electrical parts

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
I am interested in buying a couple of 220V Swiss outlets to install in my home in the USA. I am unable to find any parts suppliers or any other way of finding what I want. Nelp please

2
Weird request, but the parts are easily sourced at any DIY shop, e.g. Jumbo, COOP Bau&Hobby, Migros Do-it, Honrnbach, OBI, Bauhaus etc. etc.

Why you would want to do so, and how you think you're going to use them with a 110V supply, is another thing altogether.

3
But why?

If you have Swiss equipement that runs on your net just buy American plugs and replace the Swiss ones. The moment you'll notice the prices of Swiss sockets you'll think this is a good idea Also Swiss sockets might not be able to withstand the Amps you need due to your lower voltage.

4
Maybe just buy a Swiss multiway socket and replace the plug with a US version.

https://www.microspot.ch/de/haushalt...e--p0001707123

5
If you need 220v from a US supply you are going to have to use a transformer. You likely would be better sourcing that in the US

6
We do have 220V in USA. In every house. An electrical stove uses 220V along with some clothes dryers. Each house is wired with at least 2 phases of 110V which can be combined to make 220V.

7
I guess it is something less that 220 volts unless there is a phase differential of 180 degrees. For a 3 conventional phase system, it is 120 degrees.

8
You guys have no idea about the north american power distribution?

Yes, it is 180° phase difference, cause by a center-tapped transformer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-...electric_power

PS: European voltage is 230V +/- 10%, 50 Hz.

9
Yes.

But there is also a practical side to it. Normal household outlets are standard 120V / 60Hz, surely one can change to 240V but only one such outlet per circuit/group is allowed, standard 110V breakers are to high of value for standard Swiss outlets, so to make it all safe and proper according to the rules is just a lot of hassle and costs. And why? Just use American plugs and outlets which are much cheaper than the heavily overpriced Swiss parts. It feels to me that OP wants to solve a problem but is not picking the proper or best way to do it.

10
In the USA there are adapters available online, featuring two cords meant to be plugged into two sockets that are at opposite phase, resulting in 240V AC.

I didn't take that approach for the stuff I brought from Switzerland, though. These days transformers are dirt cheap, and some are so elegantly designed that they can be put on even the fanciest kitchen counter. I have one for some kitchen gadgets like the rotary hot air fryer I bought from an EFer many years ago, a very big one for my workshop incl. an electronic laboratory and one for the boat (not for the boat proper but for some power tools I brought from Switzerland too).

All in all, buying those transformers was way cheaper than replacing the power tools etc..

11
VIMAR is an Italian brand of modular sockets, they have Swiss plugs in their catalogue. One must buy one of the standard frames, holding from 2 to 6 modules, and then the desired modules or the empty covers. There are switch modules, fuse modules, even audio or video modules. They can be found online, e.g. at https://www.imtra.com/lighting-vimar-switching.htm

12
Why do you want the outlets?

When we were living in Japan I had the electrician install a 220 v outlet in our house for my Laura Star.

It actually was less expensive than buying a heavy duty transformer.

13
Homes in the US are normally (I've never seen one that wasn't) supplied with 2x115VAC, i.e. 230VAC, so a valid question.

Electric stoves in the US normally run on 230VAC, not 115VAC, as do some driers, AC, etc.

And the nominal value in the US is 117VAC, not 110VAC.

Tom

14
Not any more . Nominal voltage in the US and Canada is 120V AC. In the past, 110V, 115V and 117V have all been used, but 120V +/- 5% is the current (technically incorrect pun intended) "nominal voltage".

15
In short, 114-126VAC, so no more 110!

117+/-7 gave 110-124VAC

Tom

16
And welding machines

17
There are also adapters, to plug in an earthed three prong plug into an old non-earthed two prong socket. The user is supposed to connect the adapter with a nearby radiator (cable not included).

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerci...U-09/203456716

You can also still get "Stromdiebe" screw-in lamp sockets, into which you can plug appliances. Like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-...-00W/100184555

In Switzerland non-code since 1976 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromd...assungsadapter )

Problem: Lamp sockets are rated for less amps than the appliances you might connect.

18
They also mention 208VAC, which is what you get from three-phase 120VAC across phases (industrial only, homes are supplied with split single phase 240).

Tom

19
It all depends on how important it is to have that 240V supply, and how much the Op is prepared to invest.

Solutions certainly exist. I once worked for a company who had a lot of North American equipment in the labs, partly due to an entire department having been moved across the pond and bringing virtually everything with them. We had 110V 60Hz outlets in all the lab areas (in addition to the 240V 50 Hz ones) and had one or two of the things in the offices too (which confused the secretaries). All protected by US style fuse boxes. The Swiss inspectors inspected and approved all of it.

So I guess it must work the other way too.

20
If there is an limitation, a Swiss outlet wont change that. (Is it sockets or distribution points?).

And yes, a Swiss Type 13 must be secured with no more than 13 amps, and a Swiss Type 23 with no more than 16 amps.

I might understand Swiss sockets instead German Schuko, as you have three sockets in the space of one. But the US NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 are already quite space saving.

https://www.stayonline.com/product-r...ence-chart.asp

and cheaper

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-...-00W/203245679