While Marshall may not be very helpful in this instance, I remain unconvinced that the poster should follow the course of attempting to get this machine to work in a manner that it was not designed to do.

The OP did post that he lives in an apartment.

I would not be comfortable living above some jury-rigged situation as he is trying to cook up, and frankly don't think he should be encouraged.

This thread reminds me of "it seemed like a good idea at the time"

While it may not be what the poster wants to hear - I think Marshall has made appropriate posts to this thread.

If you owned the apartment building would you want a tenant doing this?

Psyd wrote:Let's try to concentrate on suggesting safe and manageable ways to make this project work instead of reasons that it will be difficult or tricky.

imnewuser wrote:I would not be comfortable living above some jury-rigged situation as he is trying to cook up, and frankly don't think he should be encouraged.

Marshall wrote:You see "do it yourself adventure" for amateur electricians. I see property damage and death (having handled some horrendous fire claims). This isn't cabinet making we're talking about.

I agree with Ken and Marshall.

At least in our town, if there is a fire or injury attributable to work you performed without proper permitting and final inspections, your insurance company can deny the claim. Our state also requires a full disclosure of any DIY work when a house is sold. Moreover, the town will not issue a homeowner building permit if the owner will not live in the house one year after the work is complete (this was enacted to deter DIYers flipping houses they patched together on the cheap in their spare time).

I suggested that we stick with safe and manageable solutions. What I meant by that was solutions that are safe, and, well, manageable. If the has a dryer outlet that will provide 30A of 220V flavored AC, that's nor a fire hazard, nor is it a jury-rig. If he has a breaker box in his apartment (some do, and some, if not grandfathered, are required by local code, I dunno 'bout Brooklyn) then there is a better'n average chance that 220V gets at least that far into his domicile. Inviting a licensed electrician to come look at a solution at that point, with the landlord (or his representative) in on the kibbutz, there may be a solution there that doesn't present a danger to him, his neighbors, or his landlord's property.
That's kinda what I was trying to say with the 'safe and manageable' comment.

I see no reason to worry so long as everything is done to code. The key is to either have it done by an electrician, or if you are handy with electricity and are familiar with the requirements to meet code, then go ahead.

I have installed 220v lines in my house before, upgraded to three prong outlets, etc. without issues.

I also currently run a 220v grinder on a transformer without issues.

Keep in mind that I am familiar with electricity, having designed and built my own home stereo and television (an old tube model) and various other projects over the years.

Adrian

I've had an electrician run a 220v line in my home, too. It involved tearing through the ceiling and walls, which then had to be replastered and painted. The chances of a landlord allowing a tenant to do this in an apartment are slim to none.

I have refrained from commenting until now, in part because I've had nothing concrete to add, and in part because my "MPV" rating has dropped and I don't know why . . .

But I have to chime in, and tell Juanjo: "don't!"

Yes, that 2-group lever Brugnetti Aurora is a beautiful machine. But you DO live in an apartment. You DO need to listen to your landlord. And -- were I you -- I would NOT tinker/alter/modify the machine and/or your electrical supply. In this, I am with Marshall, Ken, Dan, etc. Don't do it!

If your apartment does not have a 220v line installed (by a professional electrician), and your landlord will not let you install one, you can try to run your machine using a transformer, keeping in mind Adrian's point re: voltage --

drdna wrote:You can get an adequately rated step up voltage transformer for 110v to 220v use here. However, keep in mind that the current flow is limited by what your wall socket provides. A step-up transformer will change your voltage, but it won't give you more current/wattage than your wall socket already has.

Most likely, this will not cause any explosions. Instead, you will just have a machine that turns on but never steams properly, doesn't work well, and occasionally blows your circuit breaker. Because the machine components are built to run at a certain voltage, the solution is to provide that voltage. A dedicated line must be put in to use this machine. Either a 220v line or a 110v line coupled to a step-up transformer (either must have sufficient current flow) will do.

Remember, too, that it isn't just your boiler that uses 220v. Any and all electric components in your lever machine uses 220v, too.

Cheers,
Jason

Anybody ever figure out if the guy has 220v to his apartment via water heater, oven, dryer? I didn't see in any of the posts if that was ever determined.
Bernie

YMMV
Off the wall: I had seen threads where the straps were placed to allow the elements to be connected in series. I have a small machine that shows that linkage. So I would expect that the current would be about half with that connection in series and 110VAC. Or, about 1250-1500 watts. Also I would expect the performance to be very slow heating and slow recovery.
My 1¢
-Richard

THANKS again for all the replies..

I do live in a brownstone with 3 other people below us, and I'm DEFINITELY don't want to put anyone at risk so I can use an overkill machine in my apartment.. the machine I'm using now is overkill enough

the 2 only options I'm considering are:

1- get a professional and see if is possible to put a 220V outlet in this apt, our landlord (propety manager) is very cool and if I pay for it he'll have no problem.

2- is to get a 5000W transformer, I been told twice that would be safe to run this 2500w machine on a 15A 110V outlet.

but once again, I would NOT do anything that is not 100% safe.

2- is to get a 5000W transformer, I been told twice that would be safe to run this 2500w machine on a 15A 110V outlet.

It will not work, don't try it!

Really, it won't work.

Ira