hertz.

[@TheArteditors]

@@fwcolb 60 Hz systems usually use 110V (120V) while 50 Hz systems tend to use 220V, 230V, 240V, so 50 for 220-240V and 60 for 120V

[@Deepa0309]

😂😂

[@michaelv3340]

The biggest problem is power transmission. I don't have to tell you that it makes little sense for a relatively small island to have two different power grids. When the Fukushima nuclear accident happened, the affected part of Japan couldn't get power from the other half.

[@JamesAllmond]

@@michaelv3340 you mean like the state of Texas? Oh my...

[@Frederick.J.Marshall]

I’m afraid there’s a lot inaccuracies in this video.

[@markrothenberg9867]

Elaborate please

[@merveilmeok2416]

Frederick, please give the correct information. Thanks.

[@andreyche193]

... putting it mildly!

[@StringerNews1]

@@andreyche193 yep, I don't think one point was without fault. Very sloppy work.

[@rj7855]

@@markrothenberg9867 many issues are already stated in the comments. The stated the voltages are stated wrong the reason that most of the rest of the world uses 50Hz was not an arbitrary decision; it's because it's more efficient to generate (eddy current and iron losses in generators increase with frequency) to name a few The lower the frequency, the lower will be the iron losses and eddy current losses.

[@phototristan]

The US is actually 240 V, split phase.

[@ZilogBob]

Thanks for that.

[@robertthomas5906]

240 3 phase with a center tap.

[@grandrapids57]

Thank you for saying that.

[@ericbuist8218]

@@robertthomas5906 240V split-phase, not 3-phase, supplied to US residences.

[@robertthomas5906]

@@ericbuist8218 You're mixing things up. The US has 3 phase power. That's how it's made. If you look at the power conductors around the country you'll see the three wires. That's your 240 volt lines. If you use the center tap, that's a split phase because it's only to one of the 3 phases. That's a 120 line.

[@Vinicius_Berger]

Here in Brazil, we use to have some states using 110v at 60Hz and some states using 220v at 60Hz. That happened because some parts of Brazil had its electrical equipment imported from the United States and some parts came from Europe. Eventually, in 1998, every state that used 110v had to be changed to 127v. So, today, the Brazilian standard is 127v/220v at 60Hz. Which means that every single appliance sold in Brazil has to be dual voltage, either automatically or using a switcher. Sometimes you'll see the same appliance being sold in two variants on websites, so you gotta pay attention when you're buying something online.

[@TheCheesenChips]

That's great info, I did not know that there were countries using two standards. Thanks for that info.

[@shivasrinivasan80]

For all that genius that Edison had, he was a remarkably petty person.

[@matthewhunter6421]

Who cares.

[@shivasrinivasan80]

@@matthewhunter6421 Clearly, you do not. That's okay. Thanks for your insight.

[@B7ackTruth]

Edison was a fraud. He paid top dollar for invention patents didn't invent anything on his own. A glorified marketing guru...

[@operator0]

A lot of money was at stake. I wouldn't call that petty.

[@jeremyreid9582]

@@B7ackTruth Einstein agreed with you ... he believed that Nikolas Tesla was the genius !!!

[@SurfinScientist]

More interestingly, in Japan they have 100V, with 50 Hz in the eastern part of the country and 60 Hz in the western part. The reason is that the equipment to generate electricity in the eastern part was originally imported from Europe and in the western part from the US. This is quite inconvenient for Japan, because it prevents the power grids of the east and west to be shared. Due to this no electric power could be redistributed in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which highly affected the power generation in the east.

[@mikemondano3624]

They'd need different electric clocks, too. Synchronous motors need specific frequencies.

[@Brokefootchuck]

Electricity, amirite? Pfft...she one crazy bits.

[@StringerNews1]

Well, Japan could buy the Tres Amigas grid tie in Clovis, NM. It was intended to tie together the eastern, western and Texas grids, but Texas has decided that they prefer to curse the darkness. Tres Amigas was designed to use HVDC as the common standard, so it would be no problem interconnecting 50 Hz and 60 Hz grids using that technology.

[@phillipsusi1791]

From what I have heard, Japan actually does tie the two grids together using equipment that converts between 50Hz and 60Hz... as weird as that is.

[@SurfinScientist]

@@phillipsusi1791 I have heard that too that Japan ties the western and eastern grids together, though this was not the case in 2011 when the Tohoku earthquake occurred. I think converting 50 to 60 Hz or back is not so efficient, and I suspect using HVDC as an intermediary will be more efficient. Efficiency of HVDC for transport is actually better than AC, and conversion efficiency has also improved in recent decades.

[@alecbruyns4490]

This has nothing to do with long distance distribution, which is done at much higher voltages.

[@rethla]

Long distance distribution is done at much higher voltages for the very same reasons that 230V is better than 110V.

[@kevinmcarthur2039]

@@rethla Not really. 110v is one leg of a 220v single phase system and needs a neutral or ground to return the unbalanced load. 220v is better because using both legs of the single phase system balances load without a neutral due to the two opposing sine waves. It is much more efficient in the current consumption, which outweighs the benefit of using #14 copper instead of #12.

[@JoeC92]

@@rethla not really the same when you consider it's about double the voltage. Vs transmission lines being 100,000s volts. Here at least in Canada the really high up transmission lines you'll see every so often are 250,000V+ but the powerlines you'll see on the streets feeding houses or any commercial/industrial places will be 13,800V per line and 27,600 phase to phase. But majority of the use will be at the 13,800V stepped down to the 120/240 for houses and 347/600 for the rest. At least in safety sake 120V is a lot less painful than 240V should you touch it.

[@rethla]

@@JoeC92 double the voltage is half the current. Its really easy and you shouldnt touch it.

[@JoeC92]

@@rethla meh 120 tickles compared to 347V. I know both can kill but I'm way more afraid to throw a 4000amp 600V switch compared to sticking my hands to work on a 120/208V panel. Really though voltage doesn't matter these days here at least. Lighting was usually the heaviest consumer and with the leds now days it's nothing. What used to be 12 20 amp 347V circuits for an office building floor for lighting is now maybe 5 or 6 20 amp 120V circuits. Half the time the lights don't even get 120V to them anymore. It's all coming off a little driver in the electrical rooms and just a bunch of cat6 cables going out to the lights because they're 48VDC. Everything here now days comes off 120/208v panels because it's safer. Air handlers and any motors come off 600V

[@enhncr]

A lot of misinformation in this ...

[@Brokefootchuck]

I thought the same thing. But electricity explained in 3 minutes is mad stupid impossible.

[@markrothenberg9867]

Elaborate please.

[@carlyonbay45]

Certainly is The U.K. was always 240 volts - the European labelling often puts 230volts on newer electrical products made in Europe - but if you use a volt meter on a U.K. socket and it’s STILL 240

[@kentlange5338]

At 1minute 40 seconds in the video, they discuss a reason for using 110v versus 240v, saying early wiring system's insulation wasn't as good and a higher voltage posed a fire risk. I call bullshit, as it seems that the higher the volts, the lower the amps a given electrical item uses. Therfore less insulation on wiring is required at a higher voltage, not less. My thought is that copper producers saw an opportunity to sell more of their commodity to an emerging market in America. It takes way more wire, of a larger size, to wire a building for 110v instead of 240v. Follow the money.

[@Alex-zs3kn]

@@markrothenberg9867 They claimed "AC is more dangerous than DC" is misinformation. That's not true, DC at similar voltages is much safer than AC.

[@LeJimster]

230v is the EU standard, which is why the UK adopted it when we were in the EU. In reality before the standard came in most of Europe ran at 220v and the UK 240v. They split the difference and agreed on 230v as a standard for electronics. However in reality the UK grid still runs at 240v last time I measured it and I wouldn't be surprised if most of the continent still ran 220v.

