Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

230v electrical system question

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
i am in the czech republic working and we've had some equipment issues at the facility that have led me to test the receptacles around our office spaces and i'm finding something that puzzles slash concerns me.

the voltage between the two hots is ~233, fine and well. BUT, the voltage between the left hot (for lack of a more specific description since it's the left pin in the receptacles) and the neutral pin is ALSO 230 or so, as is the voltage between that leg and the screw on the receptacle plate. the potential between the other, right hand pin, leg and the neutral is effectively 0, as is the potential between that leg and the chassis screw.

my question is, is this correct? i assumed not. i would have thought both legs would have the same potential to the neutral or ground, but it seems every receptacle in our whole wing is this way, so i am wondering. we had the facility electrician out and he promptly tripped the breaker twice when inserting his meter into the receptacle, which didn't give me much faith in his abilities. he says this voltage scenario is normal.

any others have experience with this they can share, much appreciated.

thx.



mods - if this is too far off-topic, feel free to move, just wanted to put in somewhere it had a chance of getting a response, :) thx.
 
What kind of outlet is this? Sort of sounds like a US split-phase outlet, but I didn't think that Europe used split-phase.

- - - Updated - - -

Possibly this is one phase of a three-phase system, in which case your outlet probably just has hot, neutral, and ground. (What araxara said.) I don't know much about non-US power standards, but what you describe may be correct for the Czech Republic.
 
This is the correct behavior for the 400V three phase system that is in use all over Europe.

I guess that you have a socket that looks like this ?
800px-French-power-socket.jpg


The left should be your live, the right is the neutral and the top is of course the ground.
As widodh says, the voltage between live and neutral is ~230V and between neutral and ground 0V.
What you describe is perfectly normal. :smile:

In Europe we have 400V between live phases and 230V between live and neutral.
 
This is the correct behavior for the 400V three phase system that is in use all over Europe.

I guess that you have a socket that looks like this ?
View attachment 24459

The left should be your live, the right is the neutral and the top is of course the ground.
As widodh says, the voltage between live and neutral is ~230V and between neutral and ground 0V.
What you describe is perfectly normal. :smile:

In Europe we have 400V between live phases and 230V between live and neutral.


Got it. That's it, thanks very much. Excellent.
 
AC power plugs and sockets - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CEE 7/5 (French)(Type E)

220px-French-power-socket.jpg
French socket



French plug


French standard NF C 61-314 "Plugs and socket-outlets for household and similar purposes" (which also includes CEE 7/7, 7/16 and 7/17 plugs) defines a round plug with two round pins measuring 4.8 by 19 mm (0.189 by 0.748 in), spaced 19 mm (0.748 in) apart and with a hole for the socket's earth pin. This standard is also used in Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and some other countries. Although the plug is polarised, there is no universally observed standard for placement of the line and neutral. However, the Czech standard recommends the line wire to be on the left side when facing the socket. Add to that the French convention changed circa 2002 from nothing particular, to, if the earth pin was at the top then the line hole in the socket would be on the right looking at the socket. However, the socket may not necessarily be installed with the earth pin at the top. Packaging in France of said sockets is normally marked with correct orientation of the cables. Polarised pre fitted plugs on appliances are therefore connected with the brown to the right pin and the blue to the left, the earth being connected to the hole at the "top" of the plug.
CEE 7/4 plugs are not compatible with the CEE 7/5 socket because earthing in the CEE 7/5 socket is via a round male pin permanently mounted in the socket.


Mains electricity by country - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Schuko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Schuko system originated in Germany and goes back to a patent (DE 370538) granted in 1926 to Albert Büttner, a Bavarian manufacturer of electrical accessories. At this time Germany used a 220V center tap giving 110V from current pins to earth, this meant that fuse links were required in both sides of the appliance and double pole switches. Variations of the original Schuko plug are used today in more than 40 countries, including most of Continental Europe.
France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland use a type of plug and socket (CEE 7/5) with the same size and spacing of the main pins but with a male protective-earth pin on the socket instead of the earth clips and without the guiding notches at the sides. Most modern moulded-on Schuko plugs, and good-quality rewirable replacements, are a hybrid version with an extra hole ("CEE 7/7") that also accommodates the earth pin of French sockets. French plugs that need to be polarized are configured in such a way as to only be inserted correctly in grounded sockets, however the old 2 pin socket is inherently dangerous with equipment that should be polarized for example table lamps with a cord switch and Edison screw lamp. The safety of polarization was not helped by several years of confusion when correct connection of sockets was transposed!


Electrical Plug/Outlet and Voltage Information for Czech Republic : Adaptelec.com, International Electrical Specialists

Electrical Plug/Outlet and Voltage Information for Czech Republic


  • Voltage: 220-240 Volts (U.S./Canada are 110-120 Volts)
  • Primary Socket Type: Europlug, Schuko
  • Multi-voltage appliances (laptops, etc.): Plug adapter
    Click socket type links to view adapter for that type
  • 110-120V electronics: Plug adapter + step-down transformer
  • Hair dryers, curling irons, etc.: Plug adapter + voltage converter

Museum of Plugs and Sockets: French heavy duty plugs and sockets
 
Last edited: