Wiring residential homes with 240 volts is a necessity for powering some heating and cooling equipment as well as some large appliances. The 220 volt circuits as they were known prior to the 1960s are now commonly known as 240 volt circuits and 110 volt circuits are now 120 volt circuits.
Wiring Diagram 220 Volt Service Wiring Diagram
220 volt circuit breaker wiring diagram. Assortment of 220 breaker box wiring diagram. This type of breaker consists of two stacked 110 volt breakers and because of this its often known as a double pole or two gang breaker. 220 volt circuit breaker some powerful appliances require extra juice so they need 220 volt lines and outlets which draw electricity from 220 volt electric panels. In some quarters the term 220 volt has become synonymous with 240 volt which in most countries has become the dominant standard just as 120 volt circuits have replaced 110. The white wire is used for hot in this circuit and it is marked with black tape on both ends to identify it as such. Wiring a 220 plug at the panel the two hot wires should be connected to a double pole 20 amp circuit breaker and the neutral wire should be connected to the neutral bus.
This circuit breaker wiring diagram illustrates installing a 20 amp circuit breaker for a 240 volt circuit. A typical 240 volt 30 amp circuit includes a double pole circuit breaker which has two terminals for the two hot wires. All 220 volt wiring is to a dedicated circuit breaker which means you cant tie into another circuit. A 220 volt breaker differs from a 120 volt breaker in several ways. Most of the circuit breakers in a typical residential panel control 110 volt circuits but every panel usually also has at least one 220 volt breaker. The wires usually are black or red but one may be white if it is labeled as hot with a black or red stripe near each end.
To understand how a 240 volt also known as 220 volt household circuit works you should first know a little bit about how a regular 120 110 volt circuit worksif you are at all familiar with residential electrical wiring then you probably already know that in most cases appliances and fixtures connect to three wires. Understanding 220 or 240 volt electrical circuits. This is because it is basically two 120 volt breakers bonded into one unit. Instead of having one wire attached to the breaker the 220 volt breaker has two wires attached to it. A wiring diagram is a streamlined conventional photographic depiction of an electric circuit. It shows the components of the circuit as simplified forms and also the power as well as signal links between the gadgets.
The 122 gauge cable for this circuit includes 2 conductors and 1 ground. A 240 volt 3 wire receptacle has three prongs two hot and one ground to accept a 3 prong plug. The 220 volt breaker is twice as thick as a 120 volt breaker. Running a wire from a new breaker in the breaker panel to a workshop area in the basement for a 240 volt circuit for my table saw and bandsaw. The most obvious difference is the size.