Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
Oh man, so I got an old heat press from the screen printing shop I used to work for, and then I moved 500 miles away (literally), and then today I tried to plug it in and the plug looks like this:
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I can take a picture if need be, but basically it's a three-prong plug with one prong turned sideways. I went to Home Depot, thinking this would be a simple matter, but it's actually illegal to sell an adapter that converts that kind of plug to a regular home outlet.
I got this in the last couple of days before I moved and assumed it wouldn't be an issue. Ugh.
So, what can I do to fix this? I live in an apartment building, so I'd rather modify the machine as opposed to modifying the electrical setup here. Is this fixable? Man, I hope it is.
Thanks in advance!
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Some 110 volt heat presses had a different plug design. You need to check and see if your press is 110 or 220 and then call an electrician to wire it for you if you aren't able to do it yourself. Electricity is one of those odd things that you can't see smell or taste but you sure can feel it.
I'm don't know much about electrical work, but I have those plugs on some of my machines. They run on 110 outlets. I think that type of plug is on equipment that uses more than 15 amps. If that's the case, you can change your outlet and run it. It's a simple process, but hiring an electrician is much safer. He can look at your press and be sure it's done right. Beware of someone charging more than $100 if it's just a quick swap.
You should have a label on the press that tells you if it is 220v or 110v. Some appliances will do both. If it does both, you will need the manual to swap it over. Even most old appliance manuals can be found on the web somewhere.
If it is in fact a 110v and just has a diff plug, make sure to check your breaker for that particular circuit/outlet. If it pulls too much, you may keep popping it. You should be able to look on the wire feeding from the breaker to determine the size of the wire going to the outlet. A quick search on the web will tell you how many amps you can pull over what distance.
If I remember correctly.... I would stay away from a step-up transformer. When you increase the voltage, you also decrease the amps that it puts out. For instance. If it is a 110v to 220v and you are feeding in 10 amps...at 220v you will only get 5 amps. That may not be enough to even heat it up to the temps you require. The reverse is true if you use a step down transformer. Going from 220v to 110v and input of 5 amps will give you 110v and 10 amps. Clear as mud?
If you have romex cable running to the outlet, it can still be converted to a 220 outlet ir the cable will carry it. 220v is just two(2) 110v legs and a ground. So a romex cable with a white and black wire with a ground will work.
But it is always best to check with an electrician
Electrical Plug/Outlet Compatability Issues! 
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