• RejZoR@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    23 days ago

    Most are actually 230V which is even more at standard 16A, 3680W to be precise.

    Countries that use 110V have so many weird limitations that we don’t even know in Europe. For them, 230V is the “special” outlet for special purposes.

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      23 days ago

      Actually, in the US the outlets are often wired with 1 leg, while giving 2 legs gets you back to 240v.

      110 is probably better in terms of general safety (which is good because our houses are death traps), but it means when you do need power you need a special circuit.

      We should have both more common, but the plugs are terrible (basically they turn the left prong 90 deg).

      • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        23 days ago

        110 is probably better in terms of general safety

        Eh, not really. There is no significant difference in safety between 110vac and 230vac. Voltage is not the (most) dangerous part, it’s the amps that kill if you’re electrocuted.

        • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          23 days ago

          Amps are voltage over resistance (I = V/R), volts absolutely matter, the human body has a decent resistance and the higher voltage helps burn through that.

          • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            23 days ago

            There’s a reason we talk about lethal current and not lethal voltage…30mA can kill you, even at something ridiculously low as 9V, but 5-10kV will not necessarily kill you, e.g. fences for horses will not kill you if you’re electrocuted by them because there’s basically no amperage. Voltage is not the determining factor in lethalness.

            • mriguy@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              23 days ago

              In most household shocks, you touch a conductor, and you are the resistor to ground. Your resistance is independent of the drive voltage, so if you touch a 110V wire, the current will be half of what you get with a 220V wire. So the voltage determines the current, and thus the lethality.

              There’s lots of other factors that go into the effective resistance like the amount of moisture on your skin, what shoes you’re wearing, and what the floor is made of, etc, but in all cases twice as much voltage will cause twice as much current. You are by far the highest resistance element in the circuit, so your resistance will completely determine the current - most household circuits are capable of supplying 10-15A continuously, so your resistance is the current limiter.

              It’s a bad idea either to go touching live wires either way, but the rule of thumb I heard was was that a 110V shock usually won’t kill you and 220V shock usually will.