110 ac voltage from 220 without transformer?

I live in a place where the house ac voltage is 220. I have some appliances with 110vs. So to obtain 110vs, I use one line of the 220vs and the other line I supply by connection to a metal rod driven into the garden ground. That gets me a 110vs ac current.

The problem now is that the power from this kind of a 110vs is very limited. When I use two 100 watts bulbs, each has the brilliance of half of using only one: namely, two bulbs do not give you more brilliance than one.

Without using a transformer of the proper wattage, but just with the same approach I have employed, what can be done to have more power from my kind of set-up? Should I rig up the other line by linking it to the metalic plumbing system, to have more metal contact with ground? Is that why my neighbor seems to have more 110vs power with his set-up?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Susma Rio Sep

Reply to
Susma Rio Sep
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--------- Yes, you have grounding problems but rather than try to fix them yourself. Get a qualified electrician.

Don Kelly snipped-for-privacy@peeshaw.ca remove the urine to answer

Reply to
Don Kelly

in article snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com, Susma Rio Sep at snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com.sg wrote on 12/14/03 2:19 PM:

It is not smart to do what you want. You pay for double the power. Transformers, especially autotransformers, are not that expensive. You can even wind your own. But your own words indicate that you might end up killing yourself, or worse, someone else. Nevertheless, it can be done safely.

If you must, and your line will allow it, use half wave rectifiers in series with your appliance. It will cut the rms voltage in half. Electronic components may not like it, but it will not bother typical heaters without electronic controls. Direct current will flow in the lines, and that may saturate transformers. Arrange the rectifiers to give different polarities to limit saturation if you use more than one load at a time.

Bill

Reply to
Repeating Rifle

I am going to guess that your not in a country with a 120 volt distribution system. I would recommend to you that you get a 220v primary to 120v secondary, ground it properly add in the overcurrent protection on both sides of the transformer. ( My preference, most codes allow for one if you want to do it that way.)

Using the ground rod could be dangerous and deadly. Not to mention just wrong

Reply to
SQLit

Where are you located? Your address is .sg so I assume Singapore. Although in another note you want to use 50Hz devices on 60Hz. Only place I know of with 240V 60Hz is the Philippines.

Anyway, assuming a 240V country, you'll want a transformer. Perhaps you want to invest in a single large one to power all your 120V items rather than several smaller ones for each one. But normally it's not worth it to bring 120V items to a 240V country and vice versa. Don't use a ground rod, that is dangerous, likely to damage the device with over or undervoltage and may be illegal.

Reply to
Michael Moroney

You should be able to run a neutral conductor from the distribution panel to get your 110VAC. This is of course assuming that your locale runs the netural from the distribution transformer to your dwelling and into the panel.

I suggest getting an electrician to evaluate the situation in either case.

-Z

Reply to
Zorin the Lynx

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