Converting UK appliance for USA use

Posted by Kevin on October 5, 2009, 3:03 pm

I have an iron which is designed specifically for use on the cloth of a
snooker, (like pool), table. It is from the UK and of course is 250V, and
has an internal fuse of 13 amps. I know that the UK system is 250V from
the phase leg to neutral. My question is, can I attach a 20 amp, 220V plug
and plug it into the 220V outlet that I have for my table saw? That would
mean connecting the neutral and phase wire of the UK cord, to the two phase
wires of my outlet, but seeing as it is purely an inductive heating load, I
suspect it will work without a problem. Am I correct on that score?

TIA
Kevin

Posted by jamesgangnc on October 5, 2009, 3:31 pm

> I have an iron which is designed specifically for use on the cloth of a
> snooker, (like pool), table. It is from the UK and of course is 250V, and
> has an internal fuse of 13 amps. I know that the UK system is 250V from
> the phase leg to neutral. My question is, can I attach a 20 amp, 220V plu=

> and plug it into the 220V outlet that I have for my table saw? That would
> mean connecting the neutral and phase wire of the UK cord, to the two pha=

> wires of my outlet, but seeing as it is purely an inductive heating load,=

> suspect it will work without a problem. Am I correct on that score?
> TIA
> Kevin

I agree it should work on the us 220. I would check with an meter to
make sure no exposed metal is connected to what would be the neutral
in the uk.

Odds are good you could achieve the same results with an ordinary us
iron though. What's so special about your pool table iron?

Posted by Kevin on October 6, 2009, 1:37 am

> I agree it should work on the us 220. I would check with an meter to
> make sure no exposed metal is connected to what would be the neutral
> in the uk.

That's a good point! I will be sure to do that.

> Odds are good you could achieve the same results with an ordinary us
> iron though. What's so special about your pool table iron?

Perhaps an ordinary iron would work, but this iron is specifically designed
for snooker tables. The surface of the iron is rectangular rather than 'pie'
shapped. Rather than ironing back and forward as you might with a shirt or
pair of pants, it is used in straight rows the length of the table and in
the direction of the cloth nap.... thus a rectangular surface ensures an
even amount of contact time across the row. Unlike ironing clothes, the
purpose is to lay down the nap of the wollen clothm rather than remove
wrinkles. Also the surface area is considerably larger than any regular
iron I have seen. This table has a playing area of 6 x 12 feet, so there
is a lot of area to cover, and the recommendation is to iron at least a
couple of times a week. Yes, I could probably have got by with a regular
iron, but I have spent a considerable amount to import this table from the
UK, and iron recommended by the vendor, was only a small part of the total.

Thanks for your reply,
Kevin.

Posted by EXT on October 5, 2009, 4:37 pm

> I have an iron which is designed specifically for use on the cloth of
> a snooker, (like pool), table. It is from the UK and of course is
> 250V, and has an internal fuse of 13 amps. I know that the UK system
> is 250V from the phase leg to neutral. My question is, can I attach a
> 20 amp, 220V plug and plug it into the 220V outlet that I have for my
> table saw? That would mean connecting the neutral and phase wire of
> the UK cord, to the two phase wires of my outlet, but seeing as it is
> purely an inductive heating load, I suspect it will work without a
> problem. Am I correct on that score?

Actually, North America is 240 volts now, even up to 250 volts, not 220.

Posted by Kevin on October 6, 2009, 1:41 am

Yes, I was aware the the 220 designation is nominal and varies depending on
factors such as distance from the transformer.

Kevin.

> > I have an iron which is designed specifically for use on the cloth of
> > a snooker, (like pool), table. It is from the UK and of course is
> > 250V, and has an internal fuse of 13 amps. I know that the UK system
> > is 250V from the phase leg to neutral. My question is, can I attach a
> > 20 amp, 220V plug and plug it into the 220V outlet that I have for my
> > table saw? That would mean connecting the neutral and phase wire of
> > the UK cord, to the two phase wires of my outlet, but seeing as it is
> > purely an inductive heating load, I suspect it will work without a
> > problem. Am I correct on that score?

> Actually, North America is 240 volts now, even up to 250 volts, not 220.

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