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Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.To try and simplify the answer (and question), let's consider a basic house service. Most houses today have a 240 volt single phase (a so-called "split-phase" service) coming into the service box, along with a neutral (zero) voltage wire.

An appliance that takes 120V, like a toaster, is connected to one half of the split 240 volt single phase and to the neutral. The neutral should always run at zero voltage and is required to return the current which comes back from the load to the power station.

A large appliance, like an electric stove or a clother dryer, is usually of the type that needs a lot more power, so - to keep the current draw as low as possible - it requires more voltage. This is supplied by connecting it to the full 240 volts single phase service by using both "split phases": the 120V "hot" with red insulation and the 120V "hot" with black insulation, along with the neutral. The neutral is used to provide power at 120 volts to a time clock and/or an appliance programmer (e.g. for the drying cycle time on a dryer) which don't usually run on 240 volts.

Some 240 volt appliances, like water heaters and some air conditioners, take the full 240 volts from both red and black hots but don't need a neutral.

Equipment having much larger motors, like elevator motors or motors driving machine tools in factories, usually use a 3 phase service, either with no neutral - called a "delta" configuration - or with a neutral, which is called a "star", "Y" or "wye" configuration.

For more information see the Related link and the answers to the Related questions shown below.

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Q: What is the difference between 240 volts three phase to 120 volts three phase compared to 400 volts to 240 volts?
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Related questions

Is there a difference between three phase and single phase electrical supplies?

Yes, there a difference between three phase and single phase electrical supply services.


Single phase and three phase circuit?

Yes, there is a difference between single phase and three phase circuits.


What is the difference between a one phase and a three phase motor. And if a three phase motor is given a single phase supply will it run or not?

The difference between a single phase and a three phase motor is the amount of power conductors that feed the device. As to the other part of the question a three phase motor will not start or run on single phase. The phase angles on three phase are 120 degrees apart on a single phase system they are 180 degrees apart.


What is the difference between 1 2 and 3 phase?

The main difference between single-phase and three-phase power systems is the number of conductors or wires used to distribute electrical power. Single-phase systems have one live wire and one neutral wire, while three-phase systems have three live wires and one neutral wire. Three-phase power is often used in industrial settings for its ability to provide a more stable power supply and handle higher loads more efficiently compared to single-phase power.


Why is there a difference between a domestic and industrial electricity supply?

actually there is no difference between them. However in some counteries, single phase is used for domestic and three phase is used for industrial.


Difference between two phase and three phase welding machine?

Three phase uses a safety circuit away from the machine, two phases uses you as the safety circuit


What is the difference between single and three phase on line UPS?

A single-phase UPS accepts and delivers power through one line, suitable for small office equipment. A three-phase UPS accepts and delivers power through three lines, ideal for larger equipment or data centers with higher power requirements. Three-phase UPS systems are more efficient and offer better power distribution and scalability compared to single-phase UPS systems.


What is an acceptable difference in resistance between phases on a 3 phase motor?

The currents between legs of a three phase circuit should be within about 10% of each other.


Why three phase meter is better than single phase meter?

A three-phase meter can be used for single phase while the reverse is not the case.


What is current in three phase and single phase?

All current is the passage of electric charges from one terminal to another through a conductor so there is no real difference in the type of current that flows in a 3 phase system compared to a single phase system.


HOW and Why there is 440v supply in three phase and 230v supply in single phase?

In a three-phase system, the voltage is measured between any two of the three phase conductors. The voltage between two phases in a 3-phase system is higher at 440v compared to a single-phase system where the voltage is measured between one phase and a neutral wire, resulting in 230v. The higher voltage in three-phase systems allows for more power to be transmitted efficiently over long distances.


What is the different single phase unit price and three phase unit price?

If, by 'unit price', you mean the cost per kilowatt hour, then there is normally no difference between the cost of energy supplied whether by single-phase or three-phase supplies.