On Mon 29 Jul 2019 at 10:26:14 (-0500), John Hasler wrote: > They don't have to be on the same branch circuit: just on the same > "phase"[1]. There is probably a gadget available that bridges the > signal between phases. > > [1] They aren't really phases but everyone calls them that.
Yes, the pole transformer is fed with one of the universal three phases. Easy to see on our street as only one phase is strung along the tops of the poles. The transformer output is a centre-tapped 220v supply, so you get supplied with two live feeds 180° out of phase with each other and the earthed centre-tap. The live feeds come into the breaker box and run down two busbars, on the left and the right. The switches are in two vertical rows along the busbars. At the top are the double-pole switches that connect dryers, AC compressors, etc to both busbars because they need 220v. The single switches below them are only connected to the busbar on their side, so anything switched on the left side is on the other busbar from those on the right. Our house is in two parts. The old part had power from a different street, strung across the back garden. The new part has power from the street. The old part's breaker box is now fed from the top switch (a double) in the new house's box. So both boxes have access to the left and right circuits. I just took our "roving" fourth Powerline devices and a laptop (wifi off) round both houses to rooms on each of the busbars. Every socket outlet works, including GFCI ones. (As I mentioned earlier, I always get the devices to exchange keys in the kitchen, where all the outlets are GFCI protected.) So I can find no evidence that the circuit matters. I can only suppose that there are other factors causing problems reported by others. For example, in our previous house there were sockets that had live on the wrong pin. Other people might already have marginal performance caused by mixing manufacturers. Every case is different. Cheers, David.