[@sublivion5024]

Yes 230V is just nominal voltage and is used for marketing purpose, in reality 230V appliances can operate on a wide range including 220 and 240

[@peterencobie]

Here in The Netherlands it is almost exactly 230V.

[@wclifton968gameplaystutorials]

I’ve seen most electronics here in the UK run at either 230v, 240v and even 250v although 250v are extremely uncommon and most devices can run between 220v-250v or 220v-240v

[@sublivion5024]

@@wclifton968gameplaystutorials yes there is always an allowed range, in the UK it is about 216-253V (+10%-6%)

[@chrislambe400]

Switzerland is exactly 230 Volts.

[@RH-xm5uk]

"Why the U.S. uses a different voltage than some countries". Comment in the video, "Because other countries arbitrarily choose another voltage". So the better title would be, "Why other countries choose arbitrarily other voltages than the U.S." Which isn't answered in the video. Was it really arbitrarily?

[@ManMountainMetals]

I caught that too he said Because other countries arbitrarily choose another voltage then said they did it because it was "in order to improve distribution efficiency" ...wha...I mean a well reasoned arbitrary decision? I wish I had a cool voice and could spout bullshit that got 900K views....

[@FunkySpunkyJunky]

Let's play a drinking game. Everyone drink a shot when they see a plug inserted into a socket.

[@Backyardmech1]

I’m trashed after 3 minutes

[@clarencematney4721]

And then call 911 for alcohol poisoning

[@davemeads859]

@Tj I can't afford a new liver

[@nickmuffin1722]

Passed out in the first minute

[@solentbum]

When I was a small child the voltage supplied to our home in central London was changed from 120 v to 240 volt as a result of changes in the local generation systems, and the Nationalisation of Power supplies. My mothers nearly new Vacuum cleaner had a stepdown transformer added to its supply cable and the radio had parts fitted inside. That was around 1951. At the same time the house was rewired with the 'new' three pin sockets.

[@SouravBagchigoogleplus]

In India (most of the world) 400V (line to line) 3 phase (120° phase difference) electricity is distributed. So the voltage difference between phase and neutral is (400÷√3 =) 230V which is used by household appliances. And we also directly use the 3 phase 400V connection to run electric pump. In USA 2 phase (180° phase difference) 240V electricity is distributed. And the voltage difference between phase and neutral is (240÷2=) 120 V.

[@dailytopvideos1190]

👍👍👍...

[@i3_13]

Higher voltage is more economical cause you can use smaller diameter cable of the same power output.

[@fernarias]

It's 2021 and many electronic devices world wide use very low wattage (for energy savings) so having 120V 15A (which equal 1800 watts) outlets is overkill (with the exception of an electric dryer or central AC).

[@i3_13]

@@fernarias What's your point?

[@fernarias]

@@i3_13 That 120 is more useful for home use.

[@i3_13]

@@fernarias I don't think so. Most electronics use 24V,12V ,5V DC. To achieve DC current you have to have a power supply which most electronics have internally. You still need a transformer, which is part of the PS,either 120v or 220v to step down to these voltages.

[@billsmitrhg8137]

Power = current squared times the resistance. Copper costs $4 a pound. Double the voltage and you get a quarter of losses with the same cable. For the same reasons 240 volt systems have one transformer per block , in the us it’s more like one per pair of houses to reduce power losses.

[@joaocalhandro]

The US changing standards... They can't even get metric right and that's a no brainer.

[@Trillock-hy1cf]

I prefer English measurements and not foreign ones, but many videos today use foreign measurements so if some one says something is 2 metres apart, I have to mentally multiply X 3 to get a rough measurement I can understand. At least our road signs are still in English, like speed signs in MPH, Yards, and miles, and not in foreign.......:)

[@Trillock-hy1cf]

@Frank Silvers Just told you foreigner....:)

[@Trillock-hy1cf]

@Frank Silvers That's OK, as I wasn't listening......:)

[@joaocalhandro]

​@@Trillock-hy1cf , oh damn. Sorry to hear that your school system completely botched teaching metric. Let me point out 2 things: 1) System of measurements don't have nationalities. I can see you getting some of that propaganda to make you feel as though if you were to use a "foreign" system you would be then seen as a traitor to your country, but... only 3 countries left on Earth still fall for that trick and remain imperial (US, Liberia, and Myanmar). Most of Earth (about 95% of humans) has outgrown that. You can almost say the human race is metric, and then there are 5% worth of exceptions. 5% foreign behavior, if you ask me. lol 2) If you're mentally converting a system you want to learn to the system you already know, you're not learning the new system. Sorry. You're getting better at converting, and not much else. I learned imperial by using it without converting it for a few months. After grasping both, I arrived at the same conclusion 195 out of 197 countries on Earth did: "Imperial sucks, let's do metric instead". Specially when cooking... geeez... teaspoons and cups... please. So, here's a few tricks that might help: The dime is a millimeter thick (0.001 meters or 0.01 centimeters - see? No unnecessary conversions, just move the decimal). A yard is like a meter (and you'll always be off by around 10%). As for Celsius, memorize this: "0 is frozen, 10 is not, 20 is warm, 30 is hot". Water boils at 100. And raising anything by 1 Celsius is the same as raising by 1 Kelvin. I don't know of a good one for weight, but you're on youtube. I bet they're easy to find if you have any interest in something better. You're then ready to ditch the imperial nonsense. Remember star wars: empire = bad. That applies here too. Imperial system is trash. Of course none of this matters if you're not willing to switch you google maps to metric, you phone settings to celsius, you home thermostat and what not. Without that immersion you'll continue to be stuck with a system invented in the dark ages... Allow me to use a bit of science and a quote I love for moments like this: "“In metric, one milliliter of water occupies one cubic centimeter, weighs one gram, and requires one calorie of energy to heat up by one degree centigrade-which is 1 percent of the difference between its freezing point and its boiling point. An amount of hydrogen weighing the same amount has exactly one mole of atoms in it. Whereas in the American system, the answer to ‘How much energy does it take to boil a room-temperature gallon of water?’ is ‘Go f*ck yourself,’ because you can’t directly relate any of those quantities.” I believe this is from Josh Bazell, Wild Thing. And it's great. An educated person used to adopting better ideas will read that and understand very quickly why Metric is superior and why you should use it. And then there are the ones that will argue the opposite and be wrong every single time.

[@joaocalhandro]

@Frank Silvers Who, me? I love pointing out stupid ideas when I have the time... It's super interesting to see people attempt to defend those.

[@timmytee734]

I'm European, living in Brooklyn New York. Just moved to a new apartment and I bet the wires haven't been touched since Pearl Harbor. The lights keep flickering, some light bulbs don't even light up I was using in the previous apartment. The washing machine doesn't run, my drill doesn't charge and the internet modem disconnects every 5 minute. An election tested the outlets and told me that they run under 90v or even less after 6 when people use more electricity in the building. It's like living in a war zone. I can't afford another moving and I don't know what to do. The electrition said it will cost 10-20 thousand dollars to rewire the entire building. I live here with no contract so I'm really bummed. In every civilized country the electricity providers rewired every single home! Here you have to arrange it yourself and pay a fortune or live like you're in 1920. It you dream about living in the US, don't! Unfortunately no solution for this problem.

[@fivegiga5523]

I moved from 220V country to US about 35 years ago and don't have any problem you mentioned at all. Maybe you need to move back to your own country.

[@Pallethands]

Phased out. I see what you did there.

[@moriver3857]

Higher voltage also means less load/amperage. I once worked on a project in South America 25 years ago, and every piece of equipment sent from the US by my company was 120V, but where I was, power was 240/50. It was a nightmare stepping down the power to make the equipment work. All DIY, and worked. Very safely, I might add.

[@snakerstran9101]

As a US taxpayer I say, Your Welcome.

[@Deepa0309]

Did the step down converter have a transformer too.please

[@moriver3857]

@@Deepa0309 Yes it did. We left everything behind to the locals for their use when we left. It was an airplane that had crashed and I was part of a team to get it flyable and back to the states. It flew freight for 10 years after that, then scrapped.

