Question

What is the difference between 208, 220, 230, and 240 VAC systems?

Answer

In North America, the terms 220V, 230V, and 240V all refer to the same system voltage level. However, 208V refers to a different system voltage level.

In North America, the utility companies are required to deliver split phase 240VAC for residential use. That is two 120VAC (+/- 5 %) legs. With electrical loads, the voltage will drop, hence the common reference to voltages below 120 and 240, such as 110, 115, 220, and 230.

Very Important: When the drive is hooked up for single phase operation (it is a slight misnomer) L1 has a 120VAC hot and L3 has a 120VAC hot (of opposite polarity), for a total of 240VAC. The manual states that a neutral is used. However, the neutral is only used with European single phase 220 on a single leg.

The 208VAC system is not the same as 240VAC. It uses a "Y" style transformer with a neutral, and will yield 208VAC between two phases and 120VAC from hot to neutral.

We do not recommend using a corner grounded or midpoint tap grounded "delta" secondary style transformer. The phases are not all balanced; one phase is always tied to ground. The voltage mismatch can negatively influence the drive's performance.

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FAQ Subcategory: None

This item was last updated on 2021-02-17
Document ID: 834

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