Can I use 240v power tools on site?

Have not worked on site for a few years, been working
in peoples homes. All my kit is now 240v. When i last
worked on site it was usually ok to use 240v as long
as RCD's were used. Is this still the case or do i
need to get 110v kit?

There is no law which says you must use 110volt stuff,(it's only a recommendation) but at the same time no well run site will provide 240 volt power. Their insurance policies won't allow you to use it.

 

I believe that it is at the site manager's discretion and in my experience that always means 'No 240v' .

A while ago I was doing a job in a house recently occupied by the owners on a new development which was still mostly building site. The site manager saw that I was there and tried to tell me and the house owners that I couldn't use 240v equipment in their house.

Graham

 

Work sites have temporary electric supplies rigged up to cater for 110v as per the current 16th editon IEE regs.
Also why not purchase a small petrol generator?from say machine mart? then you have your own power supply,but be careful as most sites won't cover you for insurance.
Hope this helps

 

Some sites are not providing enough power of any sort.

Cordless everything and car chargers is about the only foolproof tool kit these days.

 

how are they expect you to work on site if there is no power? :'(

 

how are they expect you to work on site if there is
no power? :'(

If you are on a price they don't care.

You are nothing more than a piece of meat with a bag of tools.

 

It's possible to use 240v tools but only by plugging them in to the 110v supply which you can do by simply replacing the 13 amp plug with the 110v equivalent. It's not ideal since you don't get the same "grunt" but as a make shift alternative it's worth considering in some circumstances.