Converting UK appliance for USA use

[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?

TIA Kevin

[jamesgangnc]

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?

[EXT]

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

[RBM]

You are correct, it should work fine. If their voltage is actually 250, it will be slightly cooler at 240

[Stormin Mormon]

Sounds like it should work. As you say, with a resistance load, the hertz (cycles per second) makes little difference.

[Kevin]

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

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.

[Kevin]

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

Kev> Kev> > I have an iron which is designed specifically for use on the cloth of

[Kevin]

True.... but not enough to matter I think.

Kevin.

[Kevin]

Yes... I used the wrong term. Should have said resistive heating rather than inductive.

Kevin.

Storm> Sounds like it should work. As you say, with a resistance

[Bob Villa]

They say golf is a man's game...but it is actually snooker! (sorry ladies!)

bob_v

[trader4]

Probably not even cooler. All the irons I've seen for clothes have a thermostat that cycles them on and off. Would suspect this is probably the same, since they would want to make sure it doesn't get so hot it burns the cloth.

[Stormin Mormon]

No worries, mate. School marm won't be at the flat for a bit. Have a cuppa, watch the telly, and catch a quick lay down. It should be painfully obvious that I'm not English!

[stan]

Should be fine, and along with checking no contact between what was the neutral and the frame make sure the 'Earth' is connected to the ground pin of the outlet. We have done same thing here and have 230- volt outlets at our three work benches. We use therm for a) Welder b) Bench saw c) 230 De Walt tool battery charger etc. BTW a 10% increase/decrease in voltage is approximately a 20% increase/ decrease in wattage! Since most appliances are thermostatically or otherwise controlled it makes little difference especially with a resistive heater type device.