Timeline for Am I on single-phase or 2-phase power?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
14 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18, 2022 at 19:59 | answer | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | timeline score: 4 | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 13:20 | comment | added | Hot Licks | Actually, the 240v scheme commonly used in the US is a two-phase system. It's just that when the phases are 180 degrees apart the phasing isn't notable. | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 13:01 | answer | added | Simon B | timeline score: 1 | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 12:20 | comment | added | jay613 | Maybe i'm missing some important aspect of the question, but if the incoming legs are on the same phase and you measure V-AC between them the reading will be zero. If they have any other phase relationship the reading will be something other than zero. Without getting deeply into trigonometry or power distribution engineering, isn't that all you need to know? A $10 volt meter discerning the difference between zero or not zero? If you want to get fancy you could buy a cheap 2 channel oscilloscope to determine the exact phase relationship, but you don't care do you? | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 12:13 | answer | added | Orbit | timeline score: 2 | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 11:59 | comment | added | Orbit | I think the voltage you measure between the incoming lines should be 240*(1-cos(a) ). Where a is the phase angle. You may want to replace the theoretical 240 with the real voltage on a socket for the most accurate results. | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 11:45 | comment | added | ThreePhaseEel | Can you get us the voltage between the two incoming service lines though? That'll tell us if they're on the same phase or different phases, at least... | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 11:41 | comment | added | crip659 | Sounds like each of the old flats had their own power and nobody(or too expensive) went to the trouble of making one meter for the whole house. Imagine if you just turned one main breaker/switch it would only affect the top or bottom. | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 11:40 | comment | added | ThreePhaseEel | @Orbit -- it's not that simple. They could have 2 phases of a 3 phase wye, and actual 2 phase power has a 90deg angle between phases.... | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 11:33 | comment | added | Orbit | Just put a DC volt meter between the two phases. If it reads zero its the same phase, if it reads 480 they are two opposites of a two phase system. You'll get something in the middle if you have only two wires of a 3 phase. | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 7:34 | comment | added | MLu | @Gil We’re on Vector network, not Transpower but that’s probably similar. We own and use the whole house, it’s been converted from 2 flats to 1 years ago. | |
| Mar 18, 2022 at 4:53 | comment | added | Gil | What happens if the person on the other floor moves. I will take a SWAG: To my recollection you are on Transpower and have a 240V 50Hz single phase service. Check with the electrician to see what is recommended. I am not familiar with your codes and requirements. | |
| S Mar 18, 2022 at 3:40 | review | First questions | |||
| Mar 18, 2022 at 11:35 | |||||
| S Mar 18, 2022 at 3:40 | history | asked | MLu | CC BY-SA 4.0 |