For whoever knows their electricity... pic included

Ken3531

Ken3531

Well-Known Member
Heres a pic of my dryer outlet. I wanna use it because its 240v and half the amps and i keep blowing fuses. i looked at the 240v cords that come with ballasts and they dont look like they will fit into this. is there some kind of adapter any knows of because i cant find one. dryeroutlet.jpg
 
Z

zuuluu

Active Member
There are tons of adaptors for these. Go to the hardware store and draw a pic of the prong layout and take it there. If they dont have it then buy a new plug and cut off the one that came with ur ballast and switch it with the new one. How r the fuzes burning out? U cant plug it in so how do u know? If u have a dimmable ballast and pluged it into another voltage output socket make sure u have the dimming knob turned to the right side.
 
toastycookies

toastycookies

Active Member
Ken3531 said:
Heres a pic of my dryer outlet. I wanna use it because its 240v and half the amps and i keep blowing fuses. i looked at the 240v cords that come with ballasts and they dont look like they will fit into this. is there some kind of adapter any knows of because i cant find one. View attachment 1569789
Click to expand...
of course it's half the amps LOL. twice the volts = 1/2 amps = same wattage... VOLTS x AMPS = WATTS... get a better pic with the prong layout and i can tell you exactly what type of socket it is and where to get a plug to fit it.
 
jixan

jixan

Active Member
Well, I am not sure about an adapter... I do know though when I move into my new place I had to change the plug cord for my dryers 220 plug. You might be able to go to Home Depot (or anyother large chain home improvment store) and but a replacement 240 plug for your ballast. I know very little about ballast though so I honestly don't know if this is a possability. I would check online for 240 plugs, probably find it cheaper, there isn't a lot to them. Yours looks like it is pretty typical outlet though a ground, neutral and power holes.

Hope this helps!

Thanks,
 
Ken3531

Ken3531

Well-Known Member
lol im an engineer so im quite familiar with equations and relationships between potential difference, resistance, and current. I just chose not to mess with it too much because im the type of person that would get shocked. Im using a different outlet in my basement and I have a 1000w and 400w light along with 2 8 inch centrifugal fans and a bunch of other stuff. Another question, is the dryer outlet on its own seperate breaker or are they normally on a breaker with other regular outlets? Heres a better pic.outlet2.jpg
 
5ourdiesel

5ourdiesel

Member
jixan said:
Well, I am not sure about an adapter... I do know though when I move into my new place I had to change the plug cord for my dryers 220 plug. You might be able to go to Home Depot (or anyother large chain home improvment store) and but a replacement 240 plug for your ballast. I know very little about ballast though so I honestly don't know if this is a possability. I would check online for 240 plugs, probably find it cheaper, there isn't a lot to them. Yours looks like it is pretty typical outlet though a ground, neutral and power holes.

Hope this helps!

Thanks,
Click to expand...
this 3 prong dryer outlet is NOT grounded!!! there is no such thing as one 240V hot lead. the two slanded prongs are each 120V that are 180 degrees out of phase which is 240V difference. The bottom prong is neutral. Under no circumstances can you run a HID ballast off of only a neutral wire.
 
toastycookies

toastycookies

Active Member
Ken3531 said:
lol im an engineer so im quite familiar with equations and relationships between potential difference, resistance, and current. I just chose not to mess with it too much because im the type of person that would get shocked. Im using a different outlet in my basement and I have a 1000w and 400w light along with 2 8 inch centrifugal fans and a bunch of other stuff. Another question, is the dryer outlet on its own seperate breaker or are they normally on a breaker with other regular outlets? Heres a better pic.View attachment 1569846
Click to expand...
if you truly have your EE degree than you would not be asking these questions. get rid of that plug and install a new one. then get/make a cord that will go from it to your ballasts...
 
Ken3531

Ken3531

Well-Known Member
No, i'm a mechanical engineer. I never said I was EE. I have taken 3 or 4 classes that deal with the physics of electricity. There's a big difference between what an electrician does and being able to solve equations using the laws of physics. The elec classes were required and I have yet to use any of that knowledge because most of my work is done using Pro-engineer software (CAD). It's not nice to make assumptions and say I'm a liar.
 
toastycookies

toastycookies

Active Member
Ken3531 said:
No, i'm a mechanical engineer. I never said I was EE. I have taken 3 or 4 classes that deal with the physics of electricity. There's a big difference between what an electrician does and being able to solve equations using the laws of physics. The elec classes were required and I have yet to use any of that knowledge because most of my work is done using Pro-engineer software (CAD). It's not nice to make assumptions and say I'm a liar.
Click to expand...
it's all simple math.
 
Ken3531

Ken3531

Well-Known Member
What's all simple math? Using calculus to solve equations that deal with electiricty? That's not simple and the average persone doesn't know calculus. Theres no math involved with my finding an outlet where I can plug a ballast into.
 
toastycookies

toastycookies

Active Member
Ken3531 said:
What's all simple math? Using calculus to solve equations that deal with electiricty? That's not simple and the average persone doesn't know calculus. Theres no math involved with my finding an outlet where I can plug a ballast into.
Click to expand...
you are a professional engineer. you should know basic calculus. all electrical things are simple math.
 
Ken3531

Ken3531

Well-Known Member
What value do your responses have to my questions? I know much more than basic calculus and the math involved in electricity is not basic. Where do you work McDonalds? Tell me what this equations means and I give you my word I will pay you 10 dollars (twice your hourly wage) through mail or paypal.
SE
dA=
0R
02
0
Ersin
drd
d

​
​

 
Ken3531

Ken3531

Well-Known Member
I just wanted to reduce the current im useing because ive blown some fuses. That's why I wanted to pull power off of the dryer outlet.
 
toastycookies

toastycookies

Active Member
Ken3531 said:
I just wanted to reduce the current im useing because ive blown some fuses. That's why I wanted to pull power off of the dryer outlet.
Click to expand...
than you have no clue as to what you are talking about. do you need more volts or more amps or more watts (current) ?

do you think because you can cut you amps in half by multiplying your voltage by twice that you are saving "current"? oooor what?

in the end it all comes down to how much power you need to draw from a certain circuit. that is all. nothing more, nothing less.
 
N

NoDrama

Well-Known Member
Ken3531 said:
I just wanted to reduce the current im useing because ive blown some fuses. That's why I wanted to pull power off of the dryer outlet.
Click to expand...
AHA, so you are pulling too many amps and blowing Fuses(Or tripping a breaker) on your 120v Circuit. In that case I say go for the adaptor plug, you can make them yourself if you know how. The only thing you have to worry about is the Neutral, the other two wires can mix and match, only the neutral has to be correct.
 
Ken3531

Ken3531

Well-Known Member
If you actually read the thread I said I wanted to use my dryer outlet because im blowing fuses the way I'm doing it now. By doing that i'd be using less current and wouldn't be blowing fuses. You obvoiusly are not help to me and only care to argue about what you don't know. Unless you have something to say that's going to help answer my original question, please dont respond anymore. Thanks
 
N

NoDrama

Well-Known Member
toastycookies said:
than you have no clue as to what you are talking about. do you need more volts or more amps or more watts (current) ?

do you think because you can cut you amps in half by multiplying your voltage by twice that you are saving "current"? oooor what?

in the end it all comes down to how much power you need to draw from a certain circuit. that is all. nothing more, nothing less.
Click to expand...
There is a simple misunderstanding between you both.
 
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