[@Deepa0309]

@@moriver3857 😊kind of you.🙏

[@Tinoco1x]

120V reaches from Canada all the way to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador... the rest of South America does use 220V though 😅

[@tobygathergood4990]

The difference between getting shocked by 120 and 240 is considerable. For everything but the equipment that actually needs 240, (basically stoves and dryers for most households in North America. If someone has whole house aircon or a compressor and a welder in the their shop too). I much prefer to stay with 120 Volts for all small appliances.

[@johnschroeder3072]

I shock at 120v can still kill, it's not safe though the risk is reduced. However with the increase in current required the size of the over current protection goes up reducing the safety against arcing and/or arc flash and with the introduction of RCD's (GFCI's) the risk of the higher voltage is significantly minimised.

[@jonathanm9436]

I know it's been two years - I've just seen your comment. The problem with 110v and smaller appliances is that each device is usually designed to work with any voltage between 110 to 240. This means that the lower the voltage, the slower the device. Here's a really interesting couple of videos made by a very well informed USAian that you will find interesting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZraiJR_q66Yl9E kzbin.info/www/bejne/laqwfoeMi698asU kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH7QhqKQnZh7p5Y 😊😊

[@davidangelamelcher9591]

I worked at a copper mine and mill in Arizona in 1970 and most of their equipment was old and ran on 25 Hz power. Roosevelt dam had one generator dedicated to supply power to that mine alone. When I was in Thailand in the mid 70s, their power was 230V 50Hz.

[@timothystockman7533]

Parts of the railroad system on the east coast of the US still use 25 cycle power! There are 2 25 cycle generators still operating at Safe Harbor Dam. In the past, rotary converters made most of the 25 cycle power; they have all been replaced by solid state invertor plants. Modern locomotives on the east coast operate OK on both 25 and 60 cycles, because newer trackage uses 60 cycles.

[@SirIdot]

Well, at least where I live in Europe most homes are supplied with 400V across three phases. My stove in my apartment runs at 400V.

[@xrafter]

Yeah this is the new worldwide standard . It uses 230v/400v .

[@leonharder4846]

@@mattlogue1300 The Voltage between the 3 phases in Europe is 400V and many ovens and heaters run on 400V

[@PalpatinesPlumber]

Yea if US is 240 the EU is 400, compare apples to apples and not to oranges.

[@joeylawn36111]

@@leonharder4846 Yeah, with 3-phase, the voltage from phase-to-phase is the square root of 3 times the voltage of one phase to ground. 230V x sqrt(3) ~=400V. Also, thanks for the info - didn't know that European homes are supplied with 3-phase power! That's practically non-existant here in the USA.

[@jeanyluisa8483]

@@leonharder4846 The voltage between each 2 of those 3 phases is 400V, but I think thats what your meant.

[@WJack97224]

So much respect for Edison but he allowed greed to override reason/logic/morality. Tesla nailed it Edison lost. Got to keep an open mind.

[@sharkbait432]

More like gotta keep your pockets lined.

[@WJack97224]

@@sharkbait432, Yes, always follow the "money" to track down the criminals or deceivers or selfish.

[@WJack97224]

@owo グーチmoshi, Huh?

[@millomweb]

Edison 'lost' quite a lot. Copying Joseph Swan's light bulbs and patenting it in the US.

[@WJack97224]

@@millomweb Wikipedia excerpt: Conjunction with Edison Edison & Swan United Electric Light Company, otherwise known as "Ediswan" In what are considered to be independent lines of inquiry, Swan's incandescent electric lamp was developed at the same time Thomas Edison was working on his incandescent lamp[35] with Swan's first successful lamp and Edison's lamp both patented in 1879.[36] Edison's goal in developing his lamp was for it to be used as one part of a much larger system: a long-life high-resistance lamp that could be connected in parallel to work economically with the large-scale electric-lighting utility he was creating.[37][35] Swan's original lamp design, with its low resistance (the lamp could only be used in series) and short life span, was not suited for such an application.[35] Swan's strong patents in Great Britain led, in 1883, to the two competing companies merging to exploit both Swan's and Edison's inventions,[28] with the establishment of the Edison & Swan United Electric Light Company. Known commonly as "Ediswan", the company sold lamps made with a cellulose filament that Swan had invented in 1881, while the Edison Company continued using bamboo filaments outside of Britain. In 1892, General Electric (GE) began exploiting Swan's patents to produce cellulose filaments, until they were replaced in 1904 by a GE developed "General Electric Metallized" (GEM) baked cellulose filaments.[38] In 1886, Ediswan moved production to a former jute mill at Ponders End, North London.[39] In 1916, Ediswan set up the UK's first radio thermionic valve factory at Ponders End. This area, with nearby Brimsdown subsequently developed as a centre for the manufacture of thermionic valves, cathode ray tubes, etc., and nearby parts of Enfield became an important centre of the electronics industry for much of the 20th century. Ediswan became part of British Thomson-Houston and Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) in the late 1920s.[40]

[@DavidFerree54]

I don’t always watch the most uninformed engineering video ever made, but when I do it’s this one.

[@effortlessproductions]

😂😂😂😂

[@danepurciful7164]

USA has 240v to the house for major appliances, they split the phase to 120v for lights and small appliances....Been that way since the 1960s. Was 220/110 in the 1880s... Gradually moving up to the standard we have had since 1967....

[@StringerNews1]

Good to see a coherent post for a change. Yes, the 120V circuits were originally intended for lighting, and a very few small appliances like radios and refrigerators. Larger appliances with stronger motors had 240V to help them start. Not as good ashaving 3-phase, but better than nothing. And it's been that way longer than you think--the old Edison DC systems were the first to use the 3-wire, 2 voltage system. Westinghouse (not Tesla) used it as well for AC systems, where it worked even better.

[@fahadaslam7944]

That 230V in India was revised to 240V a few years back because that 230V due to line losses eventually came to lower than 210-220V

[@30mAkills]

Bulb and appliances manufacturers are still cheating us with 230V rating. I remember HMT was the only bulb manu who adapted 240V. I have a few 200w bulbs rated @250V by Philips and Crompton. I use these for testing purposes and these withstand up-to 280V. I love your comment. Kishore Kumar from Chennai. Our house is the first service from dis transformer so we always get 250V.

[@fahadaslam2000]

@@30mAkills Yeah, I remember that the power corporation installed a new transformer for my locality here in Lucknow with new Aerial Bunch Conductor (ABC Wires). So the arrangement was somehow that ours was the 3rd or 4th in the order of consumer from the transformer and for a few years, voltage at our home always used to stay constant at 280V and that meant a lot of bulbs would fuse quite often. Eventually, with more houses using the line, the voltage stabilized to 240-250V.

[@30mAkills]

@@fahadaslam2000 Our dt transformers don't have tap changer or lightening arrestors. The earth resistance value is never checked. RCCB is ignored! Nowadays I buy wide band voltage rated appliances and led bulbs.

[@timmytee734]

I moved to NYC from Europe and I'm shocked about the low quality of the electricity that I have here. It's like living in a third world country.

[@janinsweden8559]

Another fact is that US trucks use a 12V system and not 24 as we have in Europe. Which gives the same problem as 230 vs 110 V = current need to be twice as high to get the same power, and more current need thicker cables! So why did the US make the same mistake again, by choosing a lower voltage system in heavy vehicles ???

[@nealblackburn8628]

don't worry Elon Musk will sort all that crap out for them

[@Ignisan_66]

Not "some" countries. Most countries. 220-240 volts system is the most common voltage range around the world.

[@TheAngelOfDeath01]

So um.... 110V US is what you pull from your walloutlet to power your coffee maker or computer; in Europe it is 230-240V. But what we have for something like an electrict stove is 400V in Europe - not 240V like the video implies. US power outlets are 110/240V EU power outlets are 240/400V.

