I've lost count of the number of times I've heard that in recent years. It's only really disappearing on domestic sites such as tract housing where operatives tend to use cordless kit and where 110 volt was never that well supported, based on the number of guys who used to have their own petrol gennyies. On high density mainstream builds, such as in city centres, 110 volt is still very much alive and well partly because there is still a dearth of the cordless equipment you need to do so many tasks (for example who makes a cordless heat gun and how many batteries does it take to run a 9in grinder for a decent while?). I agree that 110 volt cords can be repurposed, but 110 volt isn't dead yet, and won't be for many years to come
Only in a Dc circuit, once you have Ac then it is a different ball game because you now have both real and reactive power. Any reactive load such as a motor with both inductance and capacitance will deliver zero power but still draw current and cause a voltage drop. Unlike real power measured in Watts, reactive power is measured in volts-Amps-Reactive or VAR and symbol Q. So true power becomes volts squared / resistance whilst reactive power becomes volts squared / reactance . Essentially this is where the term power factor comes into play, also shown as Cos Theta which is the ratio of real power that produces power to apparent power or energy used that is not doing useful work.
Those I know will be different. I have never seen ours over 15A and my home has 15A for most circuits except in the garage and shop plugs that are 20A. 220V portable tools are pretty rare here too. Thanks.
I believe your 110 volt supply is 0 to 110 volt Ac at 60Hz wheras our 110 is 55 - 0 - 55 with the centre tap earthed and at 50Hz.
OK, Phil, point taken - but is that really going to be good enough to allow a roofer to lay an entire Sarnafil roof? I doubt it. I've worked with guys covering balcony openings that I'd formed where they were running a 2kW gun all day long (the guns need to be run continuously otherwise the heater coils will fail prematurely, apparently). That gun is simply never going to be able to do that without a large quantity of batteries - all of which have to be humped up to the roof space every day (think 5 and 6 storey high Victorian buildings and you'll see why that is a pain). Similarly there is now a 40 volt 235mm cordless rip saw from Makita which theoretically has the capacity to cut 85mm thick joists and 170mm thick beams in 2-passes, but I'm dubious that it would have enough duration when compared to my Hilti WSC-85 and I wouldn't want to try cutting out a multi-skinned floor containing nails, loose iron tongues, etc. That;s a job which strains even a heavy corded saw. My feeling is that cordless tools still can't do everything, especially the long duration power intensive stuff
Most 110 volt tools here are limited to 16A and come with a BS.4343 plug. Some tools are rated above that and come with a 32A plug (e.g. my portable compressor). I've had no problems running US-sourced 110 volt tools off UK-style 55-0-55 volt centre tapped transformers. Maybe I've just been lucky...would your 110V tools be the same as those sold here or different than ours? Cord plugs not included.
I think that the main issue would be the frequency, 60Hz and not 50Hz which might give different motor speeds and cause the motor to run hotter, nice on a cold day. I would also question what type of insulation class are American tools, more than likely double insulated because of the 110 volts and from what I have seen are only two pin.
