240V drill

[Sid71]

Can anyone confirm this for me please:

You can't use 240/3 drills/power tools on site.

I've always worked privately up til now but have the chance of some site work and am weighing up the pros and cons...

cheers

 

[OwainDIYer]

You can use 240V tools on site. A 110V-only restriction was held to be illegal as 240V (220V) is legal in Europe.

Whether the site manager will make a 240V supply available is another matter.

 

[Sid71]

You can use 240V tools on site. A 110V-only restriction was held to be illegal as 240V (220V) is legal in Europe.

Whether the site manager will make a 240V supply available is another matter.

Cheers for the quick reply

So it's usually tricky to get access to 240V supply?

 

[gregers]

when i first started out,i used to have all 240v tools and had a stand up argument with a suit about whether 110v or 240v was safer WHEN using a RCD.
but i soon invested in 110v tools.

 

[Sid71]

when i first started out,i used to have all 240v tools and had a stand up argument with a suit about whether 110v or 240v was safer WHEN using a RCD.
but i soon invested in 110v tools.

Soons like I need to invest in a new 110V SDS drill

Cheers again.

 

[Paul Barker]

The point is you are much safer with 110v because it the secondary of the transformer is grounded at mid potential. this means there is 55v between you and earth potential instead of 230v (nominal voltages used for illustration).

nothing to stop you plugging your transformer in through an rcd aswell.


As you may know an rcd does nothing to protect you if you hold the neutral in one hand and the phase (line) in the other, wherein there is a 230v potential through your body. with 110v in said scenario there is a 110v potential.

but as we know it is mills that kills though volts makes you jolts.

however the greater the voltage potential across your body the greater the milliamps which will flow. You only need 40 of those before you are recycled by worms.

Don't be a fool, be safe.

I always buy 110v tools, it's me I'm protecting.

 

[OwainDIYer]

Whether the site manager will make a 240V supply available is another matter.

So it's usually tricky to get access to 240V supply?

There will be 240V for site huts and floodlighting, but most sites will only have 110V (yellow ceeform) extension leads and splitters for portable tools.

Would you really want to be only boy in the school with a Barbie lunchbox ?

 

[Adam_151]

when i first started out,i used to have all 240v tools and had a stand up argument with a suit about whether 110v or 240v was safer WHEN using a RCD.

Theres no question about it, touch voltage during a fault on a 110v CTE supply will always end up at below 50v, whereas on a RCD protected 230 v supply then if the supply happens to be TT (common when a supply is put into a metal site hut) then touch volatage could be 200v plus for for the time the RCD takes to opperate