BeanAnimal
Premium Member
Herbert:
This is largely a misconception. If you look at the ampacity for the wire we are dealing with you will find that there really is no difference for most household loads over the wire size and distances that are typical for the subject at hand. Power factor and the type of load play a large role. Resistive loads and motors behave differently. The effects of increased voltage become beneficial when a given wire size is pushed to the point where it gives off heat and a load such as a motor must draw more current to run. A resistive load however will just run at the lower voltage (due ot the sag in the line) AND NOT draw more current. These loses are so small that the typical reef tank (or household) will not benefit from the change to 220v branch circuits. Our household loads are constant and do not become bogged down, therefore power factor changes and rcurrent surge are not issues the need to be addressed by "larger pipes with less resistance".
In other words the differences between 110/220 could be measured over a long period of time but would likely not be worth the trouble of converting to. The outcome is different when you look at motors that have tremendous startup current requirements or become severely bogged down. A machine shop is a good example. However, 3-phase is even more of a savings than balanced 220v and is more commonly used in large current applications.
This subject has been debated over and over. I have merely outlined the basic conclusions and will avoid the detailed technical conversation and numbers. A search even here at RC will provide support from a techniocal standpoint for those so inclined. Suffice to say, that switching your reef to 220v is a wasted expense in all but the most extreme cases.
Bean
This is largely a misconception. If you look at the ampacity for the wire we are dealing with you will find that there really is no difference for most household loads over the wire size and distances that are typical for the subject at hand. Power factor and the type of load play a large role. Resistive loads and motors behave differently. The effects of increased voltage become beneficial when a given wire size is pushed to the point where it gives off heat and a load such as a motor must draw more current to run. A resistive load however will just run at the lower voltage (due ot the sag in the line) AND NOT draw more current. These loses are so small that the typical reef tank (or household) will not benefit from the change to 220v branch circuits. Our household loads are constant and do not become bogged down, therefore power factor changes and rcurrent surge are not issues the need to be addressed by "larger pipes with less resistance".
In other words the differences between 110/220 could be measured over a long period of time but would likely not be worth the trouble of converting to. The outcome is different when you look at motors that have tremendous startup current requirements or become severely bogged down. A machine shop is a good example. However, 3-phase is even more of a savings than balanced 220v and is more commonly used in large current applications.
This subject has been debated over and over. I have merely outlined the basic conclusions and will avoid the detailed technical conversation and numbers. A search even here at RC will provide support from a techniocal standpoint for those so inclined. Suffice to say, that switching your reef to 220v is a wasted expense in all but the most extreme cases.
Bean
