any advantage to using a 240V lead melter?

[Walkalong]

Looking back over a few years of posts, this explains a lot.

Maybe that's it. Did I mention the time I blew up a 200 Amp breaker? Now that was an impressive fireball. Hot 125's in .357's have nothing on it.

A foot in diameter and around 4 feet long. Scared the two guys behind me, my boss included, pretty good.

Since I had not screwed up yet in all the time my boss and I had worked together, he had told me that I "was about due" the day before.

 

[RustyFN]

I had a 4,000 amp buss duct blow because of an idiot General Foreman. I heard it and saw the fireball come out of the electric room door, luckily none of my guys were in the room at the time.
Rusty

 

[Walkalong]

a 4,000 amp buss duct blow

D*** Glad everyone was OK. If you are around stuff long enough, something will go wrong. I watched water pouring over the main buss in a building once, shooting out of the panel, and nothing happened. I was bug eyed when I saw it. I wondered where the 2 inches of water I was standing in was coming from. Wasn't my time. About faced in a hurry, all sphinctered up.

NBTTOSP

Yep, get the 110 Volt one.

 

[RustyFN]

I watched water pouring over the main buss in a building once,

That's what happened here. It was a 30 story building in California new construction. The buss riser was being used for temp. It was a very wet rainy weekend and when we came in Monday the main had tripped. The GF told a foreman to rack it back in and before I could get them on the radio to tell them it should be megged it was over.
Rusty

 

[jmorris]

I had a 4,000 amp buss duct blow

That is BIG OL'E BIG O'LE!

 

[Racinbob]

It was quite a surprise to see a thread like this on here. My advise would be to keep it simple and get a 110v pot or call an electrician. There are some great and accurate answers here as well as some that would have had me laughing except for the potential danger. DON'T try to sort it out yourself! With 40 years experience, IBEW and licensed master electrician under my belt I learned a long time ago how and when to give advice. I don't feel this is the place.

 

[jmorris]

I learned a long time ago how and when to give advice. I don't feel this is the place.

The unasked question always goes unanswered.

 

[Racinbob]

I agree jmorris. All I'm saying is that he should really seek information on the electrical issues from the right source. But I guess his question was if there were any advantages going with 220. I had no clue as to what a lead pot consumes so I just got out my Lee catalog. It looks like their biggest pot is 700 watts. Since that is less than 6 amps at 120v, there is no advantage going with 220v. 700 watts is 700 watts at any voltage and barring an already maxed out circuit he can plug that in to any of his 120v receptacles. I'm sure there are big "industrial" pots out there mainly for commercial casters that have much larger elements but I doubt that he's looking for that. The electrically challenged person usually is quick to admit that electricity scares them and they want no part of it. I appaude them. The great folks on this forum are always trying to help others and that's why I love it here. In my years in the electrical industry I have seen so much damaged equipment, destroyed homes and injured people because of electrical issues it's one area that's best left to the professionals.