Is this product a rip-off? It's at least a good laugh.

They are sure making a nice buck on these. It looks like about $10 worth of materials retail. They go for $130-210. I notice he saved that pesky "U/L approval" expense ;-)

I guess the firemen will have a good laugh.

It doesn't really convert anything. Since about half the outlets in 120/240 single phase building are wired to opposite ends of the transformer, this unit brings each hot to the plug for 240 volt operation. The beakers on each

120volt outlet still properly protect the circuit from over current.

In a commercial environment it is possible to plug the device into a two outlets on a separate phase and get the incorrect voltage on the output plug.

Since most large 240 volt appliances use more than the typical 15 or even 20 amp max current the 120 outlets deliver, its usefulness is limited.

I don't know what any codes have to say about such a device. John

300.20 pretty much blows this device off the market. 300.20 Induced Currents in Metal Enclosures or Metal Raceways. (A) Conductors Grouped Together. Where conductors carrying alternating current are installed in metal enclosures or metal raceways, they shall be arranged so as to avoid heating the surrounding metal by induction. To accomplish this, all phase conductors and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment grounding conductors shall be grouped together. 240.20(B) is going to be a problem too when you tie these two circuits together and don't have a common trip on both breakers.

(B) Circuit Breaker as Overcurrent Device. Circuit breakers shall open all ungrounded conductors of the circuit...

|>I don't know what any codes have to say about such a device | | 300.20 pretty much blows this device off the market. | | 300.20 Induced Currents in Metal Enclosures or Metal Raceways. | (A) Conductors Grouped Together. Where conductors carrying alternating current | are installed in metal enclosures or metal raceways, they shall be arranged so | as to avoid heating the surrounding metal by induction. To accomplish this, all | phase conductors and, where used, the grounded conductor and all equipment | grounding conductors shall be grouped together. | | 240.20(B) is going to be a problem too when you tie these two circuits together | and don't have a common trip on both breakers. | | (B) Circuit Breaker as Overcurrent Device. Circuit breakers shall open all | ungrounded conductors of the circuit...

If the internal relay only operates when it sees 240v between the input legs it would drop if one of the branch breakers trips but that still doesn't address the inductive heating problem. (assuming the relay is really there)

There will be induction heating effect, what comes out, has to go back.

Art.

Oops, I wanted to say: There will NOT be any induction heating effect, what comes out, has to go back in.

Art.

If it goes out in one circuit and comes back on another you will be heating the metal between those holes.

| Oops, I wanted to say: There will NOT be any induction heating effect, what | comes out, has to go back in.

That depends on whether the "go back in" follows along the "comes out" so that the magnetic fields cancel out. Otherwise, the current flow would be inducing current in the metallic raceway/conduit, and other wiring.

If this were attached to GFCI (and combination AFCI) protected circuits, it would trip them because the current will be detected as having leaked (to the other receptacle). But it could also trip GFCI protectors on other circuits due to the common-mode induced current. And it gets worse! If those are breaker protected GFCI, the induced current on their neutral will continue to be present even after the GFCI opens the hot wire, and the GFCI actuator will continue to be operated. Those are not rated for continuous duty and will eventually overheat and burn out, possibly taking out some line side insulation with it, resulting in a short on the line side, and possible fire.

Yes there will be! The current out and in are on different circuits, taking different routes to the panel. Therefore the magnetic fields will not cancel. This will heat any conduits, and the metal in the panel box between the two circuits. This also creates a magnetic field in the room if the branch circuits use NM cable, for those who are concerned about it.

That, coupled with the code violations that Greg pointed out, and the lack of UL listing, make this a dangerous product.

Ben Miller

Many parts of the country don't have metal raceways for the wiring, just NM. So the only heating would be in the boxes. Now if the receptacle boxes are plastic, you only have the service panel to worry about.

So, how much heating would we get in a service panel with a thirty amp load going out one conductor through a hole in one side, and returning through a second conductor through a hole in the opposite side? Or would side-by-side be worse (less panel metal involved)??

Of course, this *still* doesn't address having independent breakers on the two conductors.

daestrom

That is a good question. I don't know.

| Many parts of the country don't have metal raceways for the wiring, just NM. | So the only heating would be in the boxes. Now if the receptacle boxes are | plastic, you only have the service panel to worry about.

And any nearby wires.

Sounds like an empty box looking for the 2 different phases of your fuse box. Pretty pricy 220 volt receptical if you ask me.

I know these threaths do not last very long, but if you have enough patiance, I can get infrared camera and do a little exercise, run the 15 Amps through the metal plate and see the temperature rise, and as well run

15A in and out (field cancelation, just resistive heating in the conductors). I do not have time to get arround it for at least one-two weeks though.

Art.

I guess I jumped the gun. What I was looking at is to use this device in the kitchen split receptacle, there would be no induction heating. But if the device is used as it is shown on their website, then you are correct, there will be some induction heating. The question arises: is the amount of heat generated significant enough to worry about it? As per code, yes, what in reality?

Art.

If you have both phases in the same box, why not save $200 and put in a 6-15r

speaking of which, I have an interesting fixture. Duplex outlet, top is standard 5-15R, bottom is 6-15R. The hot of the 5-15R is jumpered to one of the hots of the 6-15R the same way the top and bottom of every 5-15R duplex outlet is. Didn't know that was legal.