110v USA tools with petrol generator

[D4np]

Hi everyone , will USA 110v power tools run off of a UK 110v petrol generator if I change the plug ?

Thanks

[kellys_eye]

Yes but they might get a little hot as they are designed for 60Hz whereas ours is 50Hz.

Check your generator for any adjustment to change between 50/60Hz.

[D4np]

Yes but they might get a little hot as they are designed for 60Hz whereas ours is 50Hz.

Check your generator for any adjustment to change between 50/60Hz.

Thank you for your reply , I will have a look to see if it says anywhere on the generator . A lot of tools say 50hz-60hz on them


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[Job and Knock]

I run a number of US sourced tools on a 110volt site transformer and I can't see much difference (they don't appear to run hotter BTW) with one very important caveat, namely that the output from a genny is often all over the place in terms of voltage so if you run tools with electronic speed control (e.g. Festool OF2200 router, etc) they may refuse to run on the genny output or you could end up damaging's the tool. This particularly applies to small gennys and battery chargers - a potentially expensive combination

[kellys_eye]

The additional heat comes from the eddy current losses in the motor laminations that are designed for 60Hz rather than 50Hz - barely noticeable in most cases and certainly negligible in items run for short periods. It's probably more specific to household items (hi-fi's and the like) that may be run constantly.

The comment on poor voltage regulation is well made - something I forgot to mention - and the smaller, non-regulated, gennies also have 'dirty' outputs (i.e. not true sinewave) which is definitely troublesome for 'electronic' tools and chargers etc.

[D4np]

Thank you both for your replies - I brought a 110 plug , swapped it over and it works . Hooray ! I have run both 1/2 and 1/4 inch routers off of my generator for years with no problems . It's a good generator - pramec I believe it's called . The wires inside the US lead were different colours (black ,green and white ) but after a bit of googling it was clear what went where . The tool I have put the uk plug on is a chop saw so won't be running constantly for long periods

Thank you all for your replies and to kel for giving me the confidence to give it a go haha


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[Dave54]

The additional heat comes from the eddy current losses in the motor laminations that are designed for 60Hz rather than 50Hz - barely noticeable in most cases and certainly negligible in items run for short periods. It's probably more specific to household items (hi-fi's and the like) that may be run constantly.

The comment on poor voltage regulation is well made - something I forgot to mention - and the smaller, non-regulated, gennies also have 'dirty' outputs (i.e. not true sinewave) which is definitely troublesome for 'electronic' tools and chargers etc.

A lot of power tools are universal motors, so the frequency isn't that important is it? It's more to do with the commutation speed than the supply I'd have thought. The voltage matters for sure.
Long time since I did motor theory though. I wonder if the lam packs are any different for the different frequencies.?

[D4np]

I run a number of US sourced tools on a 110volt site transformer and I can't see much difference (they don't appear to run hotter BTW) with one very important caveat, namely that the output from a genny is often all over the place in terms of voltage so if you run tools with electronic speed control (e.g. Festool OF2200 router, etc) they may refuse to run on the genny output or you could end up damaging's the tool. This particularly applies to small gennys and battery chargers - a potentially expensive combination

Ah that's would explain why a friend of mine couldn't use his festool chop saw off of a genny



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[Job and Knock]

All I'll say is that I try to avoid cheap little sites which only have little petrol generators. The big diesel sets on some the jobs I do, which kick out a healthy 100kVA or more, generally have a big enough flywheel (and have been sized by an engineer) that you just don't see voltage fluctuations, brown-outs, surges, dropped cycles, etc As for stuff like my various Festool kit (OF2200e, TS55, Kapex, Domino, etc) as well as some of my other stuff withe electronics inside - they aren't allowed near anywhere that can't be bothered to give me a clean, reliable power supply. Fortunately these days (for me) there's no lugging site trannies around until the finishing stages because any decent main contractor worth his salt will have a 3-phase armoured cable coming into the building with a distribution box and one or more 110 volt transformers (the 10kVA type) on each floor for the majpority of the job. In any case on those sites 230 volt is never available until the finishing stages - when lugging a 5kVA box around becomes a pain (but easier to bear if you have a folding sack truck)

I suppose the moral is: don't let anyone push you into using expensive gear which requires a good quality power supply on some cheap, nasty, underpowered piece of tat (i.e. a petrol genny, any petrol genny)

[D4np]

All I'll say is that I try to avoid cheap little sites which only have little petrol generators. The big diesel sets on some the jobs I do, which kick out a healthy 100kVA or more, generally have a big enough flywheel (and have been sized by an engineer) that you just don't see voltage fluctuations, brown-outs, surges, dropped cycles, etc As for stuff like my various Festool kit (OF2200e, TS55, Kapex, Domino, etc) as well as some of my other stuff withe electronics inside - they aren't allowed near anywhere that can't be bothered to give me a clean, reliable power supply. Fortunately these days (for me) there's no lugging site trannies around until the finishing stages because any decent main contractor worth his salt will have a 3-phase armoured cable coming into the building with a distribution box and one or more 110 volt transformers (the 10kVA type) on each floor for the majpority of the job. In any case on those sites 230 volt is never available until the finishing stages - when lugging a 5kVA box around becomes a pain (but easier to bear if you have a folding sack truck)

I suppose the moral is: don't let anyone push you into using expensive gear which requires a good quality power supply on some cheap, nasty, underpowered piece of tat (i.e. a petrol genny, any petrol genny)

I hear what your saying, I presume your not self employed and on day rate / on the books ? I don't know any sub contractor who would refuse getting tools out because there isn't "clean" power .


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[Job and Knock]

I hear what your saying, I presume your not self employed and on day rate / on the books ? I don't know any sub contractor who would refuse getting tools out because there isn't "clean" power .

Self-employed since 1978. If I need a specialised piece of it that requires a clean power supply (e.g a Rotex for Corian) then the main contractor either supplies it or I don't bring the it. Period. I'm not wrecking a £1500 Kapex because the guy who wants me to use it is a cheapskate moron - he'll have to be satisfied with lesser tools, or hire the gear himself. As it happens I find it's only the smaller firms who don't want to spend the money on stuff like power or lighting

[D4np]

I hear what your saying, I presume your not self employed and on day rate / on the books ? I don't know any sub contractor who would refuse getting tools out because there isn't "clean" power .

Self-employed since 1978. If I need a specialised piece of it that requires a clean power supply (e.g a Rotex for Corian) then the main contractor either supplies it or I don't bring the it. Period. I'm not wrecking a £1500 Kapex because the guy who wants me to use it is a cheapskate moron - he'll have to be satisfied with lesser tools, or hire the gear himself. As it happens I find it's only the smaller firms who don't want to spend the money on stuff like power or lighting

Each to there own mate


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