For any North American member interested in learning to access split phase 240V 60Hz supplies at home for 220-240V lamps and lighting equipment, I highly recommend watching the following tutorial:

https://youtu.be/LZbIJZe_YDs?si=VcmpPjJPvecfegTA

This tutorial can be helpful for running lamps and lighting equipment from many countries safely in North America.

However, when it comes to magnetic fluorescent and HID ballasts rated for 50Hz power grids, you would need to replace the capacitor if the ballast uses one in series with the lamp, but otherwise purely inductive magnetic ballasts for 230V 50Hz and 240V 50Hz operation would be somewhat underdriven while 220V 50Hz purely inductive magnetic ballasts should run at full power. As a good safety measure, I recommend using a power strip on each out of phase outlet to ensure that you can turn off the power when you are unplugging or plugging the lamp or fixture into your 240V 60Hz supply. Additionally, I am also aware that you should avoid using GFCI outlets when searching for out of phase outlets.

Feel free to correct me on anything I said incorrectly.

If you live in a older home, the old style 15A "kitchen split" outlets are a good source of 240v, and in fact can be rewired into a 240v outlet since they have hot wires from both sides of the transformer in the same junction box.

You just have to plug one in the top outlet and the other in the bottom outlet and you should get 240v.

Unfortunately GFCI protection killed them off, the costs of a double pole 15A GFCI breaker required to provide GFCI protection was pretty high cost and the code was amended to allow 20A kitchen outlets instead, which can be GFCI protected using a lower cost GFCI outlet instead.

I have noticed something similar in my laundry room where I have 2 120V 60Hz outlets right next to each other and discovered that I could get split phase 240V 60Hz from across the hot wires of both outlets.

Outlets in the same room on different circuits are also good since they're probably wired at the same time and so tend to land on adjacent slots on the breaker panel.

Sometimes homes might have a secondary provision for a dryer or stove that's not used but has the 240v outlet installed. You'll need to protect it at a lower current to safely use it though.

Be aware of a few issues here...

If one plug is unplugged, it is live and would shock you if touched, arc to things it comes in contact with (in series with your intended load) and so on

Won't work on GFCI protected circuits

What are you doing with the Neutrals ? Some "240V" uses may still require N for an 120V load inside (like a photocell or controller)

 - If in any of the wall sockets L-N are reversed, your 120V component will be getting 240V

 - If you take N from just one of the plugs, then during the plugging and unplugging, a moment may happen when both L's are connected but N is not. This is essentially an open N condition, by which some loads may be damaged

 - If you take N from both plugs and in one wall socket L-N is reversed, fireworks will happen when you plug both in. The 2nd plug itself, when unplugged may arc (full short circuit, not in series with the load) if anything shorts across the plug pins

Switching on/off any loads which are inductive or have significant inrush current, will generate a pulse of electromagnetic interference around the used circuit cables throughout the house. It may affect other devices or trip AFCIs on unrelated circuits

So... ok for limited "hacking" use if you are competent, careful, and nobody else is present around to mess with it. Not for more than that



For GFCI, just get an IEC RCD and wire it in your setup after the plug. Few options here :

 - Simple 240V connection - 2 pole 30mA RCD

 - Simple 240V connection - 2 pole 10mA RCD (available up to 16A rating) (less common type, not always easily available)

 - Simple 240V connection - 4 pole 30mA RCD, with the circuit looped twice through it, gives 15mA protection

 - 240V with Neutral connection - 4 pole 30mA RCD, wire the 3 circuit wires through it, leave 4th position empty. (May require wiring the phases to specific terminals to get the TEST button to work, so the test circuit gets 240V and not 120V. This in turn may prevent wiring N through the terminal intended for it, affecting the contact break/make sequence)

Cost - $60 for Eaton PFIM-40/4/003/A (40A, 4 pole, 30mA tripping, type A) if i convert the sale price at my nearest brick & mortar wholesale (~190 ILS) to US$. Possibly overpriced in the US due to being non-standard part, but you can order online