A friend who wants to install some commercial 208v appliances residentially and has typical North American 3-wire, single-phase, midpoint neutral (aka split-phase) service. He asked, knowing I work for the hydro-co. I advised it wasn't a great idea but he wants to know if it is at all possible as he apparently already bought the machines. A few back-and-forth with a service guy and I got some schematics. A quick look suggests he could buck his 240 down to 208 as one leg is going to the electronics/motor while the other hits the heating elements. I'm a little unsure of running the motor with unbalanced legs but I recall it being ok.
So, it looks technically possible. Am I correct in saying it's still a bad idea?
So, it looks technically possible. Am I correct in saying it's still a bad idea?