difference between 230V + 240v ??

logic_187

Inactive User
Joined
May 7, 2005
Messages
2,145
Reaction score
25
Location
Urban Ghetto
whats the difference between 230v and 240v?

i bought a drill (mains powered) which came as 230v, is this supposed to be correct as i thought the UK mains is 240v at 50mhz.???

Can you use a 230v electrical equipment on UK mains?

can anyone shed any light before i look into sending it back and getting it replaced.

thanks.
 
ahhh looking around it says the UK was 240 and now is 230 (-6%, +10%)? with that in mind is it worth me exchanging my drill as i ordered a 240v diy tool and got a 230v and maybe there may be performance problems?

anyone in the know?
 
Last edited:
Are you being serious? if you are, then they will be no problems at all.
 
Are you being serious? if you are, then they will be no problems at all.
Don't think he was serious about the frequency though, 50mhz?
His drill would behave like a pneumatic on angel dust before it started to melt.

Chookey
 
it wont make any difference at all mate

europe says 220v
220 can be called 230 or 240. Household electricity is alternating and will naturally fluctuate within these voltages.
 
Last edited:
thanks to all who replied.......where i put mhz it should have been hz (typo) ;-0

......and after looking around 230 seems to be the norm and shouldnt bare any impact on perfromance.
 
whats the difference between 230v and 240v?

i bought a drill (mains powered) which came as 230v, is this supposed to be correct as i thought the UK mains is 240v at 50mhz.???

Can you use a 230v electrical equipment on UK mains?

can anyone shed any light before i look into sending it back and getting it replaced.

thanks.

It took me a few years to catch up with the change in voltage but not as long as you :)
 
......and after looking around 230 seems to be the norm and shouldnt bare any impact on perfromance.

I'm not sure how it could impact performance. not many household products, actually use 220-240v. that is simply the input voltage(from the mains) the transformer in the unit will accept. it, usually, bares no relation to the voltage the equipment actually uses. those that do run direct, simply have the range, built in, to handle the difference. (which, in truth, is pox all). it will be the amps delivered that will determine performance, not volts.
 
Thats correct about the current being used against the volts input, thats where you go into a different kettle of fish and start talking power factors etc, but you dont want to know about that, you can actually run most things at a reduced voltage without too many issues which would in turn save you money and being 'greener' as well :)
 
As far as I understand it:

240v is the actual UK mains voltage. 220v is the actual voltage used in most europeon countries. These voltages haven't changed. 230v is just a label for the mains voltage that covers the whole of the european union and is a political "fudge" to try and harmonise the specifications across the whole of europe, rather than the UK needing different (240v) labeling for it's electrical equipment.

In answer to the original post: yes, you can use the drill. Everything labeled as 230v is designed to run from the mains anywhere in europe - be it from our 240v or mainland europe's 220v.
 
Last edited:
As far as I understand it:

240v is the actual UK mains voltage. 220v is the actual voltage used in most europeon countries. These voltages haven't changed. 230v is just a label for the mains voltage that covers the whole of the european union and is a political "fudge" to try and harmonise the specifications across the whole of europe, rather than the UK needing different (240v) labeling for it's electrical equipment.

In answer to the original post: yes, you can use the drill. Everything labeled as 230v is designed to run from the mains anywhere in europe - be it from our 240v or mainland europe's 220v.

its no fudge, all gear sold in the eu must cover 220-240v. its not a problem, just common sense. no point having everybody changing to a different voltage,(or even just us) when there is, simply, no point. except for "direct" connected gear, lights and the like, it really should not be a problem. it costs very little more, if anything, to add a transformer that covers 110-240v, than it cost to fit a, separate, 110 or 240v unit. the reason its done, for the most part, is to restrict Grey imports, and so they can charge you more for a new unit if you change voltage areas, or travel.
 
As far as I understand it:

240v is the actual UK mains voltage. 220v is the actual voltage used in most europeon countries. These voltages haven't changed. 230v is just a label for the mains voltage that covers the whole of the european union and is a political "fudge" to try and harmonise the specifications across the whole of europe, rather than the UK needing different (240v) labeling for it's electrical equipment.

In answer to the original post: yes, you can use the drill. Everything labeled as 230v is designed to run from the mains anywhere in europe - be it from our 240v or mainland europe's 220v.

I metered one of my my sockets the other day and it measured 232V. I'm sure when I was a kid I did the same and they were 240V.
 
it can vary from different times of the day m8 can even range higher than 240 volts
 
The "standardisation" on 230v/50Hz in Europe was a joke, all they did was to change the tolerance so everyone's voltage was covered... They made NO change to the power generation systems.

230V -10% +6% (i.e. 207.0 V-243.8 V)

Some electronic gear can be sensitive to voltage, I remember a m8 of mine bought a drum machine in Holland that refused to work properly on UK mains power.

The nominal average voltage in the UK is 242v, while it remains at 220v in most of Europe (except Ireland which is 235v in the republic and 239v in the North).
 
Back
Top