L6-30 wire for 220V?

C

Chris Gruber

Sophomore
Jan 11, 2011
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Rodgers-town, Wisco
I am advancing for a show and are power options are 20 amp edison's and an L6-30 wired for 220v(see crappy paint diagram). Is this right? Seems strange as there is no ground. Can I use these and what will I need to do to connect? Current plug is a 14-50 range plug. I know I would be limited to 30 Amps even though the distro is 50 amps. Can I make(or buy) an adapter of sorts? Thanks. The numbers are what I metered between pins. Edited to say L6-30.
 

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Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

This is being fed from 2 phase legs of a 3 phase service. That's why you metered a nominal 208v. between the 2 hot legs.

There is no neutral, or the neutral is being used illegally as the ground... or there is no neutral and the receptacle is wired correctly for a 220v load that does not require a neutral such as an electric range, clothes dryer or room air conditioner. For those types of appliances, Code permits the use of the ground as neutral for timers, internal control circuits and small lights that require 120v.

In our contracts we specify either "100 amp, single phase (split phase), 4 wire service" or "100 amp 3 phase 5 wire service." "All electrical service shall have separate Neutral and Ground wires that are not bonded except at the point of service. If you are unsure please consult a licensed electrician and have him/her call us while on your premises."

You should not use this outlet.

Tim Mc
 
Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

Rob Timmerman said:
L6 is 2 hots and a ground, intended for equipment that needs to run at 220V (208V). It is not possible to make a legal adapter to 14-50 without a transformer, although if your 14-50 distro is feeding only line-line loads, you might be OK.
Click to expand...

Line-Line load? Is the transformer something a power rental company would have? This venue has a no tie-in policy, even with a licensed electrician. It is in a large banquet hall so I am guessing they use them for food warmers and such. So an illegal adapter would leave it ungrounded(still not gonna do it, but I have seen other people do it)? What other affects would that have on gear?
 
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Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

Chris Gruber said:
So can I plug the Itech directly into the L6-30?
Click to expand...

The I-Tech will handle the 208 volts just fine. The question is, is plugging a 20-amp rated cordset into a 30-amp plug going to be a problem? The I-Tech has a 20-amp breaker, but is leaving the short cord unprotected OK?

Also, are you OK with putting L6-30 plugs on your I-Tech cords? Did you notice that the cords the I-Techs come with for foreign (read: 240V) use are much smaller gauge than the American cord?

I literally am asking here- I don't know the code well enough to give an answer.

My strong recommendation, based on your limited knowledge of power distribution, is to not touch anything...just plug into the wall. If it's a gig big enough to warrant big power, then it should be big enough to pay an electrician to tie a distro in.
 
Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

How is anyone supposed to learn anything if no one will give them a non cryptic answer? How did you guys all learn about it? By asking questions I would assume. I am OK with putting different plugs on the cords. I also don't understand why, If the amp has a 20 amp breaker, will it trip a 20 amp breaker?
 
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Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

Tim gave you that answer in the second post down. He also went into great depth about what that plug is for and how it might be wired, correctly and not, should you find it in the field. Others then discussed how you might be able to use it and the risks involved. What kind of an explanation were you looking for?
 
Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

Thank you everyone for the replies. I guess my confusion came in with plugging the Itech into the outlet directly. Some say no to no ground and some say no to no neutral, how else would you hook up an amplifier that is designed to run on 220 with only a three wire cord. You are going to be without a neutral or without a ground, and hot to ground/neutral would both read 120v right? So what is the difference between not having a neutral and not having a ground?
 
Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

Chris Gruber said:
Thank you everyone for the replies. I guess my confusion came in with plugging the Itech into the outlet directly. Some say no to no ground and some say no to no neutral, how else would you hook up an amplifier that is designed to run on 220 with only a three wire cord. You are going to be without a neutral or without a ground, and hot to ground/neutral would both read 120v right? So what is the difference between not having a neutral and not having a ground?
Click to expand...

Each leg is 120v to neutral or 240v between legs on a regular split phase. It's like bridging an amp - you double the voltage. The ground is always there for safety and must always be there. Like the neutral, you'll get 120 to ground because they are bonded at the service entrance. Apart from needing the ground for safety, the ground, for a number reasons, is unsafe for use as a neutral. Some people will do something doubly dangerous by using the ground as a neutral (you then have a dangerous neutral conductor and no safety ground = BAD F***ING IDEA). The 208 volts is because it's two legs of a three phase service. The phase is offset, so they do not perfectly double. (This is a really truncated explanation)

I really suggest you read up on different types of three phase services. This is a great book:

"Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician"

http://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0240809955

If you need the motivation, I thought the book had one of the best prefaces I've read in a while:

There’s an ancient story of a martial arts master who attempts to give
one of his students, the “chosen one,” the secret to harnessing the power
of the universe. But the two of them discover that the sacred scroll con-
taining the secret is nothing but a blank reflective surface. Eventually,
the student realizes the true meaning of the scroll, that the power of the
universe is already inside of him. Armed with this newfound knowledge,
the student becomes the master and defeats the evil warrior.

You may recognize this ancient story as the plot of the movie Kung Fu
Panda. Yes, I realize that it’s a children’s animated movie about a noodle-
making panda bear with no formal martial arts training who is chosen
over five highly skilled experts to fulfill a prophecy by defeating the
villain. And I do realize that the movie is designed to appeal more to
the funny bone than to the think muscle. But as I was in the process of
writing the final chapter of this book, I took my 11-year-old daughter to
see this movie. I couldn’t help thinking that its message, that the greatest
power is inside of us all, is exactly the message that I want to convey to
you, the reader, about this book. The “sacred scroll” that you now hold
in your hands is nothing more than a highly reflective surface. It merely
reflects the incredible power of your mind to visualize, analyze, and
comprehend. That power is inside of you, and my hope is that this book
will help you bring it out.

But before you undertake the journey through these pages, take some
time to reflect on what it might take to reach your goals. How much
effort are you willing to put forth? How much time can you spend each
day working to achieve your desires? Someone once said that if you’re
interested in something you’ll do what’s convenient, but if you’re
passionate about something you’ll do whatever it takes. No student has
ever mastered a subject without making great sacrifices. It takes time,
dedication, hard work, contemplation, and concerted effort. It’s no
different whether we’re talking about the martial arts, theatre arts, per-
forming arts, or the art of mastering electricity.

The information contained in this book is not difficult, but it can be
challenging. Some of the concepts can challenge your ability to straddle
the line between abstract thought and real-world application. But if you
love the production arts as much as Po, the kung fu panda, loves food
and the martial arts, then you too are capable of impressive feats of art-
istry. All it takes now is for you to see your reflection in these pages. So
I challenge you to dive into this book with the same enthusiasm as a
panda bear fighting for a dumpling.

Namaste.
 
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Re: L5-30 wire for 220V?

This might help...

Picture 3.pngPicture 4.png

And to answer your question which I failed to above - with two hots and a ground you can safely get 240/208. With one hot, neutral and ground you can safely get 120. With two hots, one ground and one neutral, you can get both 240/208 and 120. Range plugs do this because the elements 240 but electronics are 120 (plus they often have convenience outlets), so both are needed. They are also useful for power distribution (ie CS/L14-30/etc) because you can have either. In short, with no neutral, there is no safe way to get 120.
 
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