What are you even arguing. On a 200A panel. If you're using 120V, you can use 120V * 200A. If you're using 240V, you can use 240V * 200A. The Amp limit doesn't change, but the wattage does. You can't use twice as much Ampere on 120V because its half of 240V.
Current is Amperes, not watts and your panel/entrance is Amperes. Your limit is in Ampere, not watts. So you could max your say 200A panel/counter/entrance with 240V or 120V or a combination thereof, but we're counting Amps here.
Watts/Volt = Amp, so if you're using 120V you can use half as much watts as versus 240V.
So if you're using 1000 watts on 120V you're using 8~ Amp out of your 200A and you're not getting it back by loading the other leg with 8~ Amps 120v. That's 16 Amps @120V used, or 1920Watts~ You're not allowed twice as much Amperes.
If you're using 1000 watts on 240V you're using 4 Amps out of your 200A. So you're getting twice as much watts for the same amperage.
So no, you can't use 38400 Watts on 120V with 200A panel, that would be 320Amps but you can at 240V.
Current is Amperes, not watts and your panel/entrance is Amperes. Your limit is in Ampere, not watts. So you could max your say 200A panel/counter/entrance with 240V or 120V or a combination thereof, but we're counting Amps here.
Watts/Volt = Amp, so if you're using 120V you can use half as much watts as versus 240V.
So if you're using 1000 watts on 120V you're using 8~ Amp out of your 200A and you're not getting it back by loading the other leg with 8~ Amps 120v. That's 16 Amps @120V used, or 1920Watts~ You're not allowed twice as much Amperes.
If you're using 1000 watts on 240V you're using 4 Amps out of your 200A. So you're getting twice as much watts for the same amperage.
So no, you can't use 38400 Watts on 120V with 200A panel, that would be 320Amps but you can at 240V.
He is arguing, because he thinks that we're saying the energy usage is 1/2 on 240 than it is 120, and no one here that I can see is claiming that.
Crap, you're right, that is where the disconnect is, and I'm totally reading and interpreting all the math wrong as a result. The amperage would indeed be the limitation on the breaker box.
I mean, technically you COULD still install 4 20a 110s in a breaker box fed by a single 40a 220, but you'd still have the load problem and the breaker would trip under more than 50% load, and that wasn't what I was saying anyway. Apologies for confusing the conversation.
No worries, its not like we completely derailed op's thread or anything.
