Variable voltage 220v Appliance (Type I) to 110v (Type B) socket,

[Mr. Deeds]

Hello everybody,

I am not an electrician or anything of the sort, but figured that this would be the best place to ask my question.

I have a 220v heating appliance with a Chinese Type I plug. The appliance has a volatge regulator knob that allows voltage to be varied anywhere between 0v and 220v.
It came with an adapter for a US outlet but the adapter isnt grounded and I am having a hard time trying to find an adapter and or step up/down converter
1.Are there any cost-effective options that I have not found?

2.Using the adapter (it doesnt convert voltage), a 220v appliance in a 110v socket shouldn't trip a circuit breaker correct? At most I run the risk of damaging the appliance (it wasnt expensive in the first place).

3. If running the appliance at 110v, will this provide 110v or does the rule still apply that only 1/4th of the power will be provided?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Please could you give more specific details of the appliance and/or pics of the relevant parts. You describe it as a heating appliance but also that it has a voltage regulator, implying that it produces an electrical output between 0V and 220V, which is not normal for a heating appliance. Some appliances have a voltage selector, enabling the appliance to operate on a choice of voltages, e.g. 110, 120, 220, 230, 240, but this does not seem to be what you are describing.

What happens when you attempt to operate a 220V heating device on 120V depends on its design. If it just has a heating element, it will only get approximately one third as hot. If it is thermostatically controlled, it might reach working temperature but be very slow to heat, or might not reach working temperature. However, if it includes a fan motor or similar, then attempting to operate it at too low a voltage may be dangerous, since the fan might not operate properly and despite the lower heat input, it could overheat.

 

[Mr. Deeds]

The device is a 220v heating mantle, with fiberglass wrapped heating coil(s).

It has an analogue Voltage Indicator and a knob that can vary the voltage in between 0 and a 300v, with 220v being in the "green" zone on the voltmeter. I will provide the specs. It is a shoddy mantle but hope to work with it that least a little before I ---- it for a better one soon. I can take a phot of it later when I'm home but I hope this helps! Thanks for the quick reply!

Specs:
220v
250W power
0-380°C temp range
Runs Continuous.
5.0 Accuracy Class

Type I plug. There is no fan in it but the bottom of the mantle has a vented cover.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Still a bit ambiguous so let's see the pics. Do you mean the meter (indicator) is scaled 0-300V or the control knob? If it is the meter, then that does not imply anything about the permissible input voltage, it's just a standard 300V panel meter. It allows you to monitor the heating element voltage and fine-tune it back to 220V if your supply varies. How much adjustment range the control will provide depends on how it is made. +/- 20% is typical, which would accommodate a range of 198 - 242V input.

Before the days of electronic regulation, this was a common configuration for voltage-critical AC applications like film projector lamps.

 

[Mr. Deeds]

Here is a stock photo but mine is the exact same.

And yes the +20% is correct for this mantle as well.

 

[Megawatt]

Hello everybody,

I am not an electrician or anything of the sort, but figured that this would be the best place to ask my question.

I have a 220v heating appliance with a Chinese Type I plug. The appliance has a volatge regulator knob that allows voltage to be varied anywhere between 0v and 220v.
It came with an adapter for a US outlet but the adapter isnt grounded and I am having a hard time trying to find an adapter and or step up/down converter
1.Are there any cost-effective options that I have not found?

2.Using the adapter (it doesnt convert voltage), a 220v appliance in a 110v socket shouldn't trip a circuit breaker correct? At most I run the risk of damaging the appliance (it wasnt expensive in the first place).

3. If running the appliance at 110v, will this provide 110v or does the rule still apply that only 1/4th of the power will be provided?

Many thanks in advance!

Me Deeds welcome to the forum and you say it’s 220vac and it’s got a Chinese plug. Did any drawings come with the heater ? Since European and Chinese use 1 wire which is 220 vac and a neutral. In the US we have 1 wire that gives 120vac and a neutral it seems to me and that worked you should get 50% out off the heater. My advice is please call an electrician, I think you might be in over your head on this one no harm intended. When you start modifying or not following the instructions you could damage the heater. Good luck