110 vs 220- not cheaper to run?

[Springfield]

OK, I'm not an electrician, but more than one person has told me that a 220 volt melting pot, or anything else for that matter, is cheaper to run than one made for 110. Never made sense to me, seems watts is watts. So is my 220 volt RCBS any cheaper to run than my LEE 110 pots? Both are rated at 800 watts. Will a 220 pot heat up faster? any advantage? I was thinking of getting another RCBS pot, and the 110 version is cheaper new and more available used.

[felix]

You are correct. Watts is watts. Less current with 220, but they don't bill you for current. They bill on watts! ... felix

[carpetman]

Springfield,you ask any advatage to going 220 vs 110? As felix said they bill you on watts. amps x voltage =watts. So in the 800 watt pots you mentioned--the 110 pot draws 7.27 amps. The 220 will draw 3.636 amps. The size of the wire needed is based on amps. when you half the amperage you only need 1/4 as big of wire. So there is an advantage--smaller wire required. This is why autos went from 6volts to 12 volts--cars had gone from a relatively small amount of wiring to a huge gob of it as more accessories were added and copper was out of sight. Compare 6 volt battery cables to 12 volt ones and you'll easily see the difference.

[DLCTEX]

The disadvantage to a 220 volt pot would be that you are limited to where it may be used, whereas the 110 pot will work on any regular circuit in the building.

[Springfield]

Will a 220 pot heat up any faster? Or is it still, watts is watts. I noticed the wires on my LEE pots get warm while on the RCBS they don't . Because of less current, maybe?

[carpetman]

Springfield---If your RCBS is 220 most likely the wires dont get as warm due to less current. If the RCBS is 110 also and the wires dont get as warm,most likely RCBS is using bigger wires than Lee thus less resistance and cooler wires.

[Bad Flynch]

What has been printed is reasonably correct, but note that with A.C., watts=volts x amps x sine of angle of current and unless you have a lag in the incoming power, this application will not induce any. In theory, 220VAC operation is a little more efficient for some types of applications, but not here.

The downside arguments for 220VAC operation include higher initial cost and a higher potential to ground (through you) if something goes wrong.

[Springfield]

OK, you guys convinced me. I'm not going to make a point of geting only 220 volt lead melters if a good deal on a 110 comes along. My RCBS is 220, but I really can't see that it melts any faster than any of my 110 LEE pots. Other than that it is a way better pot, though.

[rockrat]

As they say, power is power. The 220 would be a little more efficient use of power, but I mean a little. If you ran it every day, it might make a 50cent difference in a year. You will have a little loss in power due to the higher amperage(cord getting warm-energy has to come from somewhere). Explanation is detailed but I wouldn't pay more for the 220 version. Probably more expensive as they sell fewer of them.