Today we're talking about rewiring induction motors for 110V or 220V service. I'm selling some machinery that I previously rewired to run on higher voltage, and I need to reconfigure it for the new owner.
Phenomenal video, not only from an informational perspective, exactly what I was looking for, but also production quality. Your audio, lighting, and visual were all incredible.
Your instruction is at the top of outstanding Teachers and Instructor's. Thank You for all the hard work and the time it takes to put a RU-vid instruction into motion.
Super helpful video you made! Tons of information & videos about going TO 230 but very limited info about going back to 115/110. You were very thorough in your explanation which is the most beneficial part of this. Thanks again for putting this together.
Nice work, James. I'm a journeyman wireman; I recently subscribed to your channel and the title of this video naturally caught my eye. Your info is spot on. 👍
I appreciate how you go directly to the point, and explain things in detail, but always stay on topic, you have very clear video pictures, and when you are explaining something, you will point out where on the device or drawing it is you are speaking about. Thank you for not acting stupid, but being enjoyable and professional at the same time!!!!
G'day James, another great video. I was glad to see that you keep the power input plug in your full view while you are working on the other end. I too do this, especially when I may need to test something with the power applied part way through a job. This has become such an ingrained habit that when I see someone on RU-vid NOT keeping there plug in full view, I feel very uncomfortably nervous even though I know it is a prerecorded video and not a record of someone dying on RU-vid. Thanks for NOT making me feel uncomfortably nervous. Cheers from Oz.
I found this very helpful. I know vvery basic wiring, and this helped me understand not only the concept of rewiring a dual voltage motor but also how to perform the project successfully. Thank you, John M.
Thank you for putting out this video, Clough. You answered many questions that I had after searching through many other videos. You've earned a subscriber!
You are one helluva teacher James. How do I know this without wavering? I taught electronics for 45 yrs when I worked for RCA. And I can say without doubt that you are awesome with your knowledge; but being able to teach it the way you do is incredible. Oh indeed yes. Thanks kind Sir. It is a pleasure every time I get that notification that says "clough 42"; I KNOW it is going to be interesting and worthwhile. "Caint wait fer the next un!" GAR-OWN-TEED!
Great detail. Very useful information. When wiring my Chinese 2hp. Single phase 115v motor, it was confusing to me because it had a universal power cord with a blue wire, brown wire, and yellow/green stripe wire. It was easy to figure yellow/green was ground, but I wasn't 100% sure on the motor if line 1 was hot or line 2 was hot. I decided since there was 2 wires on the terminal block line 2 that was hot , therefore line 1 was neutral.
This is PERFECT timing. Yesterday I was “given” this very JET table saw (albeit 30 some years old) which had been messed up in the connector box by a would be amateur electrician. This week I will be checking that the 115 volt wiring is correct. Thanks.
Fantastic You Tube video! Your explanation was clear and assumable. Electrical has always been a respected obligation in any process and your straight forward presentation has afforded a greatly appreciated confidence in this daunting task! Thank you. Really nice job....
Fantastic video! Great information presented with clarity, while also showcasing a humility in not editing out the all too human struggle of getting the plug into the extension cord :)
Bravo, I was trying to find out how all these wires work and the connection difference between 120/240. Thank you for your very clear and precise explanation.
Great educational video. He explains the parallel / series difference in wiring 120/240 volt systems - which really helps remove the 'mystery' behind these devices.
Oh I currently live off-grid and I'm starting my own Workshop to be powered by d.c. inverters converting to AC inverters and I will be going to 20 volt AC so thank you for sharing how to do a wiring video as I understand parallel versus series already for my batteries I didn't realize it had anything to do with induction Motors so you've taught me something and thank you for that
Thanks you explained a lot. I thought I knew a bunch, but you touched on things I had questions on. Now to find someone to tell me if my new assumptions are accurate.
Brilliant piece of explaining how to do things.Not once assuming, like some YTers that we know the details.Greetings from SOUTH AFRICA where we run on 220 V.Subscribed.