[@okaro6595]

In Finland all stoves are 230 V. They are designed to run on three phases 16 A each but they can also be run on a single phase 20-25 A if needed. This doe snot allow putting all plates and oven on full but who does that.

[@johnnz4375]

It has to do with the voltage between the phases and the voltage between phase and neutral. Some stoves run on 2 phases and a neutral basically 2 x 240 v supply referenced to ground, due to the false shift (120 deg) you don’t need a heavier neutral wire. So technically there is 380/400/415 V inside the stove it is not used at these voltages.

[@timmack2415]

Currently (pun intended) most of the US is more like 125/250 VAC. It was 110 a few decades ago, then 115, 120 and now 125 in most places. I restore antique radios and use a variac to step down to 105-110v. My house seems to run between 126-130 volts.

[@richardlittle6013]

I think you will find most of Europe, including the UK, are on very similar voltages.

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

Why do the US and other countries have different voltages? Because the US uses 120 volts but other countries use 240. Aren't you glad you asked? You came to the right place for truly brilliant explanation.

[@jimshaw899]

As a licensed, degreed electrical engineer, I can say that both the narration and the 'b roll' in this video are entirely misleading. I won't even attempt to itemize the instances. Possibly, the only shred of truth lies in Edison's unenlightened championing of DC. That was probably due to investment and Edison's poor education in engineering mathematics. He just didn't understand the engineering calculations around AC, and plowed forward with what he understood. Tesla (a shrewd mathematician) was the inventor of the induction AC motor (possibly his only invention of practical value), but it was George Westinghouse and Company that brought down the Edison DC paradigm. As to frequency, it had more to do with the capabilities of rotating generators. 60 Hz allows a considerable reduction in the size and weight of transformers over 50 Hz. Transformers are a big factor in transmission and distribution costs. Today, if you meet someone who believes in continental DC transmission, you have likely found a 'flat-Earther', too.

[@akmtl]

First, it's not 110V it's 120V at 60Hz (z is lower-case) - however, the US does use (just like most countries) 240V power as well, it's just not as widespread. The most common outlets in a residential home will be the NEMA 5-15R which is rated at 120V. However, because of the limited amount of power (watts) they provide, most major appliances operate on 240V. The outlets for these are also found in homes and include the NEMA 6-15R,. 6-20R, 10-30R and 6-50, used for 240 wall air conditioners, clothes dryers and ovens. To go further, the US has other voltages available which are used in commercial environments such as three-phase, from 208V, 277V and 480V. It should be noted that apart from frequency, 240V power in the US differs to most of the world in the sense that it is the voltage between split-phase 120V legs. In other words, a Line 1 and a Line 2 which are individually 120V to earth ground are at 240V to each other, whereas in most parts of the world using 240V supplies, the voltage is 240V measure from Line to earth ground.

[@daveofyorkshire301]

The first electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy, an English scientist. He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light. In Britain Swan supplied arc lamps to light the Picture Gallery at Cragside in Northumberland in 1878, the first house to be lit by electricity, and for Mosely Street in Newcastle, the first electrically lit street in 1879. (1879 was, incidentally the year Edison first demonstrated his own lamp in the USA) The first electric street lighting employed arc lamps, initially the 'Electric candle', 'Jablotchkoff candle' or 'Yablochkov candle' developed by the Russian Pavel Yablochkov in 1875. The first electric railway in Great Britain was Volk's Electric Railway in Brighton, a pleasure railway, which opened in 1883, still functioning to this day.The London Underground began operating electric services using a fourth rail system in 1890 on the City and South London Railway, now part of the London Underground Northern line. Nearly a decade before Thomas Edison began working on incandescent lamps and a more affordable way to bring the bright world of electricity to Victorian homes, a fine country house near the town of Rothbury in Northumberland, England, was lit entirely by electricity. British physicist and chemist Michael Faraday (1791-1867), best known for his discoveries of electromagnetic induction and of the laws of electrolysis and his invention of the electric generator. Word of Faraday's law spread and in 1832, Frenchman Hippolyte Pixii built the first dynamo generator. His model created pulses of electricity separated by no current. By accident, he also created the first alternator.

[@scottfranco1962]

To this you should also add that the Europeans designed safer plugs that don't expose live conductors while being plugged in. This was a big aid in going to higher voltages. Even after more than 100 years of electrical power, the USA has yet to adopt safe plug standards.

[@marydavis5234]

the US has safety plugs, don't believe everything you read on the internet, We had 3 plug wall outlets in the US since the 1960's, the wall outlets in both my living room and kitchen have on and off switches and both bathrooms, [yes they both have a bathtub or shower in them] has liquid safety plug, it automatically shut off the power to the plug itself if the wall outlet gets any liquid on it and the wall outlet will not turn back on until the wall outlet is 100% dry,

[@One90972]

@@marydavis5234 nothing of that are actually used in Europe because the socket designed the way it supposed to be.

[@zachdemand4508]

The rest of the world used 120v pre 1950 as well. Rebuilding after WW2 gave them a perfect opportunity to upgrade and save cost with a copper shortage. The US hasn't had a major conflict on the mainland since the civil war. The cost of overhauling a working system outweighs the benefits.

[@bradavon]

It's not that unusual. 110 volts is used in loads of countries across the Americas.

[@Drskopf]

Yep central america and Mexico uses that standard..

[@SabentHD]

@@Drskopf North "Americas"

[@eknaap8800]

LOL

[@Fixin-To]

That’s few, compared with the rest of the world.

[@bradavon]

@@Fixin-To there are 55 countries in the Americas. Roughly a quarter of the countries in the world. Not all use 110v but many do. Brasil uses both.

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

The question is backwards. It should be, "Why did many countries in Europe and elsewhere choose to use a different voltage and frequency, than the standard that had been established in America?"

[@bunnywarren]

Why do you assume the US had high voltage AC first? I wouldn't trust the video given the inaccuracies, such as stating Europe used 240V to "improve distribution efficiency" when distribution has used thousands of volts since the 1880s.

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

@@bunnywarren I don't have to assume that. It is a matter of historical record.

[@davidpar2]

Prior to the 1920s, the United States had no general power supply standard. There were voltages of 110v and 220v and frequencies of 25, 40, 50, 60, 100, 125, and 133 cycles. And a variety of non-compatible connecting plugs. The Edison screw plug, the parallel blade design we use today, the tandem plug, a plug that was basically identical to the “europlug,” which was Hubbell’s first plug design, the crowfoot plug that became the Australian standard, and others. Apparently the entire state of Rhode Island was supplied with 220v at one time. The “powers to be” settled on a split phase supply of 240/120: 240v for heavier duty appliances in the home, 120v for smaller ones. Many homes were wired only with 110-120v and simple fuse boxes until after WWII. *Europe didn’t arbitrarily settle on 50Hz. They chose it because it harmonizes better with their metric system, although 60Hz is more efficient, produces less flicker with lighting, and is not as hard on motors as is 50Hz. Motors are also more expensive to wind for 50Hz.* In the 1950s, the United States considered switching to a 240v 60Hz general supply. Which would have been ideal-more efficient voltage coupled with an already efficient frequency. But with the proliferation of electrical equipment in use by that time, it was decided that it would be too expensive to convert. They should have adopted 240v 60Hz in the 20s and been done with it. Double loop carbon filament bulbs can handle that voltage, and tungsten filament bulbs, perfectly capable of handling 240v, were being produced as early as ~1911. And should have settled on Hubbell’s more substantial connector, the tandem plug, rather than his parallel blade design we use today, which features prongs closer together that tend to get bent easily.

[@vinquinn]

First time I have heard of a double loop carbon filament. Why not? When one burns out they both go out. Another interesting fact is that 2 phase electric current with a 90 degree shift was used before three phase. There was some still in use for a long time in Philadelphia. I believe if the power company makes a major change in supply: DC to AC, 2 phase to 3 phase. They are required to replace the motors and or transformers affected to some degree.

