[Shop-talk] Mysterious Stip Heater

[Randall]

> But, when I had the covers off I noticed
> that
> the labels indicate it is a 22 Amp, 120 volt heater.

That seems very odd to me.  22 amps means it would not run from an ordinary
household circuit, so why 120v?  Since I've found incorrect labels before,
I'd want to try to check how much current/power it actually draws.

>  Is there some reason why an
> electrician would have wired a 120 volt heater to 220 volts?

Not deliberately.

>   Any ideas about the buzzing?  

Dunno that it's relevant, but I have a portable quartz tube heater that
makes an awful racket when it's first warmed up.  The element is a coil
inside the tube, and it does not fit snugly when cold.  Once it gets hot, it
does fit snugly and the noise disappears.

If you have been running a 120v heater on 220v, perhaps it's overheated and
the tube is now oversize?  At any rate, I doubt you are going to fix it ...

Randall