I don't think code prohibits it, but in my (not very educated) opinion, you might get into some gray territory if you try install them everywhere.
There are some safety related provisions which are mandatory for regular 120V (GFCI and/or AFCI), but I don't think they are required for 240V circuits. Building inspectors might have questions if you install these outlets everywhere. Although, again, I don't remember any limitation of where you can have them.
Another issue is the type of the receptacle. Apparently, Leviton makes receptacle that might be allowed in US and is combination of regular 120V plus European style 240V. However, it is only limited to 2.5A, which is very little (I think, this receptacle is primarily designed for hotels / shared spaces where you only want to charge your devices). Also, I don't think it has ground for 240V.
Probably, the best would be to use US 15A/20A receptacles (NEMA 6-15 / NEMA 6-20), which look very similar to the regular 120V ones (the difference is blades are horizontal).
However, I've never seen any actual plug using them (even though I did install these 240V in my garage, expecting some 240V equipment). But you can rewire plugs on your "imported" equipment / appliances.
There are also some interesting differences of the supply: in US it is typically split phase 120V+120V=240V, but sometimes (according to the internet) it could be 3 phase 120V with 208V between phases; in some parts of the world, it would be 3 phase 230V with 400V between the phases. This probably would cause some differences in how grounding works, might affect safety.
But yeah, generally, 240V should not be a problem. Power-hungry equipment (water heater, range, electrical dryer, EV chargers) -- they all typically use 240V already.
Edit: I think it’s a 14-50r.
Edit2: You almost certainly don't need these. A plain old 20amp 110 receptacle, on a dedicated circuit, GFCI, is a perfectly reasonable and code-compliant receptacle to put all over the outside of your house and will power anything you might need.
I can believe that a 15amp (pressure washer, weeder, etc.) might seem underpowered but I am skeptical that a 20amp one would be ...
14-50R is not what I would use in that case, they are bulky, unsightly and don't offer tamper resistance.
6-20R / 6-15R have variants that are tamper resistant, and they look like regular outlets.
"20A should be enough for everything".
We used to have 2.5-3kW kettles before we moved to US, which would require 20-25A (although, I don't think the math is that simple -- circuit breakers don't trip on "exactly 20A").
Also, the issue with 20A receptacles is that, again, I have never seen 20A plugs (NEMA 5-20P) on appliances (it has neutral connector "flat" rather than vertical). Which is understandable, why make them if nobody has 20A receptacles anyway. There is a requirement to have two 20A branches in a kitchen, but commonly they are wired to 15A receptacles.
As for 20amp, it may interest you to learn that I have a commercial microwave with two magnetrons that is actually 20amp (and has the horizontal pin, etc.).
They're also the socket found in datacentres (in Europe) to connect a UPS or PDU.
Home users see them at campsites, marinas, and for charging electric cars without a special car charger.
And those are usually 240V/50A outlets, a lot more powerful than the 240V/12A outlets of Europe.
I have one with an 80 watt hour battery. The level of power seems just fine to me, for the moderate amount of time it lasts.
And that's barely over one pound of battery. Add five more pounds and that's a ton of power while probably still lighter than a gas engine.
They certainly do make 240V 60Hz 20A rated pressure washers for the US market that typically come with inline GFCIs as well.
So you can feel good about saving the planet whilst cutting your toes off with the water jet.
They don't really. I've had corded electric weed wackers. You've gotta be more careful, of course, and within an extension cord of an outlet, but that's fine for acheivable lot sizes in most of suburbia.
Indeed. I did cut through one extension cord with my hedge trimmer already,
120 * 15 = 1800 watts. 240 * 5 = 1200 watts. US circuits generally carry more power than their overseas equivalents. If you plugged that Indian 240v pressure washer into your 20 amp circuit, it wouldn't likely draw more current unless it was designed badly, and wouldn't perform any better.
Where in Europe have you seen 5A?
One complaint I have in the opposite direction is hybrid water heaters. In heat pump mode they draw 500 Watts. But they require 240V @ 30 amps for the resistive heaters. Would be nice if they would run in heat pump mode only if connected to 120V single phase.
https://bataviatools.co.uk/product/garden-tools/garden-machi...
- importing tools from Europe can kickstart the market and is a lot less risky than designing new tools
- 240V garage & exterior outlets are becoming common for hot tubs, RV's and electric car chargers.
Which is not a problem for dedicated circuits (you could wire receptacle just for this specific dryer / hot tub / RV / whatever, plug it and never remove), but would be a bigger problem if 240V is shared between appliances.
I think, NEMA 6-15 / NEMA 6-20 would be the best (they look very similar to standard 120V outlets; they have tamper resistance; 15A or even 20A should be plenty enough), but nobody wires them.
Also, there are other minor differences like:
1. 50Hz in Europe vs 60Hz in USA. 2. The voltage between ground and "power" lines would be different. In Europe it would be 240v between line and ground and 0V between neutral in ground, in USA it would be 120V between ground and both power connectors, due to how 240V is typically delivered to single-family homes in USA (split phase). Should not make much difference (you are not supposed to have any current to ground anyway, and any short-circuit should trigger the circuit breaker), but maybe it will affect safety somehow? 3. Seems like in some cases in USA you can get 208V instead of 240V (and Europe is nominally 230V).
But that's certainly not where you'd connect a leafblower.
Weed wackers need to be cordless, though, so that's a different issue.