110VAC from 220VAC How to?

[mx842]

You don't need to be an electrician to see that what he wants to do is a bad idea.

Come to think of it, I doubt there are any automotive engineers on this forum. We probably shouldn't be trading advice on tractor repair, either.

Exactly! Just because something will work don't mean it is right or not dangerous. People give their ideas or opinions on things here that make some people shake their heads and laugh where others take these ideas and make good use of them. Electricity is dangerous and 110/120 will kill you just as fast as 10,000 V. But that is the same with pretty much anything big and small, big tractors/small tractors, big cars/small cars......

Doing this as a permanent fix is a bad idea, yeah you would get the 110v needed to run your light but you also stand a chance of having stray current roaming throughout the whole house. The guy that hooked this up to begin with was just lucky but that don't mean this luck will hold up though.

We all share advice or ideas on things here and in real life and that is a good thing in my opinion. That's how you learn new things and expand your knowledge but you have to realize that this new invention that Al Gore helped to create called the internet can be misleading. Some people truly want to be helpful and share what has worked for them where others just want to stir up trouble or pass on bad information just to see what happens.

I don't think we want to shut down sites like these just because a few want to be wise guys because most folks are smart enough to see the difference. I look at it like this, someone throws a question out to the board and people read it and respond with what they feel is good sound advice. They may have done this a hundred times and got away with it and in their heart they feel it is the fix all answer that the OP is looking for. When in fact this idea may or may not be good reliable information you have to sort through it and decide for yourself if you are indeed capable of making this repair, if you have the tools and know how to use them well enough to do the work and finally if you have the time to do such a task to begin with. Basically it all boils down to what one of my favorite action movie characters said once about a man and his limitations and a question he asked his prey before he shot him full of .44 mag holes, Do you feel lucky....PUNK?:laughing:

A man and his limitations is what most of it comes down to. He is the one that is ultimately responsible for what happens when he flips on the switch. It don't matter who is giving out the free information......he could be the smartest man in the world but it's the person on the other side of the keyboard that has to either marvel at his success or deal with the agony of defeat.

Another thing is that on sites like this there is normally enough good people that are really knowledgeable about any number of topics that can help you sort through The good The bad and The ugly stuff so that most folks can decide weather to try it on their own or to get someone else to help them with the project.

 

[MossRoad]

Schmism, I'd really like to know why you think this?

All of this makes sense except the part about "The sub panel must have a main breaker less than or equal to the breaker it was wired off of in the main panel."

Why the only function of the main breaker at the subpanel is to serve as a On/Off switch since the circuit feeding the subpanel is protected by the breaker in main panel that feeds that circuit.

TractorByNet.com - Compact Tractor Forum

I think he thinks that because it is probably the code.

In most places, if you run one circuit it needs to start with one circuit breaker.

If you run two or more circuits they all have to start with their own breaker.

Lets say you have a small un-attached garage with no power. You can legally run one circuit to it for lighting and power from your house's breaker panel.

Now let's say you want two seperate circuits in that garage; one for lighting and a second one for power. You cannot legally run two seperate wires from your house to that garage. You have to run one wire to a sub-panel in the garage and then branch off the two circuits from that sub-panel.

Why? Because two wires provides two paths for the electricity between the two buildings. That is not code and should not be done for safety reasons.

Now, in your case, you have one circuit feeding your well. You want to branch off of that circuit to feed your barn.
First, it is not legal.
Second, it is not safe.

If you do what he says, you would disconnect the well pump and use that wiring to install a sub-panel. Then you would branch off two circuits from that sub-panel. One to feed the well and the other to feed the barn.


However, after reading all of this discussion, and you only want temporary power to your barn, why not just use an extension cord or generator???


Also, it is pretty clear that you don't have a good understanding of proper electrical wiring and several folks here are worried that you may die a needless death, or worse, electricute someone else that happens to grab a circuit in your barn or yard. At least you have the common sense to ask... that is your brain telling you something.... :thumbsup: Either use a properly rated extension cord for you temporary power, or use a properly grounded generator, or get a qualified electrician to help you out. We'd hate to see you get fried, that's all.

 

[dieselscout80]

I guess I was not clear Im not going to try to get 110VAC from a three wire 220VAC circuit.

