using a transformer to get 240V

[rllevine]

I have a customer who bought an electric kiln. It has a NEMA 6-15P plug on it. The faceplate says that it takes 230 VAC and 45 amps. Their house only has 120V. He would like to know it he can use a transformer to get the 240V for the kiln.

I'm thinking it would not work because, A) it would still be on a single phase and B) in going from 120V to 240V the amps would be halved. So if the kiln is drawing 45 amps, the other side of the transformer would draw 90 amps. They have a 100 amp service so I imagine this would trip the main.

Thoughts? Any advice on how (other than doing a service change) I can make this work for him?

 

[iwire]

Without a service change you can't make it work for them code compliantly. No way.

Certainly you could use a transformer to make 240 volts but as you already know that would be double the draw at 120. While it might work if they turn off most other loads it would never meet NEC load calculation requirements.

 

[10fords]

I have a customer who bought an electric kiln. It has a NEMA 6-15P plug on it. The faceplate says that it takes 230 VAC and 45 amps. Their house only has 120V. He would like to know it he can use a transformer to get the 240V for the kiln.

I'm thinking it would not work because, A) it would still be on a single phase and B) in going from 120V to 240V the amps would be halved. So if the kiln is drawing 45 amps, the other side of the transformer would draw 90 amps. They have a 100 amp service so I imagine this would trip the main.

Thoughts? Any advice on how (other than doing a service change) I can make this work for him?

Not to doubt you, but are you sure they only have a 120v service? I have worked on a lot of old houses that only had a 120v service, but none of them were 100 amp. Most were 30 or 60 amp max.