[@Welgeldiguniekalias]

"Switching to 240V was too expensive and complicated" "All homes built after WW2 are supplied with 120/240V" This video contradicts itself a lot. Maybe next time pay some more attention to the actual content instead of just focusing on pacing.

[@uhohhotdog]

I think they mean doing it all at once. Phasing it in by having both at the same time is an easier way to do it.

[@GH-oi2jf]

He meant switching to 240V as the base voltage was too expensive and complicated. The answer was the enter-tapped secondary which provided 240V with two 120V lines.

[@nightmare-wh3fk]

In India , the house hold potential is 220 V and 50 Hz frequency

[@gorilladisco9108]

My country also started with 110V, but in 1980s we move to 220V. Of course, by then most of our country were still jungles so we hadn't invested too much on 110V. And it helped that most of Japanese appliances at the time have a switch between 110V and 220V.

[@wisehippo3072]

Japan's grid runs on 100 V. What voltage the japanese appliances are designed for, depends on the country where they are sold. If you buy it in japan, it will be designed for 100 V. If you buy that same appliance in the US, it will be designed for 120 V. In Europe: 230 V. The same applies to japanese cars: if you buy them in japan, the steering wheel will be on the right. If you buy them in the US, the steering wheel will be on the left. It all depends on where they are supposed to be sold so please dont say that japanese appliances switched from 110 to 220 V. They didnt. But maybe your country started importing them from another source.

[@gorilladisco9108]

@@wisehippo3072 Those Japanese electronics provided the switch between 110V and 220V. Apparently they catered to my country's demand of that time. I remember we have JVC portable TV and Sony cassette deck that my father warned us not to tinker with that one switch or they will explode (dad's over exaggeration, of course).

[@PeterJurasek]

As a European electrical engineer, its the first time i hear that we use 240V :D Nice job

[@ak983625]

Just FYI, for the last 100 years, the NA power standard has been 120 volts.

[@alexprokhorov407]

The main advantage of 240 V is almost half less conductors required for a given power load. That becomes obvious when you compare US and European extension cords. In the US to get 240 V, you need to use phase shift, between two leads with no neutral wire.

[@tihanadekovic74]

only problem is, eu uses 220 and, as far as i know, only UK uses differen one; 230

[@alexprokhorov407]

@@tihanadekovic74 if you check outlets in most urban areas in Europe with a voltmeter you will see that during the day the voltage is higher, around 230 V. That's done to compensate for possible voltage drop within the house, since conductors with small cross section tend to drop the voltage. All the electronic devices are rated to function in +10%/-6% of the target average of 220 volts. Since there's voltage drop from the transformer due to wire length, the initial output from it is around 240 volts per lead phase. In the UK it might be higher, around but still within the limits of European standards. It's just has different outlets.

[@Froggability]

Asia 220-230 , NZ 230, Aust 240. But in reality all appliances can handle the variation without complaint. Also measure the voltage in any country, they all fluctuate depend on time of day, load, distance to transformer etc

[@larrymeyer2917]

Actually the 230v standard arises from being the phase voltage of 400v 3 phase systems and 50hz not only relates to running gensets at 3000rpm for synchronized speed but also that 50hz is easy to count in decimal system by counting the + & - cycles as it goes through zero to amount to 100 cycles. Conductor sizes are significantly bigger for the same power level for 120v systems, most 230v systems have wiring in plastic conduit ( sometimes inside brick walls ) while wiring in North America passes in the wooden frame. A point of concern for overloaded cables. An example is that kettles are 1.5KW in NA while 2.5KW in 230v drawing basically 11A in both cases. And all high load appliances use 220v even in NA.

[@mernokimuvek]

220 V in NA is not used since the 1940s. Its 240V.

[@larrymeyer2917]

@@mernokimuvek yes in rest of the world, not in NA. Here it’s actually 208v if your lucky.

[@mernokimuvek]

@@larrymeyer2917 208 V is better because its 3 phase.

[@gtaylor2455]

​@mernokallat645 It's point of reference. It's 240 at the transformer. The utility is allowed a maximum 5% drop from the transformer to the meter and the homeowner is allowed another 5% from the meter to the outlet. This is why utility people say 120/240 and electricians say 110/220.

[@Froggability]

It can be noted that although USA has “240 volts” the upsize in conductor size means the average USA house require 40-50% more copper than average Euro house

[@rayjennings3637]

Of the 194 nations 110/120v is used in only 45 so the wording of the title is misleading. The vast majority of countries, about 80%, use 220-240v.

[@vinquinn]

The original Edison lamps in the USA had carbon filaments. They worked best at about 100 Volts. Later on European lamps with metallic filaments (tungsten or osmium) arrived. They worked well at higher voltages. The USA never changed things. They were still using DC current in parts of NYC in the 1940's.

[@iamarugin]

True, and they still use an imperial units system

[@okaro6595]

Everyone used carbon filaments in the beginning and tungsten after that as that was what was available. Carbon filament sucks in its light output output.

[@ExternalInputs]

Arbitrariness is the quality of being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Saying "European countries "arbitrarily decided" to operate at 50Hz and 240 Volts in order to improve distribution efficience" is a contradiction of the term arbitrary.

[@spks-nj7kl]

That's what I thought.

[@GH-oi2jf]

Yes, that word gets used incorrectly a lot. It is possible for two people to work the same problem rationally, yet get different answers.

[@mikeorgan1993]

I like the way you phrased the question. It should have been "Why the U.S. uses a different voltage than the vast majority of countries" NOT some that's disingenuous.

[@BedsitBob]

Some Americans are now buying European kettles and toasters, and connecting them across the two live phases, to get faster boiling and toasting.

[@j.m.w.5064]

Every other second he says something nonsenical or superfluous. So that is 0.5 Hertz of alternating Bullshit.

[@ZilogBob]

Interesting observation. 👍

[@utah133]

American homes have 240 on tap any time u want. It's a center-tapped system. Neutral to either hot lead is 120. Across the two hots is 240.

[@fb55255]

Because you have two phases at home 120° apart and that make a 240V drop across

[@timburton1080]

@@fb55255 not quite, that's what I thought at first. Two 120v phases 120 degrees apart is how you make 208v. American 240 is how @rationalguy suggests, two high voltage phases are put into the distribution transformer and stepped down to 240 secondary winding. Europe we'd put neutral on one leg and the other side would be our live. US have two lives, one of either end of the secondary winding with the neutral in a center tap, which I assume creates a DC offset. So they have single 120v phase (relative to this center tapped neutral) and that same singular phase but inverted, bridging the two gives them 240 single phase. Clever really, but can see why they don't get 3 phase supplies much.

[@bryanbrunk1186]

We don't use a different. We use the voltages we invented. Other countries use different voltages.

[@origionalwinja]

@Desiderata - says the person from a country that actually didnt invent shit...always butt hurt and jealous

[@SimonBlandford]

The statement about the UK being 230V and most of Europe being 240V at the beginning is incorrect. The UK used to use 240v +/-6%. Other EU countries used to use 220V +/-6%. In the early 90s (or was it late 80s?) this changed to 230V +/-12.5% as an EU standard. The wider tolerance meant that the voltage didn’t actually change but new appliances had to all work across the whole 220-240V range from that point on.

[@yvonnebraun7]

@Simon hello,how are you doing

[@meMajorLazor]

Next video : why Amayrika uses mm-dd-yyyy format

[@DarkpawTheWolf]

That's actually very simple....when we speak, we say "Today is February 24th, 2021." You don't say "Today is the 24th of February, 2021." Well, you might, but most people certainly wouldn't.

[@davidcleary9510]

@@DarkpawTheWolf Yet Independence Day is the 4th of July...

[@DarkpawTheWolf]

@@davidcleary9510 Yawn.

[@brentbailey4900]

Yep, That's the way I run my photos. 20210301. It works really well. Then you can still go to hours, mins, seconds with a 24 hour clock.