I James, love all your videos. Just a small correction, the nameplate amps is known as FLA ( full load amps ) the amps it is expected to draw at full load , not peak amps. Peak amps is much higher known as inrush or starting amps. Keep em coming 👍
A few years ago the power went out in our neighborhood. It was a hot day and I wanted the house AC on. My AC unit said about 9 amps FLA. I did the math and saw that my 5000 watt generator had enough power to run it. Every time I started the AC the generator unit would stall. Later on I found that when an AC unit starts its peak amp draw can be 4 to 5 times FLA. My generator could not handle the peak load to get it going.
New sub. This was great. All the info I needed, and none of it I didn't. (And the electrical lesson was super helpful, especially about why to use 230v!)
The only thing I would suggest for the newbies is showing the correct type of plug to use for each type of voltage (the angle of each of the blades and the direction). 115 v, the blades usually are vertical, and 230 v. the blade on the left is vertical, the blade on the right is horizontal, and the ground is still in the middle.
Woodworker here. One of the best things I ever did was put 220V in my shop and wired the table saw for 220v. Can run big thick oak with very little bogging down. Also at 11:19, you can unplug the motor from the switch with the 2' pigtail...
I left a thumbs up .. even though I live in a 220V 1ph country, and have never come across a dual voltage single phase motor (doesn't mean they don't exist!) - but I did just have my 3ph 415V motor re-wired for 220V 3ph, so found myself curious :)
Nice explanation! (I am an electricity teacher) In Belgium we have 1 phase 230V or 3 phases 400V (some small areas still run on 3 phases 230V) thus even less loss for powerfull machines ! Some middle power machines even use 2 of the 3 phases to run on a "single phase" 400V... Note that in the labs at school we have 3x230V for safety : 3x230V "stings" when you touch a wire... 3x400V can really hurt (you could "stick" and not be able to get away...) => always have a good grounding !
In Alberta Canada we use 120/240split phase in residential wires. Industrial typically 347/600/3ph. Big commercial is 277/480/3ph typically. That 347 lighting is a sonofabich if you get polked...by the way as an apprentice I let the smoke out of a whole circuit of sodium ballasts by accidently including another hot into circuit. Syncrude Canada was not very happy. They weren't all that mad either, that was a massive snfu but oil was at 150 a barrel. Nobody died. Great fn day!
When we lose speed in a motor. Here we check fuses first, if a phase is out we say single phased as well. But it is never enginieered in. Always run 3ph on all three phase motor.
Hey I just want to say thank you very much cleared up me refresh my mind gave me the insight to see what I had to do and thank you very much cleared my head up
I had that very model Jet saw, 1999/12 date code. And I rewired it back to 115V for the next owner when I upgraded to my SawStop eight years ago. Deja vu
Excellent explanation! Easy to understand, thorough and not condescending. Perfect. Thank you very much. I'm replacing the worn out motor on my metal lathe with a more powerful dual voltage motor and now I am confident it will go smoothly.
Great Video I.A GUNSMITH BUT JUST GOT THREW BUILDING A 3 X 72 INCH SANDER I did not know with motor to use on it till I saw this video. Now I know to go with 230 v to be more cost eff. thanks
Another very enjoyable and informative video which taught me a bit more to decrease my ignorance and fear of tackling another electrical task! On another topic, I hope you will possibly make it possible for us electronical ability lacking people to be able to buy a kit from you so I can convert my Grizzly G0602 lathe to replicate your ELS. Nudge Nudge wink wink😎😎😎
Lol... I was setting up a bandsaw earlier this week and noticed that I could change the voltage. You're in my head! BTW, that saw was entirely too clean to be 19 years old.
Looks like a Precision Matthews label perhaps on the larger crate. I'm going to guess it's a PM940 mill. Moving that spindle to a beefier machine, perhaps?
I think there may also be a cost benefit for using the full 220, as you are presenting a balanced load to the utility meter. Great explanation though. Can't wait to see the Christmas unwrapping! lol
The benefit I’ve experienced rewiring my shop tools to 220 from 110 has been the smoother startup, due to less inrush current. Also the reduced voltage drops on extension cords, as James described, helped get more power to the carbide tips.
