Using a 110 V breaker in a 220 V system

Sep 03, 2005 2 Replies
F

I know this is a really stupid question. The reason I'm asking is I made a little bet with my brother and I'm not sure I have to pay up. The bet was in which system would a normal 110V 10Amp breaker blow first.



System 1



- assuming each toaster draws 1Amp and runs at 110V



- the voltage on the system is 110V I plug 10 of them in, breaker is OK, plug in #11, breaker should blow



System 2



- assuming each toaster draws .5Amp and runs at 220V



- the voltage on the system is 220V How many toasters can I plug in until the EXACT same breaker will blow in this system?



I appreciate your indulgence on this silly question.



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P

It is highly unlikely that plugging in No11 will cause the breaker to open, it could take up to an hour to trip if you had plugged in 11, 12, 13 and 14..So you would need lots of bread, although toasters /are/ pretty inexpensive.

However, the trip point of a typical breaker is determined by current and time, not voltage. The same breaker should trip at the same time, if loaded with the same number of pairs of 0.5 amp loads as single 1.0 amp loads.

Voltage is not a factor until the breaker trips and attempts to clear the overload.

Running breakers at over their rated voltage is a bit like having your fortune told - you get the promise of big, tall, strong men in uniform climbing a ladder to your bedroom window...

-- Sue

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