newbie quest- 480V or 208V single phase??

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Okay, go easy on me guys :)
I have a list of equipment for a woodshop as follows:
Bandsaw- 15A, 120V
Grinder- 1hp, 208V, 3ph
MIG welder- 42A, 230V, 1ph
TIG welder- 47A, 480V, 1ph
etc...

The building is being supplied with 480/277V and 208/120V panels.
2 Questions-

1.) For the equipment with odd voltages like the MIG welder, do i supply that guy with 208V? We don't have any 240/120V single phase panels there and 230V seems a long ways away from 208V.

2.) How can you have 480V or 208V SINGLE phase? I always thought line-to-line voltages are 3 phase and line-to-ground voltages(277V, 120V) are single phase.

Thanks for answering a newbies' questions.
 
Voltages are nominal, 208 is generally o.k. for 230, 240......... Three phase is just that- 3 ungrounded conductors. Single phase is most commonly either 2 ungrounded conductors or 1 ungrounded and 1 grounded conductor.
 
You have to check with the manufacturer of the MEG (as you would for any other type of equipment), to see if they will accept a 208 volt supply. If not, then you have to either put in another transformer or buy a different welder.

A circuit that is connected ?phase-to-phase? is, in fact a ?single phase circuit.? That is how you can have a 480/1 or a 208/1. A circuit would only be ?three phase,? if you connected it ?phase-to-phase-to-phase,? and carrying all three phases to the load.

Welcome to the Forum.
 
In regards to the MIG, assuming that the manufacturer says it will run on 208, the only issue you're likely to have is one of current. Whoever is using the welder may need to be aware that the current they've selected does not correspond to the current the welder is delivering.
 
I would check with the MIGs maker but it would greatly surprise me if it could not deal with 208. As Julie mentioned you will have slightly less output, but IMO it is unusually for people to be running a welder at 100%.
 
So it doesn't matter if it's a delta or wye system huh...just the number of wires used.
3 ungrounded conductors connected is 3 phase.
2 conductors (line-to-line or line-to-ground) is 1 phase.

I'll check with the manufacturer on that 240V MIG welder.
Thanks for all your responses!
 
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