How do I wire a 220 electric motor?

Question

How do I wire a 220 electric motor?

Answer 1

Could you supply more info?

Yes, you'll need a branch circuit from your circuit breaker panel supplying 220v current with adequate amperage to run your motor.

Most all electric motors in the USA comply with NEMA standards, which is helpful, there should be standard information on the motor telling you what it is and how to wire it. It should have a plate with information on it, telling you what the voltage is (it is common for some, not all, electric motors to run on either 110-120v or 220 - 240v), it should tell you the rated power measured in horse power and what the amount of current will be required at which voltage (the current draw, measured in amperes will roughly be halved when you increase the voltage to 220-240. If your motor can run on 110 or 220 you may see something like "20amp/110v - 10amp/220v").

Depending on what kind of motor it is, there may also be a diagram allowing you to reverse the direction that the motor spins and change the voltage at which the motor will run.

So, assuming that you've gotten the proper supply of electricity to the motor, I would ask, is the motor stationary (like, for a furnace blower?), then you can hard-wire it with Romex or BX cable, or whatever is required by your local electrical code. If it's a motor that needs to move in some way, like, say, for a table saw? then you'll want to get a flexible kind of cable with a rubber sheath or similar flexible material and also make sure that it has the correct gauge of wire from the motor to the junction box.

If this is something like a 2hp motor running at 220v, then it probably draws in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 amps and will need to be wired with 12ga. wire, purely as an example off the top of my head. Gathering all the info on the motor will give you the data you need to then calculate your wire gauge.

Will this motor need to be plugged in and unplugged periodically? You'll want to make sure you get a plug and outlet receptacle that is rated for the amperage your motor will draw.

This is all within the realm of do-it-yourself stuff, but I would make sure I had someone to look over my work if I were you. It sounds like this is new to you?

Answer 2

you breaker box needs to have a circut switch designated for 220 V....  don't do this on your own..  you'll mess it up.. pluss it won't be to code, simply for the fact you are not a licenced electrician.

Answer 3

ITs more like 240 v to be exact.  Look at the motor.  Can you for sure distinguish between the hot and the common wires.  The two hot wires should be wired to the two hot and the common to the common.  In some applications there are four wires and the last being ground wire.

In summation:

Hot wire coming out of the motor-to hot

Hot wire coming out of the motor-to hot

common-to common(not hot)

ground-ground-usually bare

Answer 4

There should be a diagram on the motor plate.Most 240v (windings in series) can be optioned for 120v.(windings in parallel) (LI;L2 hot)