Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by tyfon 9 days ago
In the US they have a 120V system so it might actually saturate a normal socket over there. My PC room has a 16A fuse and 230V though, so should be plenty :)
2 comments

The US has a 240V system for residential power, not a 120V system.

Most homes in the US have 200 amp service. That's 48 kW of power available to the house, though code states that you can only pull 80% of that continuously, so 160 amp/38.4 kW.

The 120V misconception comes from the fact that it is delivered as split phase on two 120V legs. Any competent electrician can run a 240V, 50-amp (40 amps/9.6 kW continuous) circuit to any room in a house. Plenty of homes have these circuits for electric ranges, EV chargers, or RV power outlets, and there's nothing stopping anyone from having one of these circuits installed in whatever room they'd like it installed in.

Heck, my old landlord and I installed one ourselves to provide an outlet for an EV charger in the garage of a house I lived in about a decade ago.

400 amp and even higher service is available, though it is fairly uncommon. Plenty of large houses will have a 400-amp service, though, which means you can double the power numbers available that I mentioned above.

Most North American homes would have 240v and 200Amp service. A 16Amp fuse seems down right tiny:)

We have 50 amp service running a hot tub and another 50 amp service line to charge an electric car.

The 16A is for the PC room, the house has a 40A "400V" 3 phase TN connetion :)

The quotes are in since the difference between the phases is 230V, but in practice it is almost the same as a 40Ax400V single phase connection.

gotcha. I've never heard of 16amp service, in Canada we have 15 amp.

But its very common to have many 15amp and 240V lines run in a house in Canada.

My kitchen alone has 4 different lines. i don't think your scenario is all that uncommon given that almost all new builds will have the same lines run in their home.