Electrical Question: Can a 220V Appliance Run Off 110V?

[Quietude]

As a general data point on this old thread... I once needed a very slow exhaust fan for a computer closet. I wanted it to move just enough air to control temps without making a sound.

A 220V pancake fan run on 110V was the perfect solution, and it ran for years without any issues.

As long as an item is single-phase and the right frequency, running it on 110 vs 220 should just produce lower power operation. Not to mention that many wall adapters and power supplies are auto-adapting to both.

[K12144]

Why not simply unplug it and encourage her to use the microwave? No, it's not ideal, and she won't be able to cook everything, but it would be more safe than trying to jerry-rig a stove.

I see many possible issues with older people and stoves... forgetting it's on, turning it on accidentally*, setting something flammable on top of it when burner is still on or still hot, medical emergencies as you mentioned, not being mindful enough and getting burned.

I see possible issues with a stove that doesn't get hot enough-- either she won't be able to cook at all, or she may end up eating undercooked food.

I don't know what smoke detectors over the stove will do if she is unconscious or incapacitated.


*Once when at my mom's house I glanced at the stove and saw the "surface heating" light was on. We hadn't been cooking. Hers was of the type with the knobs on front (above the oven door), not on the back part... my guess was that she reached up to turn on the light in the hood (she wasn't very tall) and leaned against the knobs just right to turn one to "on," and didn't notice.