I live in the US and recently bought a home. There are several electrical outlets in my garage. I have recently had two tools that have burned up and gone to an early grave. It turns out that the previous owner put in a 220 volt outlet but used a 20 amp 110 receptacle. I figured this out after my shop vac motor burned-up and died. Also, my belt sander emitted sparks, flames, and died. A quick check with a multimeter determined that some goof ball put 220 into a standard outlet designed for 110v.
Of course, I will be wiring this outlet correctly. For now, it is covered with tape.
So, here is my question. Some tools, like my air compressor and table saw were not damaged by this outlet. I used the outlet for these tools and they don't seem like they were harmed. Why did some tools die and others survive ? ? Is it a difference between brushed and brushless motors ? ?
Best Answer
Many devices are rated for either 110 or 220. There should be a tag on the device which says this. In some appliances its done intentionally so that one model can be sold and safely used in countries which use either voltage. In other cases its simply dumb luck that the component parts can tolerate either voltage.
I'm not sure if this fully answers your question. "The device is rated for it" doesn't really cover what aspects of the device make this possible.