This is possibly an ingnorant question but any. One of our boats has a 3 phase 208V system. The boats engineer wired a pump motor(water pump) rated for 220V to 2 pole breaker. Seemingly correctly as the pump has been running right since about noon. Is this incorrect and should I expect the motor to burn up soon or am I just over thinking this.:-?
208 and 220
- Thread starter portchief
- Start date
- Status
chief, you may get some more, and better detailed answers, and you may need to provide additional detail on the motor specifics, but, from a field standpoint, many motors can interchange between 208 an 230 volt systems with no problems.
winnie
Senior Member
- Location
- Springfield, MA, USA
- Occupation
- Electric motor research
Some motors are rated 230V; others 208/230V.
If you have the latter, then you are fine. Check the motor nameplate.
If you have the former, then more details would be needed. A 230V motor installed on a 208V system is not strictly correct, but may function acceptably depending upon circumstances. A 230V motor, fully loaded, and operated at 208V will probably run hot; lightly loaded and it will probably be fine.
-Jon
If you have the latter, then you are fine. Check the motor nameplate.
If you have the former, then more details would be needed. A 230V motor installed on a 208V system is not strictly correct, but may function acceptably depending upon circumstances. A 230V motor, fully loaded, and operated at 208V will probably run hot; lightly loaded and it will probably be fine.
-Jon
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
NEMA motor design specifications call for a voltage tolerance of +-10%. So 230V * .9 = 207V, therefore you technically can operate a 230V motor on 208V, but keep in mind you have ZERO fudge factor left. The slightest drop in voltage will cause the motor to overheat very easily.
- Status