[@johnschroeder3072]

@@DarkpawTheWolf By starting with the day first that is usually the most relevant information as you most likely already know the month or year

[@krisknowlton5935]

All US homes (that have electricity) are wired for 240 volts. We split off one leg to produce the 120 volts at the breaker panel. Whenever you see two breakers connected, that is a 240 volt circuit. If you see a breaker by itself it is 120 volts.

[@fwcolb]

You know your stuff. Typically in Canada and US electric stoves with ovens are hard wired into the supply with armored cable and operate on 240V.

[@jeroen2535]

It's funny. When American need more power for heavy appliances they use 230 V. But in Europe we use 400 V. So what does the US industries use?

[@schievel6047]

Not 20s in the Video and there is already so much nonsense... Europe has 230V 50Hz and so does Britain. Europe used to have 220 V and Britain had 240 V and they met in the middle so to speak to harmonize the voltages and still keep all the electric devices. (They don’t break from 10V more or less) Those „parts of Europe“ that use 240V are the Isle of Man and Gibraltar. That’s like saying „parts of America“ use 240V 50Hz because the Island of St. Lucia uses it.

[@prich0382]

The US does have 240 volts coming into their buildings, it just gets split into two 120 volt circuits

[@ifzwischendurch]

And here in Europe 400 volts come into our buildings. At normal sockets are only 230 volts, but in the kitchen and in the garage there is usually the possibility to connect 400 volt appliances. At least in my country. E.g. for ovens and construction machinery.

[@markplain2555]

@@ifzwischendurch And here in Canada 600V 3-phase is the standard that is split right down to 110VAC

[@marioluigi9599]

@@ifzwischendurch how is 400 split into 230?

[@jeanyluisa8483]

@@markplain2555 I don think thats correct. A 600V 3 phase system with 110V per single phase would require some magic that was not invented yet. From what I found Canada has a 3-phase 208V systems with 120V per single for residental houses. The 600V 3 phase system is used for industrial purposes because 208V is not very efficient for big motors and machines. The US has the same 208V system for residental houses, but for industrial purpses the Us uses a 480V three phase system. Europe has a 400V 3-phase system with 230V per single phase. Europe uses the same system for residental houses and industry. A 600V 3 phase system with 110V per single phase would require some magic that waas not invented yet.

[@coolcrafter1069]

@James Doolittle If I remember correctly It was technology connections that has a good video on the subject.

[@fjp3305]

The 120V will be phased out in the US when they change to the metric system. That means, never.

[@mikemondano3624]

120v has nothing whatever to do with the metric system.

[@the_real_hislordship]

Wrong wrong wrong. The UK was always 240v, so too Australia. Europe was 220v before. The 230v is a compromise. They work on 230v ±10% now, which is pretty much the standard for all appliances worldwide now. That means 207v to 253v, and then there is still a 5% tolerance out of that range.

[@petcatznz]

Most of this is nonsense. Europe electrified around the same time as the USA, so the insulation validation for 110v versus 240v is untrue. 110v is somewhat safer than 240v from an electric shock perspective as skin resistance normally limits the shock current to a survivable level at this voltage, whereas the current produced by 240v flowing through a person is considerably more likely to cause cardiac arrest. The real negative of using a lower voltage is a higher current is needed for any given load power. This means larger cables and secondary transformer windings are needed at 110v as opposed to 240v. The frequency increase from the European 50Hz to the USA 60Hz helps a little as transformer efficiency improves with frequency, but nowhere near enough to compensate for the voltage difference impact. As an example, to supply a 3kw load in Europe requires approx 12.5 amps, whereas in the USA, 27 amps are needed to do the same work. Amperes are what decides cable conductor sizing, voltage level decides only the quality of conductor insulation that is needed. Also transmission power losses are greater as these are directly proportional to current (P = I squared x R) which will always be higher at lower voltages for any given load power delivery.

[@stinglp1198]

Bangalore, India first one in Asia, to get electricity in 1905. Actually it was supplied to Kolar gold fields, mines. At 25 hertz AC . 80 miles long ,It was the longest transmission line in the world at that time - the second longest was at the Niagara Falls which was only 13 miles long !

[@n3gi_]

Idk why US attracts genius minds from all around the world and thus it's always the first one to get all the cool things.

[@kyleallen3857]

Capitalism

[@jacuzzibusguy]

Im Happy they mentioned USA actually uses 240 volt systems in almost all homes. They simply use a center tap on the transformer to obtain two separate legs of 120 volts most appliances use. This way, the USA system has all the efficiency advantages of the European 240 volt system, yet the safety of only having 120 volts at the receptacle where most appliances are plugged in.

[@StringerNews1]

That's not really true though. 240V is _not_ "more efficient" than 120V, it's a _higher voltage._ As for safety, 120V is well above the 100V that Edison claimed was safe. The actual "safe" voltage, tested with sound methodology is more like 60V. Both are arbitrary numbers. "Most appliances use" 120V because that's what's available, not vice versa.

[@jacuzzibusguy]

@@StringerNews1 240 is “more efficient” in that you can supply more power (watts) through the same size conductors by a factor of 2. This is likely one of the reasons the higher voltage may have been favored in European countries as it requires less copper to wire a home. I agree that 120 and 240 are both unsafe voltages, but if you had a choice to be “poked” by 120 or 240, you would find 240 to be much worse. Even though they are both unsafe, Higher voltage is more dangerous to humans.

[@StringerNews1]

@@jacuzzibusguy it looks like you're confusing efficiency with economy. Sure, you can save money on the conductor by using higher voltages; that's why power utilities deliver power at voltages from 7200V to over a million. But since power is delivered to the home at 240V more or less, this seems to be a distinction without a difference. As for choice about getting "poked", my choice is not at all. While I support an individual's choice to kill themselves in stupid ways, I'm not willing to pay extra just to make electrocution an especially pleasant experience. No, high voltage is not especially dangerous, but a surprisingly small amount of current is.

[@melainewhite6409]

Misleading a bit I would say. Simply described, US homes receive _two_ 120v supplies which can be used together at 240v for high-demand appliances like an oven. Your distribution panel alternates your home's circuits between the two supplies putting roughly half your 120v outlets on one and half on the other. 240v circuits are connected to both.

[@michaellink6960]

Personal safety was not brought up, but that is one advantage of 120 VAC over 240. While it is true that the severity of an electrical shock is dependent on many variables, physical contact with 120 VAC is generally much safer than 240 VAC. Although care must always be taken when working with electricity, I am particularly cautious with 240 volts. It can supply enough current during incidental contact to do serious damage to a person, whereas contact with 120 volts usually results in an unpleasant but harmless shock.

[@johnschroeder3072]

With the advent of RCD's (GFCI's) the risk of shock from a 240v system is significantly reduced. However a 120/240v system still has some higher voltage conductors/outlets and has more active conductors increasing the likelihood (though slight) of conduction a dangerous voltage and also the requirement for higher currents to compensate means the over current protection needs to be rated higher increasing arc/arc fault safety issues which is less safe. So as far as safety it seems a bit like the saying 6 of one or half a dozen of the other applies here taking us back to the argument of efficiency of the higher voltage.

[@jordillach3222]

If safety is a concern, why is the USA using those ridiculous plugs with the metal of the pins fully exposed? European plugs (which we use here in Chile) only have the tip uncovered and all the rest is insulated, so no energy is present in the pins until the plug is fully inserted. This way, even if someone is inadvertently touching the spikes while plugging or unplugging, no shock can occur.

[@triadwarfare]

Weak

[@Inkling777]

@@jordillach3222 I'm well on in life, and yet I've never know anyone who was shocked by those "ridiculous" exposed plugs. The need to hold onto the insulated part is rather obvious. Life tends to be like that. What appears to be dangerous to outsiders are dangers to those who live there. People who didn't grow up in countries where people wear wooden clogs think that they make falling more likely. People who grow up in those countries learned as children how to walk in them.

