3 to 2 prong death-daptor

For The Popcorn said:

I'm going to claim ignorance on that subject (since it's 12:30 am here). I don't recall what the incoming voltage was, and there's probably some magic to get it down to that. I recall seeing some explanation of what was going on and an explanation of how it got to 208v. I did measure it during one of those cold snaps to see why my heaters were running continuously.

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Three phase systems in the U.S., other than some very old installations don't have 240 or 230 volts phase to phase. They are specified as 208/125 when a neutral is present, although in industrial and agricultural applications where the power is only used for three phase delta motor loads it is common for the voltage to be around 214 volts P-P which runs the 230 volt motors well.
Also no magic, more likely transformer taps are involved.

How it works in the U.S.

The Electrician said:

How it works in the U.S.

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How it works when it works.

The US power grid(s) I see as being pretty fragile. The power went out in Texas and other states are just as vulnerable. Texas is a good example of everything going wrong at the worst possible time, like the perfect storm. A sagging power line up the road from me. Then the remanent storms from Hurricane Sandy had up out for days.

Here is how the power works in the US.

Ron

Make sure there is plenty of fuel too!

Worrying, this thread... !!!

Reloadron said:

Texas is a good example of everything going wrong at the worst possible time, like the perfect storm

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You can't compare the Texas incident to most of the rest of the country. They have a stand alone power grid, not connected to other states that could have supplied them with power, until they thawed out.

shortbus= said:

You can't compare the Texas incident to most of the rest of the country. They have a stand alone power grid, not connected to other states that could have supplied them with power, until they thawed out.

How the Texas Power Grid Works and Why It Failed

In the winter of 2021, Texas had days-long electricity blackouts due to power grid problems. What happened and how can they fix it going forward?

www.investopedia.com

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Haven't there also been massive cascading failures across multiple states a number of times in the past?.

shortbus= said:

You can't compare the Texas incident to most of the rest of the country. They have a stand alone power grid, not connected to other states that could have supplied them with power, until they thawed out.

How the Texas Power Grid Works and Why It Failed

In the winter of 2021, Texas had days-long electricity blackouts due to power grid problems. What happened and how can they fix it going forward?

www.investopedia.com

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Yes and I agree as to Texas I know they have their own grid. However Texas had nothing to do with the multistate blackout which began here in Ohio and not too far from us. My point here is that in general the US power grid is not in the best of shape. It's quite easily taken down. Ohio for a large part is supplied by First Energy. Prior to hurricane Sandy First Energy sent endless linemen to NY where they also have service. When Sandy made it this far west we were in the dark and most linemen were in NY. When Ohio went down here in the greater Cleveland area we also lost water. The pumping stations now have generator backup.

Anyway my point here in general is our power grid infrastructure is not quite in the best of shape and while better than many locations globally could use some upgrade.

Ron

Nigel Goodwin said:

Haven't there also been massive cascading failures across multiple states a number of times in the past?.

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Yes, the blackout in Ohio I mentioned cascaded to other adjacent states. That was in 2003 and things haven't improved much but on the bright side the water pumping stations now have diesel generator backup. During that blackout I just happen to have been running the kitchen sink and when the lights went out I noticed a pressure drop and started filling pots and buckets for dog water and toilet water. While the generator worked fine it couldn't get me water.

Ron