240V is the Standard US Household Voltage (Kinda.)

OK, so I’m being a bit facetious with the title.

Obviously I and most everyone else knows that the vast majority of American household stuff is powered at 120V. Almost all receptacles and (nearly) all lights in a home are indeed supplied at 120V.

But! It’s not as simple as that. Maybe the video title is a tiny bit of clickbait, but it’s also more or less true. Most Americans do indeed have 240V supplied to their home, and that is the line-to-line voltage. The transformer is rated for 240 Volts with a center tap that happens to be referenced to ground/earth, and it just so happens that the potential difference between the center tap (ground) and either of the two lines is 120V RMS.

So we use the lower of the voltages available for most of our electronics, small appliances, lights, and all that kind of crap. But, as I mention in the video, 240V is widely used for hot water heaters, air conditioners, clothes dryers, stoves, ovens, hot tubs, electric car charging and even whole-house heating. I use it for computers and related equipment.... for some reason. But that's a video for another day.

For the full transcript and perhaps more information eventually or whatever, you can check out my website.

http://s.co.tt/2019/09/09/240v-is-the-standard-u-s-household-voltage-kinda/

Видео 240V is the Standard US Household Voltage (Kinda.) канала ScottDotDot