Balanced Power

Ed, any time you have a circuit where the opposing phases cancel each other is also known as balanced power. Whether it be +60 and -60 or +120 and -120.

To the best of my knowledge anyway.

I've read many of the papers found on Equi=Tech's website some time ago. I believe those papers will substantiate my statements.

And Ed, please substitute amplifier for clothes dryer. It helps add credibility to my statements in my previous posting.

-IMO

I believe that Exactpower makes a unit that does this, for around $1k. You can't get there just by simple wiring changes to your existing house wiring; as stated above, you need an isolation transformer and they are not cheap.

Karls, what would be the purpose of an isolation transformer? Could you be thinking of a down converter?

A down converter would be required if somebody has set up a 230 volt circuit/line (balanced power) at the service panel with the intension of using that ciruit with 115 volt components.

-IMO

karls -

Good point, the important thing is that you can't rewire a breaker to get balanced power.

-Ed

For those that like to read, I've attached a url from Equi=Tech's website along with one paragraph:

http://www.equitech.com/articles/bpng.html.

Tphalieros, perhaps this is what your original inquiry was about. The defining paragraph states:

"Balanced AC is simply 120 Volts that has been split evenly across two AC mains. One phase is +60V while the other is -60V. The mains are always 180 degrees out of phase across the load and therefore sum to 120 Volts, the same voltage and frequency for which equipment power supplies were designed. In this case however, the reference potential (ground) has been located at the midpoint between the two mains so there is no "neutral" wire."

Hope this helps.

-IMO