I think its time for me to explain about 220 current and why it is so different from 110 volt service. First of all, it's twice as big.
Secondly, it'll shock you more. Outside of that, 220 is really two 110 volt lines coming to your house from different parts of the globe.
The up and down 110 comes from the northern hemisphere, and the down and up version comes from below the equator.
Without trying to get technical, it all boils down to the direction water flows when it goes down the drain. In the top of the earth, it goes clockwise, while on the bottom of the earth it goes counter clockwise. Since most electricity is made from hydro dams, the clockwise flow gives you an up and down sine wave, while the counterclockwise version gives you a down and up sine wave. Between the two, you have 220 volts, while either individual side only gives you 110 volts.
This is particularly important to know when buying power tools- which side of the globe did they come from? If you get an Australian saw, for instance, it will turn backwards if connected to a US generated 110 volt source. Sure, you can buy backwards blades for it, but that is an unnecessary burden. Other appliances, like toasters cannot be converted from Australian electricity to American electricity, without horrible results. I knew one person who bought an Australian toaster by mistake and it froze the slices of bread she put in it.
If you wire your shop with 220 and accidentally get two US-generated 110 volt lines run in by accident, you can get 220 by using a trick I learned from an old electrician. Just put each source into its own fuse box and then turn one of the boxes upside down. That'll invert one of the two up and down sine waves to down and up, giving you 220. DO NOT just turn the box sideways, since that'll give you 165 volts and you'll be limited to just using Canadian tools with it.
Clean up the questions
That said, there appears to still be some questions that need to be cleared up. Allow me, please.
First off, the foreign voltage from the southern hemisphere has been successfully duplicated in the USA. Back during the French and China war in the late 1800's, finding freighters to ship in the needed electricity was hard to do. So, our forefathers went to task and managed to duplicate the foreign supply by running romex backwards. Usually when romex is run, its pulled from the center of the package out, which generally spins the romex clockwise. Simply by flipping the package over and pulling the romex from the other end, it spins it counterclockwise, which duplicates the foreign electricity. As far as 440 goes,
a standard duplex outlet is split, and both halves are wired for 220. You get 440 easily by plugging a double ended cord into the two. simple math. lower voltages like 14.4, 18, etc... are gotten by turning down the electrical current to the outlet. this is done at the fuse panel. Simply unscrew the fuse a little ways until the electrical current is at the desired voltage. Newer breaker boxes don’t have this feature, so you have to resort to using a charger, which is basically a sill**** adjusted to the proper flow and sealed in a plastic box to keep joe consumer from messing with it.
Odd voltage readings and wild legs are all caused by the ground wire. Ground wires are actually filled with microscopic particles of silica, which is just dirt from silicon valley, hence the name "ground". In a basic design flaw, most ground wires are wrapped with perforated sheathing. In the case where you get a small leak in one of the hot wires, the leking electricity soaks into the ground wire, making it hot. the size of the leak determines the amount of voltage on the ground wire, that accounts for the odd voltage readings. And, with a hot ground, it becomes the third leg, often called "wild leg" because of the problems regulating the voltage. More on ground wires... some electricians simply cut the wire at the box or crimp it over instead of sealing it to the ground screw. this results in all the dirt leaking out, giving you the open ground readings I observe so frequently when doing home inspections.
One sure fire way to avoid being electrocuted is to remember to let go of the wire. Sadly, this is easier said than done.
It's important to remember when working with electricity that once the power is shut off, you should take the time to drain the lines of remaining electricity. Plug in a drill or other power tool and pull the trigger. it doesn't take much, but it works. most people who get bit when working with a dead circuit didn't properly drain the lines first.
And, as far as your toilet running backwards... when you flush and a turd slops out, it’s a sign that your water flow has been reversed and needs to be reset. to do this, take a plunger and push all the water in the bowl out the hole in the bottom. Now, refill the bowl by flushing with your LEFT hand. This is the way American toilets are designed to be flushed. Reaching behind you and flushing with the right hand is generally what reverses the water flow in the first place. Hopefully, this clears up all the confusion. Now, ask me something I don't know.



Well after all thats been said, nobody really said what lectricty was. It is really smoke. Once you let the smoke out of the wires, it don't work no more!!