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Old 05-30-2008, 08:24 AM
Wes Tausend Wes Tausend is offline
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Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Bismarck, North Dakota, USA,
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I don't really know anything about 480 volt service.

But I did have an idea when following the advice of others on here.

Some electronic circuits occasionally have a "floating" voltage on them making it difficult to determine true voltage under load. The reason is that many modern meters are so high of impedance that they can nearly measure static electricity without draining it off.

So one way to prevent this is to measure a loaded circuit (i.e. one drawing some real power) so that the real voltage is proved a sustainable voltage.

One way to do this in your case would be to hook two equal wattage 110 volt light bulbs in series to what you believe to be 220 volts. They should glow normally with a solid measurable 110 volts across each (split 220v). If you are wrong in your guess, you may be out a couple of light bulbs. Two ceramic sockets don't cost much investment as far as tools go.

I'm probably wrong about floating voltage existing on power circuits, but it is a thought.


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