Moving back home

[Buter]

Hello boys

I'm moving back to the states and I'm wondering if it's worth taking my gear. I've got a Thermal Arc TIG unit and a Lincoln plasma. Common sense tells me that, at the very least, the Lincoln should work in the US with a different plug, but being wrong is one of my less endearing qualities.

Can I take my machines to the US and use them?

Cheers

Buter

 

[BrokenBiker]

its not the plug that is the issue, its the frequency of mains power. Uk is 50Hz usa is 60Hz. That said a lot of modern stuff if designed to cope with both. Its cheaper to make a one unit works everywhere machine rather than separate machines for separate places. It should say on the data plate whether it is ok for 60hz

 

[Buter]

My guess was that they would work on both coasts, but it was the voltage I was concerned with.

 

[BrokenBiker]

220 in usa is same as our 230/240 here. There are working tolerances either side of the voltage value which all fall into line as being pretty much the same.

you cant however run your kit on 110, that just wont work.

if it is 415V 3 phase then that is exactly the same here and there

 

[Buter]

And that's what I was expecting to hear. It's also what I was afraid of.

So I guess no matter what I do, I'll have to have the shop (garage) plumbed with 220 or 3 phase. Bummer.

So nice over here to just put a 32a breaker in, plug in and go, eh?

Thanks, dude.

Buter

 

[CRB]

Ask SHenion.

 

[rikrobson]

The real question is about the shipping costs. Has your better half left enough room for your toys
I thought that most large us houses had 220 Mains for the garagexand utilities. 60 vs 50 hz should not matter. Most stuff is rectified anyway

 

[penfold]

60 vs 50 hz should not matter. Most stuff is rectified anyway

Anything with an inverter in it is more or less immune to frequency, so taking it to the states will not be a problem, but checking the spec plate on the machine or in the manual will give a definitive answer.

 

[skotl]

And that's what I was expecting to hear. It's also what I was afraid of.

So I guess no matter what I do, I'll have to have the shop (garage) plumbed with 220 or 3 phase. Bummer.

So nice over here to just put a 32a breaker in, plug in and go, eh?

Thanks, dude.

Buter

I'm mildly confused, but that's not unusual. As Brokenbiker says, 230/240 here is the same as 220V over there. Are you saying that you know that your new home/workshop only has 110V? A lot of newish U.S. homes have 220V feeds, especially in the kitchen, so you could get an electrician to run a separate fused spur from the 220V feed to the garage / workshop. In the UK, that's probably a £500 job and I'd expect it to be less in the U.S.

All told, it's probably a combination of the shipping costs and electrician costs that will tell you whether it's worth it.

Having said that, a 110V feed needs twice as much power to produce the same amps for your welder, so a 220V feed in the garage is a decent investment.

Enjoy the land of the free!