[@mwitbrot]

Almost all of Europe uses 230V 50Hz (Russia and Belarus use 220V 50Hz). None european country use 240V. About 15 or 20 years ago it was 220V 50Hz.

[@erichkaufmann5284]

Canada also uses the American 110V 60HZ

[@erichkaufmann5284]

The USA and Canada also use what they refer to as a “ dryer outlet) which is a 240V outlet which is designed to power dryers, refrigerators, etc. Canadian and American homes often have both of these outlets built inside, with the large 240V built in the washrooms and kitchens.

[@sublivion5024]

@vmbert0 230V is nominal voltage and means a range

[@carlgrove8793]

@vmbert0 Whatever the nominal voltage in the UK, I have found with a simple voltmeter that the actual voltage is often significantly higher.

[@glee21012]

The U.S. uses 240V like the rest of the world, however, at the destination, a split-phase transformer is used providing 120V at each leg across a neutral (it's actually safer). Tesla designed our system, I will stand with him. Big appliances use 220V, driers, ovens, heat, etc. Sixty Hertz was chosen so a synchronous motor will give a nice one RPM for clocks and automation.

[@freas8520]

Most houses are fed with three phase 400 volt, but between one phase and neutral you get that precious 230 volt to power your little phone charger!

[@sullivan912]

Most houses don't receive more than one phase, a neutral and earth.

[@freas8520]

I'm in Europe!

[@slamtilt01]

Having used many of my 240v appliances in the USA, although having to change the plug over. I can confirm I was amazed they still worked.

[@patbutete1722]

Most stuff works on both voltages nowadays.

[@phillipsusi1791]

@@patbutete1722 Yea, basically any electronic device that actually runs off of DC. the AC/DC power supply is happy with 100-250V at either 50 or 60 Hz.

[@jonathanm9436]

@@patbutete1722 They do, but on a lower voltage, the devices must draw twice the current to meet the power demands. So if you plug into a 10A circuit, but the device already required 6 to 10 A, then it will draw 12 to 20A and blow the fuse. (Yes, this is a simplification). 😊😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZraiJR_q66Yl9E

[@SrijitSen1]

Some places in India where it was electrified earlier had D.C. current until about 10 years ago, I believe, because the supply company would often confirm during receiving complains of power cut if it was D.C. or A.C.

[@fahadaslam2000]

That was also prevalent around Mumbai-Pune in Indian Railways up until 5-7 years ago. The entire zone only recently changed from DC to AC. Interestingly, that Zone had railway locomotives that could run both on AC and DC power (WCAM series locos).

[@jamesslick4790]

The demand for 240v in the US is also regional. I live in Pittsburgh, PA (Basically in the "Saudi Arabia" of Natural Gas). I have NO need for a 240-volt outlet. My "service" IS 240v, and there IS a 240V outlet in my kitchen, and in my laundry BUT they are unused. My Stove is GAS, My Furnace is GAS, My Water heater is GAS, My dryer is GAS. Baby, this place is a Gas,Gas,Gas! (LOL). Everything electrical in my house is 120 VAC. (For those wondering about the dryer, and how it WORKS: The heat is gas, It still uses the 120 VAC to rotate the drum..) The cool part is Pittsburgh was the HOME of George Westinghouse when he pioneered the distribution of... Natural Gas. Oh, and AC electricity! (Yeah, That same dude did BOTH!)

[@melgross]

We don’t use 110v today. The standard for several decades was 120v. But the voltage continues to rise. The unofficial/official voltage is now 123. People will notice that coming from their outlets and think it’s wrong, but it’s not. It will go higher.

[@maon7565]

You forget that, as usual, we did it first. They are the ones who are different.

[@smileyeagle1021]

Alternative interpretation, we did it first, they are the ones who did it better. That doesn't just apply to voltage, our outlets are horribly unsafe compared to what a lot of countries have.

[@GH-oi2jf]

AC power was developed simultaneously in the United States and Europe. Most of the theoretical work leading to electric power was done by European scientists.

[@gregshonle2072]

As others have noted, the long-distance transmission is done at MUCH higher voltages than 220V. Standard long-distance voltages in the U.S. are 765 kV, 500 kV, 345 kV. 230 kV, and 138 kV. From there, a substation will step the voltage down to 13 kV or 4 kV. Long-distance transmission is always done three-phase. For those who've noted, losses due to resistance go up by the square of the current, but linearly by voltage. Thus, twice the voltage equals twice the wattage with linear resistance loss, while twice the current equals twice the wattage with quadratic resistance loss. However, given the short runs in a house, the loss between 120V and 240V is negligible. (Formulas: P = IV, P = I^2R) For houses, a local transformer steps the voltage down to two-phase 120V. Since there are two phases, a 240V circuit breaker joins the two phases into 240V. Most U.S. house circuits have a wire gauge that can only handle 15 amps, hence maximum power of about 1800 watts. High power appliances use both 240V and heavier gauge wires; for example, a dryer typically uses a 240V, 30 amp circuit, for a maximum power of 7200 watts. Bottom line: unless you really need a 2200 watt microwave or a 3600 watt hair dryer, 220V in your house doesn't buy you anything, other than a much more painful shock, should you accidentally make contact with the hot wire.

[@davidyetter5409]

240v residential is "SINGLE PHASE". The 120v is attained by center tapping the transformer to ground. There are other ways to get the 240/120 v. 240v three phase with high leg. 208/120v three phase, 208v phase to phase and 120v to ground. (120x1.732=120)

[@piercehawke8021]

One thing that isn't well known is virtually ALL 120V 50/60 Hz systems use the NEMA 1 or NEMA 5 outlets, 2 or 3 prong respectively, in all markets. OTOH, why the 230V 50 Hz electric grids seem to use upwards of a dozen different style receptacles, even for the same basic amp levels.

[@2_wicked]

The whole of Europe has 230 VAC. Only the plug types differ.

[@j--xe3ke]

UK has 240V

[@2_wicked]

@@j--xe3ke Check the Wikipedia page "Mains electricity by country" and you will see that you are wrong on this. The company where I work sells equipment worldwide and in Europe 230/400 VAC is used.

[@practicalshooter6517]

False. France was using 110V until the 50's, when a national program decided to switch to the more efficient 220V.

[@Funbeenif]

Today it's 230V?!

[@okaro6595]

Many countries had lover voltages. In Finland cities were 127 V while rural areas 220 V. It also was harmonized to 220 V in the 50s.

[@yves-laurentallaert8011]

@@Funbeenif yes, now it's 230V

[@Piineapple.]

That's true, it was 110V before the 50s. My grand parents can confirm, and the cables in their farm were not very safe, which could be much more dangerous if it was 220V. Today I mainly see "220-240V" on appliances

[@rethla]

Thats true for most of if not all of Europe. Noone started out with 230V

[@fwcolb]

Harder to kill people with 110V. At age five I wanted to learn about electricity and stuck my finger in a lamp socket. Got quite a buzz, right down to my toes. But learned what I needed to know. And later, at age 18 trained in the air force reserve as a radio technician. Last week, I modified a Bluetooth device that transmits to my hearing aid because the internal battery was not replaceable. Now the device uses an external battery in a compartment hot-glued to the back. Loved to play with electronics since childhood but have not had an electrical jolt since age 5. If the voltage had been 220V I would have never survived to age 6, but am now 90.

[@fwcolb]

@Stephen Ferree Interesting. I used an old loudspeaker coil from a radio my grandparent bought in the early 1920s. A monster both the magnet and the coil. I ran a 6V battery through the coil by holding together the bare wires in my fingers. When I separated the wires the back EMF of the coil passed through me, several hundred volts, but only milli-Amperes. Those were the days when simple things provided a lot of fun.

