Do I need a neutral wire when connecting a 240V device?

Question

So this is still not very clear to me: I am trying to get 240V to an appliance that does not need a plug (direct wiring), I won't need a neutral wire, is this right? In fact there is nowhere to connect it on the appliance, right? I just need the two hot wires wired to the L1 and L2 lines and it will work. Additionally, I can wire the ground to the ground line, for safety (not doing this would be crazy), but no current would go through this during normal operation, right? I might be completely wrong here, just trying to understand.

I started from this thread: Why Do 240V Circuits Not Require Neutral?

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 01 '15 at 06:41

Depends partly on the device. Some electric ranges/cooktops/driers have electronic controls which run on 120V even though they're controlling 240V; they get that 120V by connecting between one leg of the 240V supply and neutral. In that case, obviously, without neutral those controls don't run.

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 22 '15 at 15:53

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I have a 240v 30amp welder wired in the way you described. Hot, Hot, Ground.

Be sure to use the correct 2 pole breaker.

answered Jun 22 '15 at 15:53

rpmerf

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score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 23 '15 at 07:59

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That's correct. If you're installing a 240 volt load, there's no need for the grounded (neutral) conductor. As you suggest, you will need a grounding conductor though.

edited Jun 23 '15 at 07:59

Michael Karas

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answered Jun 22 '15 at 19:32

Tester101

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Do I need a neutral wire when connecting a 240V device?

3 Answers3