Most US residential households have 120V center-tapped two phase service (some big apartment buildings are different). Most European systems are 220V (confusingly called 230V) three phase service in a Wye configuration. The nominal difference between 220V and 240V is negligible in practice. All modern electric equipment is built to handle these small differences. If in doubt, check the appliance's documentation. Sometimes, you have to change a configuration option for optimal performance. Also, the difference between 50 Hz (Europe) and 60 Hz (US) is generally fine. You can in principle get away with smaller-size built-in transformers when using a European appliance in the US; and on the other hand, you'll drive any frequency synchronized equipment 20% too fast. It's unlikely this would affect your stove. And in fact, I'd expect the ratings plate to show you that the equipment is compatible with a range of frequencies. Some American 240V appliances use the center tap to drive a subset of the electronics at 120V and the rest at 240V. This is not really doable in Europe, and thus they don't require a 120V input. That's why you don't expect to see two hot wires and one neutral wire on these appliances, whereas American appliances frequently have that. Instead, you'll have one hot and one neutral. When you connect the appliance in the US, you'll instead connect it as if it had two hot wires. The neutral on the appliance becomes the second hot wire. This is not what the manufacturer expected, but it doesn't really matter much in practice. European equipment doesn't rely on polarized plugs (there is no such thing). So, it is always designed to be compatible with two hots, even if it never would be connected that way in Europe. The reason this sounds scary is that really old US equipment didn't distinguish between ground and neutral. In Europe, whole-house GFCI has been a standard for more than half a century. So, this was never an option. Neutral would never be connected to the chassis. So, even if the appliance has something that is labelled as neutral, it is fully interchangeable with the hot wire. This is all really basic physics. But electricians are frequently trained to memorize regulations instead of understanding the underlying principles. This makes it difficult for them to transfer knowledge from one domain to another one. My best suggestion is to find a different electrician who is more comfortable with cross-referencing both physics and local regulations. I can try to explain the physics, but you obviously need a trained electrician to figure out how to apply all of this so that it results in a safe and approved configuration. If your electrician regularly works with commercial equipment, he might be more comfortable with how electrical systems can be configured.

Wow Bigbird, I'm guessiing you're not in balmy Ontario! I'm in Kamloops BC and we've already had more cold days than last winter already - and double digit minus temps are forecast for the next few days yet.... Thanks for point out the thirty minute thing, which I was going to - I'm not doing it for comfort, we're not even using both vehicles every day, it's more for protection. My truck's cooland was replaced last may and was supposed to be good to -45C but when I tested it myself it read more like -15 C (I don't know if there's a trick to testing I don't know) - I want to replace a couple of hoses that leaked (ok after tightening clamps) when it first went cold and I'm not working right now, so can't afford to do anything right now, so am just trying to keep it safe for now. I've been running it on a timer, 15 mins on 45 off (I can select as many on/off events I want) just to keep it ticking over, I suppose if I was going out in the morning I could set it to come on continuous for a bit, but at the moment I'm leaving the heater on 100% for safety. Bigbird, I doubt your vehicle is affected by windchill, since that's related to evaporation and therefore more related to skin temp, however, -36 is close enough to the -45 I know most antifreeze is only good for, so I'd' say you're smart to play it safe. Can you plug in at work? My garage stays above freezing usually, thanks to the dryer vent duct running through there (free heat) plus leakage from the house, and residual heat from the car, unfortunately all our stuff from Australia arrived - well, it's unfortunate since all the boxes are filling up the garage and there's no room for the car - it was fabulous having a (relatively) warm car to get into in the morning, I'm sure my wife is missing that! We also probably get some heat from the bedroom above the garage, the floor in the bedroom has been feeling pretty cold. I'm wondering if the floor/ceiling's insulated or not - garage ceiling's clad in plywood which I doubt is wise (or legal) and I was going to put drywall over it, but I'm wondering if I should pull the ply off and check for insulation, or drill some holes in and place expanding foam, or just put battens over it and sheet foam insulation, then drywall. Only downside I can see is garage will lose some of its default heating, but floor in master b/r will feel a little nicer. Mark, have you considered putting a battery heater in your car? They're not too expensive, I've seen them in places like Canadian tire. Given the conditions you're experiencing, might be a good idea.

Every brand of gochujang is different, just as every brand of soy sauce is different. Experiment until you find one you prefer, if your markets offer a choice. Here's the Times mapo ragu recipe: 3 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola 2 large onions, peeled and sliced Pinch of kosher salt, or to taste 1 pound ground pork 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 10-15 frozen cylindrical rice cakes (optional), or rice noodles, or pasta, or steamed rice 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean chili-bean paste) 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns (optional) 1 bunch kale or any hearty cooking greens, roughly chopped 4 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish Heat the oil in a wok set over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the onions and the pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have released their moisture and are starting to brown, approximately 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, until they have turned golden brown and sweet, an additional 20 minutes or so. Tip the onions into a bowl, and return the wok to high heat over the stove. Add remaining tablespoon of oil, then the pork, and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it is just cooked, but not yet browning, approximately 10 minutes. Add the cooked meat to the reserved onions. If using the rice cakes, put a large pot of salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil. Return wok to stove over medium heat and cook the garlic and ginger in fat remaining from pork (add an extra splash of neutral oil if necessary). When the garlic and ginger soften, add gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar and, if using, the Sichuan peppercorns. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water, enough to loosen the gochujang and make a sauce, then return pork and onions to the wok and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings. Bring sauce to a simmer, and add the chopped greens, then stir to combine and cook until they have started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. If using rice cakes, place them in the boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then drain and add to the sauce. (If not, serve the ragù with steamed rice, rice noodles or pasta.) Garnish with the sliced scallions.

Re the extra hole - don't bother. One is adequate. Plants don't care if it takes 6 minutes vs 60 seconds for a pot to drain. More holes affect only the speed with which the pot drains, not how fully it drains. IOW, if you have 1 hole in the pot bottom and a 4" perched water column at container capacity (the amount of water remaining in the pot at the point in time where a fully saturated medium has just stopped draining) and you add 5 or 10 more holes, you'll still have a 4" perched water column at container capacity, which = no return for the extra effort. The best place for a drainage hole is through the bottom AT the sidewall. That way, if needed, you can remove a lot of excess water by tipping the pot. The shaded area in the image below represents saturated soil. Compare B to A to see how much difference the simple act of tipping the pot to a 45 angle makes. Al