I finally got the parts from PV and converted my Export to 220V. I just changed the heating element and the on/off switch. Both the ready light and the on/off switch say 110-220 V anyway.

I did not change any of the wiring, but simply plugged the 110V plug into a plug converter that fits the Swedish 220V outlet.

The plug converter got very hot and began to smell of plastic by the time the machine was up to temperature.

Do I need to change all of the wiring to 220V-rated? I plan to replace the plug and power cord first.

Is there a correct direction for the wires to be attached to the heating element (i.e. are there hot and cold poles for this?)

Any other thoughts on why the plug is getting hot?

Can anyone describe how I use a multimeter to test the heating element for continuity?

THANKS ALL,

PC

PS, the first shot was pulled after the machine was turned off, but residual brew pressure was enough for a tasty sample!

Hey Jack

Have you checked for how many amps you converter is rated? my guess would be that it's just the converter that you have to change for a more hefty one.
Generally electrical wiring is rated for a certain amount of Ampere not Volts - so the wiring shouldn't cause you this problem. Even more so since the amount of amps flowing through your machines wiring gets lower when changing it from 110 V to 220 V.
The direction of the wiring at the heating element does not matter since it's a resistance heater.
You can attach your multimeter to your heating element and set it to measure 'resistance'. If it would be discontinued you would read a very high resistance (Mega-ohms) or see the symbl for overflow on the display. If the heating element is intact the readout should be around 70 Ohm (=(220V)^2/ 700W) for your machine.

greets

marco

If it were me, I would just replace the plug with the correct one for your region. Cheap and easy to do

I did replace the plug today with a Swedish region plug. The plug stayed perfectly cool. I also got what I think is a GFI adapter plug, since the apartment doesn't have them, at least on the wall outlets.

How about the internal wires, from the on/off switch, to the P-Stat, then the thermal cutoff, then the heating element. These are all still from the 110V system. Should I also replace these?

Anyway, it worked, and I pulled a great ristretto despite it being 7:30 PM. Looking forward to tomorrow,

PC

No you don't have to replace your wiring: only the current matters which is less on 220V - and components with the same wattage as on 110V

welone wrote: If the heating element is intact the readout should be around 70 Ohm (=(220V)^2/ 700W) for your machine.

It would read that hot, wouldn't it? It's probably going to have a bit less resistance cold?
Anyhoo, the same amperage at 110V with the same resistance heating element, would require a larger gauge wire, but the 220V stuff should do well on the 110V wiring, all else being equal.

While the conductors are rated for the current, the insulation is rated for voltage, and needs to be adequate for 220V.
It most likely is rated for 220V if it was made at the same factory as the 220V machines, and you got the parts directly from PV they should have told you if the wiring needs to be changed.

Psyd wrote:It would read that hot, wouldn't it?

for my maximatic the difference was really small:
the 1000W heating element rated for 220V gave me a resistance of 48.2 Ohm (cold) - in contrast to 48.4 Ohm calculated.

peacecup

Glad to know your PVE is now working again. Congrats on the heater replacement. Do you notice any time difference in the PVE getting to working pressure with the 110 volt heater and the 220 volt heater?

Just curious

Geoffrey