What is the difference between 240 volts and 120 volts

Higher voltage ratings of , , , and volts are for switches, receptacles, bulbs, and certain loads. These ratings indicate the upper limit of voltage for a device or load to operate properly under normal conditions. Lower voltage ratings of , , and volts are for loads appliances, motors, etc. These ratings indicate the lower limit of voltage for proper operation under normal conditions.

However, they are also the most common form of wasted electricity power losses in a garden. The power loss or lost energy is given off as unwanted heat such as that from a hot standard HID ballast.

This wasted energy turns into heat, which is why ballasts are hot. Just added to your cart. Continue shopping. Access Denied. You may think that the safe route, then, is to simply go with volt outlets throughout your home. But as it turns out, both the volt and volt alternatives can be beneficial, depending on your needs and appliances.

Most everyday appliances only need enough electricity for a volt outlet. Microwaves, refrigerators, and dishwashers are examples of examples that will function perfectly fine on volt outlets. You will recognize these outlets anywhere in your home. But in some situations, volt wiring and outlets may be required. A number of your appliances require more than volt to run adequately and reliable. For your home, that means planning your electricity carefully is an absolute necessity.

You need to know exactly where your stove, washing machine, and dyer will be located in order to ensure that your wiring is adequate for optimum function. Should you ever need to replace an outlet or wire, you need to know what type of conductor and wire strength will be necessary. Every appliance will inevitably break down at some point. If you want to save money and undergo that repair yourself, you need to understand exactly how electricity and the different types of current play into your repair efforts.

Twice the electrical power or energy in current or amps can be delivered on a 12 wire by doubling the voltage and holding the current unchanged, for example at 20 amps. Doubling both voltage and also doubling the amperage would deliver four times the power or energy. But doubling the power or energy expressed more-accurately current measured in amps does not mean that we cut our electrical bill in half.

This definition is not very helpful to consumers. Using a water-in-pipes analogy, volts is analogous to water "pressure" in the electrical system. Having higher "pressure" in a pipe or electrical conductor means that conductor is capable of delivering more energy to the user. Mathematically the following simplified formula relates volts, watts, and amps in an electrical circuit.

The watts consumed and therefore the size of your electric bill for running a water pump or other electric motors will be almost exactly the same regardless of whether you are running the pump wired at Volts or Volts.

Using an imperfect "water pressure" analogy, sending water through a pipe to move a water wheel, if we double the pressure volts at which we are supplying water energy to push the wheel, the number of gallons per minute amps we need to do the same work is cut in half. So if we keep our pipe and water wheel and all else the same, but send water through the pipe to push the wheel at psi, we would need half as much water quantity measured in gallons per minute or "amps" to turn the wheel at the same rate as if we were pushing on the wheel at psi.

Electrical motor voltages are similar in this regard. If we have an electric motor that is designed to run at either V or V not all of them are then the label on the motor will tell us that at V pressure or potential the pump motor will draw about twice as much amperage current as at V. With this example, if our electric pump motor draws The electric meter at a building measures electricity usage in kilowatt hours KWH.

If you run a W electric heater for one hour, you've just used 1 KWH of electricity. So the pump is costing essentially exactly the same to run at either voltage level. Most electric motors will be a little easier to start turning at higher voltage. And for the same amperage draw, at V a smaller diameter circuit wire may be permitted - thus the circuit is a little less costly.

Finally, on a long circuit, the voltage drop due to resistance of the wire itself will be less at V than at V. However, separately, some experts point out that higher voltage circuits are potentially more dangerous. In sum, the electric bill is about the same, but at V the pump has a little easier time starting, it may thus have a little longer life, and the wiring might be less costly.

The improvements in efficiency of use of electrical power is slightly better at higher voltages less energy loss but running a water pump will not be noticeably more or less costly between the two options. Our photo at left shows the data tag inside of a pump pressure control switch and shows that the switch might be wired for either V or V if other site conditions and equipment specifications permit.

It's a well known fact it is more economical to use that rather that household current. Certain facts come from hands on experience and general wisdom that age and experience provides, Not all things are "by the book" or apparent by simple math equations. The pump pressure control switch in our photo at left has contacts that permit it to be wired to operate at either V or V. But we don't know if the pump motor itself can run at either voltage.

First make sure that the pump motor and control are labeled to indicate that either voltage level is permitted with the equipment you have installed. Second we don't know that the pump motor, even if it can run at V, will not also require a heavier-duty pump control switch than this relay.