ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades European Power Tools

A global standard? Crazy talk!

Ahh OK, 165V would be FAR too low here.
I doubt there will ever be a standard voltage the world over, John, especially when you consider you guys are still using imperial electricity, as opposed to our metric electricity, it is the future!

Not necessarily a contradiction - several German systems supplied a PEN along with the two or three phases of a 127/220V system which was solely used as a ground. Of course this only allowed/allows for TN-C-S and not TN-C (IMO about the most dangerous invention in the history of electricity).

I think mostly systems were standardized at 220/380V to allow for the use of standardized larger motors and other true 3 phase appliances in small workshops and other light commercial locations. Today, even many DIY appliances (garden mulchers, table saws,...) are available in more powerful 400V versions.

Switzerland seems to be the only country with ranges that use 400V elements connected phase to phase, more modern ones with a neutral supplied for control and lighting circuits. All others (except commercial models) are 230V only internally and can be used with any combination providing these. New ranges are supplied with a bunch of copper jumpers and the installer has to make sure they are connected to match the existing supply. These terminals are typically L1, L2, L3, N, N, PE and have to be jumpered according to the present supply. For example a 230/400V install would jumper terminals 4 and 5 and connect them to the neutral wire, the others to the corresponding phases. 230V single phase operation: jumper the aforementioned as well as 1, 2 and 3 connecting them to the phase wire, et cetera.

Steve, our voltages work in a different way down here.
How can you discount a conductor like a neutral as not necessary?

If the appliance is designed to have a neutral, yes, you need a neutral or it won't work right. If it's designed to operate off 2 wires, then it doesn't matter.

Given the odd ratio involved with three phase power, the only practical way to make a resistive element appliance work on either single phase or three phase is to have 3 elements that provide 1/3 of the heating. They are wired parallel for single phase, and star (wye) for three phase (including possibly without the neutral attached). Dual voltage single phase (as in North America) has the option to use 2 elements in either parallel for the lower voltage or series for the higher voltage (and the neutral is not needed unless its 2 phases of a 3 phase system). So there are a lot of possible wiring options, and a neutral is no always necessary. But having elements designed for direct phase to phase connection (whether three phase or single phase) sacrifices alternatives.

Something tells me that warranty claims on ranges in Switzerland might be a bit higher than the norm with connection options like that. We are lucky to get DIY's to provide a strain-relief, connector, bushing, etc. for final connections to appliances. I don't even want to think of the thousands of improperly grounded ranges and dryers that are out there due to their thinking "a ground is a neutral and a neutral is a ground".

The options described are not Swiss but rather apply to most other Continental European countries. Switzerland doesn't offer that many options, they connect the elements phase to phase, either all elements between two phases or split over all 3 phases.
In Austria ranges are simply not designed to be installed by DIYers and largely it seems to work. I didn't connect too many myself but the new ones I installed came without any connections made, forcing the installer to install the provided jumpers in the necessary positions. Schematics are printed right next to the terminals.

So ranges in Europe are hardwired via whips like HVAC equipment and water heaters in the US?

I can't say for all of Europe, but all of the ones I've seen in Scotland are.