Great video I truly appreciate people in the know!! I have a question regarding a 110 explosion-proof Chinese made exhaust fan- This unit arrived without any electrical cord or exposed wires to connect an electrical cord with a plug the motor is sealed and easy to get to can I remove the screws holding the sealed motor cover so I can connect an electrical cord without compromising the motor and seal?? thank you, PATRICK.P
Great explanation and real example, Thank you. Do you know if it is problematic to rewire motors from 115v to 230v if they were not purposed for that from the factory? I mean does most motors have two coils inside, if they were set for 115v operation or it varies a lot from motor to motor, from your experience? I question this as I am planning to buy a unit that has a compressor and some motor that set to 115v and I want to use them at 230v without transformer. Thank you
Admittedly I am an absolute babe in the woods when it comes to powering tools of this size, especially when it comes to using an inverter situation like I am. Your video was great, I do have one question. Is the special 220 plug a residential thing? Can I change the wiring and plug it into my inverter with the regular 110v plug?
THANK YOU!! I have been wondering about this very subject for months, maybe years and every time I have looked for an explanation I go away more confused than I was before I started to look for an explanation. I am not sure I will make any changes to my machines, but I know how to make the change. If my table saw motor (for example) doesn’t have 115/230 on the plate, but if it is an induction motor like yours, can it still be wired to handle either voltage? Another question: given the positives to using 230v over 115v (lower voltage drop, lower heat build-up, less likely to pop a breaker), why would you return your machines to 115?
Oops, sorry, I should have read down the comments and I would have found you have sold the machines and the new owner wants 115, not 230. Sorry about that.
nice video production ... if only i could find a presentation for hooking up a 110/220v (120/240v) dual current tool that came with a typical 110v plug already installed ... to a 220v source. Cant just plug er in since the prongs will differ - suppose that plug needs changed out - not sure since i've heard the machines inside circuitry identifies which is being applied - of course the products manual is of zero help.
Our 230V pump died so I switched it to 115V, just for safe testing with a 115V line/extension cord. Ran fine on 115V, but never in 230V.. Im praying its just the voltage-switch contacts (no-multimeter)? I know in series/230V an open-winding=no-current, but while in parallel/115V, could having only one good winding be enough for the motor to spin??
New to me a rockwell delta 10/12 Inch radial arm saw. Came to me w/o a plug but told it was 220,removed cover plate that has wiring config by color wires.dilema is the wiring does not match 120 or 220,I did notice a start capacitor labeled 110 is not wired in the circuit.The two wires that appear to be out of place are a blue and a black wire.any ideas ?
something else you can do especially if you work at a tool shop and repair things is to take the power cable and place the plug in your pocket.others can see that and you know if you dont feel it to track it and verify no one plugged it in.i did that a lot at a few places and had others do it as well.
can somebody help me.... i got a c frame 120v ac motor and i got a positive, negative, and ground wire. where on the motor or the cage that the motors on do i put it?
My son put a bigger motor on his table saw and gave me one just like this one (Rewiring Motors for 110V / 220V). My saw is an old Craftsman with the motor mounted on the other side of the blade so I need to revers it so my blade turns the correct direction for my saw. Can I switch some wires on this motor (mine looks just like yours) to change rotation? Or maybe switch the fan and pully and run the blade from the other side of the motor?
That's my table saw! And I run mine on 230v, like all my other machines. But I have wondered if a motor will last longer if it is run on the higher voltage?
Very informative. Just one question. By changing voltage from 220 to 110, why doesn't it require changing the start capacitor rating? I'm a bit confused of that.
I think the start winding and capacitor are wired internally in parallel with one of the two run coils, so whether the whole motor is wired in parallel (for 120) or in series (for 240) the start coil and capacitor are always seeing 120.
I realize this is an older post but it looks essentially the same as what I’m dealing with. My question is …. Is it possible to reverse the direction of the motor u are showing? And if so how? I really appreciate any information. Thank u
Interesting - if in the USA - which of course a lot of your viewers are James, and I do also realise that you have kept it deliberately simple. But some viewers are not US based and I think maybe a nod in that direction - comply with local regulations, laws etc, would not go amiss, not just on your electrical videos but all the ones posted on the 'net. As you will know there can be very big differences and it is not just voltage and frequency that matter. For example protective conductor arrangements, aka 'earth' or 'ground' can differ wildly with significant implications. Kind regards. BobUK.