[@rj7855]

I poked a bare copper wires in a 220v outlet when I was about that age to test a lamp for which I had no suitable socket.... I'm still alive. (and no the system had no residual-current circuit breaker (RCCB), which now is mandatory on all new installations)

[@johnward5890]

Canada uses 120/240 split phase the same as the USA.

[@Every-picture-tells-a-story]

I feel that 240 V on one wire will eventually happen here in the United States 🇺🇸 due to the in a abilities of single 120 V it is cheaper to power your home with a true 240 volts versus the current U.S system of A Phase and B phase used to create 240 Volts. This higher voltage would also cut down on the need for larger wire diameters. And allow for more applications with less amperage as a result. It would be a win win for the United States 🇺🇸

[@Inkling777]

I can't imagine why the U.S. would ever go to 240 only. Aside from electric space heaters, which are a kludge, we simply have nothing requiring the higher voltage that isn't hard-wired. True, some kitchen appliances, i.e. air-fry ovens, do draw enough current to strain a 15 amp, 120 volt circuit. Mine draws about 12 amps. But our more recent building codes require kitchen outlets to be 30 amp and often insist on two separate circuits.

[@markmontagna7637]

You do realize that split phase is true 240v right?

[@wendellwhite5797]

Lots of BS in this video. I am a master electrician and an electrical engineer. They were showing a Tesla generation coil and transformers have taps in them to adjust the voltage. Early houses had knob and tubing that kept the wires 6 inches apart because the cotton and pitch wiring wasn't that great in keeping the voltage inside the wiring. This video doesn't explain the reason for the Herz differences between the world and North America and parts of South and Central America.

[@Kevin-uc3ir]

Sure..... Edison..now shut up...

[@GH-oi2jf]

I’ve read that Europe uses 50 Hz AC only because 60 Hz offended their metric sensibilities. Is there anything to that?

[@bobdeverell]

@@GH-oi2jf Historically, traction engineers wanted lower frequencies (eg. 6 - 25 Hz) whereas lighting engineers wanted 80 HZ and up. 50 and 60Hz are compromise values by the dominant power companies.

[@johnnz4375]

So with your qualifications you should be able to tell us why you use 60 Hz.

[@wendellwhite5797]

@@johnnz4375 Tesla chose 60Hz because it was an overtone of the so called Schumann resonance; the specific overtone being chosen as one with a useful frequency for application to rotating AC machinery. Remember, Tesla is the one who came up with alternating current. So The primary difference between 50 Hz (Hertz) and 60 Hz (Hertz) is simply that 60 Hz is 20% higher in frequency. ... Lower the frequency, speed of induction motor and generator will be lower. For example with 50 Hz, a generator will be running at 3,000 RPM against 3,600 RPM with 60 Hz. Now when Westinghouse wanted to build an electrical supply grid using the kinetic power of Niagara Falls circa 1888, he turned to Tesla, as Tesla had earlier demonstrated the benefits of AC and knew a few things about electric motors and power distribution. He had already done the analysis and already figured out that 60 Hz at 220 Vac was the most efficient means of doing so. Still, given the time, proving the efficiency of 60 Hz with respect to driving Tesla’s induction motor was critical, as motors were the heart of the industrial revolution, which was then in full throttle.

[@utGort]

The question is not "why does the US us a different standard"? It uses a standard that was developed before most of the world had electricity. The real question is why did they use a different standard?

[@jamesslick4790]

Short story: AC became the standard in North America FIRST, an infrastructure was built upon the 110v/60Hz system by the 1890s. The Rest of the world was able to develop OTHER systems based on their needs LATER. Kind of like when the argument that PAL is better than NTSC. Ok, Perhaps PAL was better than NTSC, But PAL came LATER. North America has had Color TV since 1954. PAL came to the UK 1967. It's the "Penalty of Leadership" that the US seems "behind".

[@carlyonbay45]

Britain is 240 volts , or at least it was officially. It was Europe that tried to standardise the voltage to 230 on appliance labelling . However if you put a volt meter On a U.K. socket it still reads around 240v

[@okaro6595]

UK is officially 230 V but they play tricks and actually are 240 V. In 1980 it was decided worldwide to harmonize 220-240 V to 230 V.

[@jordanwillis243]

“There may come a time where the 120V standard will be *phased* out” Nice work.

[@kristyanne719]

I got the reference. :)

[@asmongoldsmouth9839]

Using electrical puns 😑 *ANYWAYS* time for a grown up conversation. 110/120V will never phase out. 99% of everything you plug in to an outlet inside and outside of your house requires between 3 and 24 volts. So why does everyone need to have 220 to 240 volt outlets? Only your dryer and stove need a 240V supply. The rest of the world needs to smarten up. Pretty stupid.... 😒

[@maxlinder9237]

@John Perez why is it wasteful? A hair dryer uses the same wattage, no matter the voltage . The waste is in volt drop

[@maxlinder9237]

@John Perez what makes you say that?

[@maxlinder9237]

@John Perez lower voltage means higher amperage Volts times Amps = watts

[@UCCLdIk6R5ECGtaGm7oqO-TQ]

It's the E.U. that uses the 230/400v 50Hz standard. The U.K. has typically been 240/415v 50Hz, though technically should be in the process of being reduced to 230/400v in alignment with the E.U, though that will take a long time to due the costs involved with such a reduction.

[@sarkybugger5009]

For an engineering channel, so many errors... The UK is 240 volts 50 Hertz (nominally, usually higher. Generally about 248 volts here.), the EU is 230 volts 50 Hertz, plus or minus 10%. The UK has numerous interconnects with Europe, all in the kilovolt range. America won't change. They still use Imperial measurements, FFS. Even the UK gave up with that 50 years ago. Science? We've heard of it.

[@paulparoma]

Even 240V is not enough for high-draw appliances such as sauna heaters, which usually require 400V.

[@zaugitude]

Although it may have affected decisions very early on, 120 or 240 really has little to do with distribution today, as power is sent over wires at tens of thousands of volts (reducing amperage and therefore conductor size), this is why transformers are required.

[@andrewk8636]

Yup I expected this video to go over how the transformer works to supply both voltages but I guess not

[@kevinmcarthur2039]

@@andrewk8636 They work the same in both systems. The 115kv is stepped down to 240v single phase AC, which is two 120v AC legs that inversely oppose one another. In the US only one leg is used for lighting and small appliances where elsewhere both legs are used as 240v with no need for a neutral or ground.

[@jacuzzibusguy]

@@kevinmcarthur2039 precisely! The USA uses 240 volts ac to power homes, but unlike Europe, we have a neutral wire that is the center tap of the transformer, and we use this neutral to create two separate legs of 120, if measured to neutral, but 240 if measured between the legs. This is safer than powering every appliance from 240 volts. Also, my understanding is that 240 was popular because it requires smaller diameter conductors, which were made of expensive copper.

[@siglavikingkearns8108]

@@jacuzzibusguy I should have read this before I tried to correct Lyman.

[@nevets7152]

Power in the UK is distributed by 144000 volt and down to 11000 volt and then to 415v 3 phase and then takes 1phase and the neutral which is the centre tap of the transformer that is also to ground ,this provides the household voltage .

[@billmarshall3082]

Each side of your electrical panel is 120 for most uses but combining both sides of the panel gives you 240v for stoves,dryers,electric heat,hot water heaters,etc.You get 140 using one 'leg' with a neutral wire (ground at the panel) and 240v between the 2 hot legs.

[@timothystockman7533]

One way to look at it is that the US is a 240 volt country. We just have center tapped pole transformers with the neutral/grounded conductor connected to the center tap, whereas in much the world there is no center tap, so one side on the 240 volt winding is the grounded conductor.

[@Psycandy]

North and Central America use 100-127V and the rest of the world uses 220-240V ... NOT 'around the world different voltages are used' - worldwide, the U.S. uses a different voltage to everyone else, because it's an older, less efficient system, and power companies scrambled to electrify the US so quickly, it's now too large to replace - except in Texas, where they have their own grid.