But if I fix things and install a panel/cutoff at the well why would the breaker at the well need to be smaller than the breaker where the circuit begins at my home Main Breaker box. The breaker in the house is what protects the circuit to the well.

The link I provided explains the concept.

Ps where did a barn or any building idea come from??

The well is 100' from the corner of the house. Twelve two wire is buried from the house to the well. At the well is there's other twelve two run from the well 400' to a old pen where there one outlet and a light mounted on a tree. We are building a tree house in a near by tree for our son. The tree house will not have electricity.

 

[grsthegreat]

I guess I was not clear Im not going to try to get 110VAC from a three wire 220VAC circuit.

But if I fix things and install a panel/cutoff at the well why would the breaker at the well need to be smaller than the breaker where the circuit begins at my home Main Breaker box. The breaker in the house is what protects the circuit to the well.

The link I provided explains the concept.

the breaker at the well end needs to be the SAME size as the breaker where it originated. If you have a 4 wire run ( 2 hots, a neutral and a ground) then yes, you can take a 110 off of one of the hots, the neutral and the ground.

when i re-read the original link, you did state that there is a 3 wire run..not a 4 wire. I also noted that you only want to do this for a temporary 110 circuit. If its only going to be for a day or so, you can disconnect the pump temporarily and re-hookup the wiring to a 110 circuit while you need it, then convert everything back to 220 when your done.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I'm confused, giving advice to people on when to give advice is ok even if it is not tractor related? :laughing: Just joking with you..

The op never said he was making this permanent, just looking for a temporary solution to get power 500' from his house on an existing non energized wire.

Here's another "temporary" wiring solution.
Put a receptacle on the end of the wire at the pig pen, and a plug on the end of the wire at the pump, you now have a 400' extension cord. run an extension cord from the house (GFI) outlet to the well and plug in your 400' extension cord. You will have about a 10V drop at 500' on #12 wire while running a circular saw, but should work for what you want to do.

Personally, I'd still use a generator.

Disclaimer: I am not an Electrician, but I play one on TBN :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Ps where did a barn or any building idea come from??
.

I was using an outbuilding as an example, since it was not clear what was at either end of the runs, that's all.

Electricity, water well, buried 12-2 400' to a tree with an outlet and light and trying to get 110 from a three wire 220 circuit sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. There is no "ground" on that circuit. There's two hots and a neutral. So you pick one hot and the nuetral for 110 and go out to your treehouse and grab an ungrounded power tool and cut into a damp piece of lumber laying on the grass and be sure to come back here and tell us how that felt if you're still alive, O.K.? :cool2:

Good luck with your project.

 

[mx842]

I'm confused, giving advice to people on when to give advice is ok even if it is not tractor related? :laughing: Just joking with you..

The op never said he was making this permanent, just looking for a temporary solution to get power 500' from his house on an existing non energized wire.

Here's another "temporary" wiring solution.
Put a receptacle on the end of the wire at the pig pen, and a plug on the end of the wire at the pump, you now have a 400' extension cord. run an extension cord from the house (GFI) outlet to the well and plug in your 400' extension cord. You will have about a 10V drop at 500' on #12 wire while running a circular saw, but should work for what you want to do.

Personally, I'd still use a generator.

Disclaimer: I am not an Electrician, but I play one on TBN :laughing:

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[hr3]

This thread hasn't died yet,,

 

[SPYDERLK]

You don't need to be an electrician to see that what he wants to do is a bad idea.
Come to think of it, I doubt there are any automotive engineers on this forum. We probably shouldn't be trading advice on tractor repair, either.

Actually, if you know what you are doing, and have done when complete, and remember it, and the ground wire remains good, and nobody else fools with it ... it is safe. I ran 50A 220-110 on 2 hots and ground to my garage for years. When I sold the house I made it a 110 circuit only of course.
larry

 

[beppington]

Actually, if you know what you are doing, and have done when complete, and remember it, and the ground wire remains good, and nobody else fools with it ... it is safe. I ran 50A 220-110 on 2 hots and ground to my garage for years. When I sold the house I made it a 110 circuit only of course.
larry

As long as one remembers to that.