the breaker is a double breaker they only move together and I tested the outlet with my volt/ohm meter and am getting 220. Since it is only hooked up to the 1 hot I don't see how it can work on 220. I don't think it would be a good idea to hook both 110 wires up to the one wire on the meter, might get some sparks... maybe it's for other country's where they have 220 on one leg? ---- My element is a 5500w but I have it on a 60'-70' 10/3 wire extension cord, could that be why I am only getting 21.9 amps?

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OK!, You convinced me to to go out to the shop, take the cover off and hook it back up the way i had it originally. I must of been "out of sink" and " missing the picture" or the wire I moved wasn't making contact in the wire nut the first time because just like that (KA-POW!!!) 220v it works.... Thanks for all your help on this project, It's looking tike it's going to work like we hoped...

what do you think about the 5500w only showing 22 amps? think it could be the long cord?

Yes, It's #10

It's wired this way, the power comes from the pole in front of my house to a main /meter panel w/just the main 100a breaker,then goes to the breaker/sub panel which is another 35' to 40' to the back of the house, all the house breakers are there. I don't know the size of that wire but it's the big wire that runs the whole house. I figure it's another 12' of wire to the 220v plug from that breaker panel. It looks like #10 wire to the plug from the panel. Then the extension cord that I made up from #10/3 wire is about 60' long and I have another 10' of #10/3 wire for the cord on the box that feeds it. Hope you can follow this if not just ask what you need, also I have another 10' of #10/3 wire from the box to the element...

"Stand back jack----- i gad a thought last night. Quite an unusual experience so lets see if itsorth anything. I'm guessing that the 2 wires are too close to one another. normally this means nothing but if the doughnut on one wire is picking up some magnetic fields from the other wire they may be partially cancelling out the doughnuts sensing. I say this may be possible because the wires are running 180 degrees out ofphase. -- or te ssvr limits the current in some way or the meter is broken--- one test woud be to bypass the ssvr and se what the current is..
ill stick with the doughnut being too close to the other wire.

Thats my best jack. good luck"

"you did the calculations and all seems ok-- thats what the formulas are for-- forget what i thought about the proximity of wires-- all seems correct-- :0

BTW real nice job.
Another note Jack. You have shown us a way to eliminate the rsc and vary the current for both 110 and 220 volt applications. and the cost is good also.

Ifyou care to and have the time, please make a thread showing the build and test of this device so i can make a sticky out of it-- we will allow questions to be asked in the sticky so our group can work together on building them. Put it in the tech section and think of a name perhaps "" MY altarnative to a router speed control."" ill sticky it and you will be able to modify the original post because it is yours."

who is in a hurry--not me- btw i'm still waiting for the heat sink--days--weeks whatever. i think it will be nice if you find the time.

guess what mine doesnt work-- i asumed i wired something wrong again but not so. iumped it out and everything else worked. ill look a couple of more times but then ill get back to other projects--

ground where Jack??

ok ill do it but it makes no electrical sense to me--thanks for the reply Lack